The terms of reference for the committee reviewing public service broadcasting seem to suggest that the formation of an independent broadcaster is all over bar the shouting. However, the lengthy and generally comprehensive report does not really answer the first question asked in its terms of reference, namely: what are 'the public financial and other resources required for such broadcasting'? It hints at a separate building; presumably many new staff would be required - although it might absorb some from RTHK - and it aims to improve and upgrade programmes all round. How much will this cost?
Hong Kong has been round this track before as our institutions are developed to suit changes in society, for example the hospital, housing and airport authorities, and now the merger of the rail operations of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation and the MTR Corporation. We are familiar with the pitfalls and difficulties of these developments but, once they have been overcome, we have found that Hong Kong institutions emerge improved and strengthened from the evolutionary experience and soul-searching it entails.
In the first stage of each new venture, it is tempting to say: 'No more mergers, no more evolution. Let's discard the old and start afresh with a clean slate.' That seems to be the easy way out, but experience shows that this is not necessarily the case. We can all share many of the high ideals pursued by the report on public service broadcasting: universality - to address the needs of the whole population; diversity - to reach everyone 'not through every programme but through all programmes'; distinctiveness - to take creative risks, explore new ideas, maintain diversity to serve the public interest. And then there is independence - this is the tricky one, and the most difficult to decide. The report says that the public service broadcaster 'must uphold its independence, defend it from any real or perceived commercial, political and/or government influences, only then can it serve as a creditable and open platform, upon which the public is confident in using it as a means to express themselves and share their views'.
I find it strange that, as far as I can see, nowhere in the report is the word 'China' mentioned. Hong Kong is a special administrative region with a high degree of autonomy - but not complete autonomy.
We cannot go on blithely ignoring the fact that, one day, circumstances may well arise to test Hong Kong's loyalty, identity and belonging. Those circumstances would be extreme, but there may be many other occasions when we will have to remember that our autonomy, and hence the independence of a public broadcaster, cannot be absolute.
This brings me back to where I began: how much public money and other resources will be required? We are told that the government will fully finance the first term of the public broadcaster. How much will that be? Will it require a new building? Where? How much would that cost? The report says that, in 2007-2008, RTHK's expenditure will be HK$457 million. For a relatively small sum, RTHK put out, in 2005-2006, 557 hours of TV and 49,750 hours of radio programmes. To me, that doesn't sound like a poor performance.