The government said it would launch a public consultation on the future of public service broadcasting by the end of this year that should last about six months.
Speaking on an RTHK talk show yesterday, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma Si-hang said he hoped the consultation would be a detailed one and look at the issue from different perspectives.
'Some RTHK staff might worry the restructuring exercise is the equivalent of dismantling the station,' Mr Ma said. 'I don't want them to look at the issue from this angle. The move could help to improve the quality of the public broadcasting services.'
Mr Ma said he would personally discuss the issue with the 18 district councils, consult RTHK's staff and hold public forums to engage the community.
The public would be asked to help decide whether RTHK can be transformed into the new public broadcaster, among other questions.
RTHK's fate has been uncertain since March when a government-appointed committee mapped out proposals for a statutory independent public broadcaster, but ruled out turning RTHK into such an entity. The move sparked fears the government was trying to erode RTHK's editorial independence.
