The latest bid to use a new management team to sweep the cobwebs out of terrestrial broadcaster Asia Television collapsed even before it got properly under way, with the shock 'resignation' of new chief executive Ricky Wong Wai-kay just 12 days into the job.
Insiders say behind the deeply embarrassing development was an instant and fatal clash of wills and style between Mr Wong and chairman Linus Cheung Wing-lam, who was appointed ATV chairman on December 4, the same day Mr Wong got the job of chief executive.
Together, the two 'tigers' were intended to stem the flow of red ink at ATV, which is reported to be losing HK$1 million a day after racking up losses of HK$300 million last year.
But as the saying goes, two tigers cannot share one mountain.
Mr Cheung slipped in a brief statement about the affair at the end of a press conference called at ATV's Tai Po headquarters on Monday to release information about the station's Miss Asia Pageant results.
He candidly told the media Mr Wong had resigned because the two of them had strong disagreements about the management style.