Hong Kong commerce minister confident about new RTHK director of broadcasting
Naming veteran journalist Leung Ka-wing as Radio Television Hong Kong's new boss was the right decision and he will lead the public broadcaster to embrace challenges ahead, said commerce minister Greg So Kam-leung yesterday.
But the secretary for commerce and economic development denied the previous appointment of a career bureaucrat to head RTHK was a mistake.
"The recruitment of the new director of broadcasting has always been open. It was just that we couldn't find the right person last time, and so we made that decision," So said, referring to the appointment of Roy Tang Yun-kwong as director of broadcasting in 2011.
The appointment of Tang sparked controversy because he was an administrative officer with no experience in broadcasting or the media and because of fears that he may interfere with the broadcaster's editorial independence.
"I'm glad that we have found the right candidate who has rich experience in the media industry," So said, referring to Leung's appointment.
"I believe [Leung] will lead RTHK forward to embrace the challenges ahead."
I believe [Leung] will lead RTHK forward to embrace the challenges ahead
So said one of the greatest challenges ahead will be the construction of a new RTHK headquarters, following withdrawal of an earlier proposal that was rejected by lawmakers.
So said the Buildings Department was working closely with RTHK to explore ways to develop a plan that met lawmakers' demands for cost efficiency. The rejected plan would have cost HK$6 billion.
In response to queries about HKTV's second application for a free television licence, So said the Communications Authority was still processing the bid.
Last week, HKTV boss Ricky Wong Wai-kay said his company was still trading documents with the authority and the application remained pending.
So said the authority would study the city's free television market. Some spectrum to be freed up next year when ATV loses its licence has been assigned to PCCW's Hong Kong Television Entertainment, which was earlier awarded a free television licence.
Last week, Communications Authority chairman Ambrose Ho Pui-him said the regulator would commission research to examine Hong Kong's free-to-air television market, seeking to understand what benefits additional stations would bring to the city.
But Ho stressed that there was no upper limit to the number of new licences.
