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After two days of confusion, broadcaster accepts chief executive's decision to quit
The brief and turbulent term of Asia Television chief executive Ricky Wong Wai-kay  formally came to an end yesterday when the broadcaster's board accepted his resignation and appointed him a consultant.
Mr Wong handed in his resignation at a board meeting yesterday morning.
This came less than two weeks after he was appointed by new executive chairman Linus Cheung Wing-lam  - and following two days of confusion during which Mr Cheung said Mr Wong had quit and Mr Wong  denied this.
Mr Wong said he would return to being full-time chairman of the company he founded, fixed-line telephone operator City Telecom (Hong Kong).
Sources said Mr Wong tendered his resignation after he, Mr Cheung and ATV chairman Payson Cha Mou-sing  had a long discussion on Tuesday to settle the issue, which the sources said was damaging the broadcaster's credibility.
At the meeting at ATV's Tai Po headquarters, the board also decided to form a committee to look for a new chief executive, ensuring it would not be kept in the dark about the  appointment, as it was said to have been when Mr Cheung hired Mr Wong on December 3.
The sources said nine board members including Mr Cha, non-executive director Chan Wing-kee  and directors from shareholders Citic Group  and ABN Amro  attended the meeting.
There had been speculation that Mr Wong's resignation was due to negative comments about several state-owned media, and remarks that the broadcaster should not act as a channel of China Central Television, which angered several parties close to Beijing.
But Mr Chan said the decision to accept the  resignation was 'based on administrative considerations, not political ones'.
In a statement after the meeting, Mr Wong likened himself and Mr Cheung - who both assumed their positions on December 4 - to parents who loved their baby but could not agree on how to take care of it.
'We have a common goal. But, unfortunately, our views on the daily operation are different. We both agree on the need to create a new culture, a new path for ATV. I have chosen to step down at this moment. This  is the most appropriate way.'
Despite rumours that he and Mr Cheung had clashed over management style, Mr Wong said he still  appreciated his former boss  and had learned a lot from him. 'Although we can no longer serve ATV together in the short term, I will continue to support him,' he said. Mr Wong said he still believed ATV was a television station for Hongkongers. 'I think its direction has been correct so far. GDP per capita in Hong Kong is 10 times that of the mainland. But China is still our country. If we can, we should think how we can contribute to it, while we should not depend  excessively on it,' he said.
He said he still believed his reforms could ultimately have led ATV to success. 'All the way through, I have never thought about my personal achievement and well-being. We have only one single focus: how to lead ATV on to the road to success.
'Regrettably, things go on  in the way many love affairs do. The one you most love is not the one you will  marry or the one who becomes part of your life,' Mr Wong said in the  statement.
Industry sources said the road to reform for ATV could be much more difficult after Mr Wong's departure as there would now be  intense pressure to move the broadcaster forward.
'The roles of executive chairman and CEO need to have a clear identity  to avoid conflict between them, otherwise no one will be willing to take the post,' an industry observer said.
In moves that shocked the industry, Mr Cheung announced Mr Wong's resignation on Monday but Mr Wong denied that night that he had quit.  Sources said later that the board had not been formally advised of his appointment or his resignation and that only Mr Cheung and Mr Cha had been involved in hiring him.
The Broadcasting Authority  said it had received written notification from ATV about management changes. The Legislative Council's information technology and broadcasting panel will hold a special meeting on the issue  tomorrow.



Ricky Wong resigns from ATV