The decision by Director of Broadcasting Franklin Wong Wah-kay to step down as head of RTHK comes at a critical time with the station at a crossroads. Wong said last week he would not renew his contract when it expires in February because of health problems. Many will agree that he has a tough job, running a somewhat independent 'empire' that has a dysfunctional management system and was plagued by a series of scandals a few years ago.
The station's role as a public broadcaster has still not been clearly defined, although it receives annual government funding of HK$500 million. And its role is being further politicised because some of its programmes are seen by the pro-establishment camp as biased and unfairly critical of the government.
Many of RTHK's problems are rooted in its inability to shake off its former role as the government mouthpiece during the British colonial era. In the old days, broadcasting chief Cheung Man-yee had direct access to top government officials, and seemed to be accountable to no one, allowing her total freedom to run RTHK.
After the handover, a fear of communism prompted it to assume the moral high ground by refusing to toe the government line. The role of RTHK has always been a conflicting one; it has to walk the tightrope between being a government department and a public broadcaster with editorial independence.
To avoid further politicising the issue, the government shelved its plan to set up a new public service broadcaster. It pledged additional funding for RTHK to expand its services on the condition that it would improve management control and fulfil its role as a true public broadcaster.
Unfortunately, after two years at the helm, Wong appears to have achieved very little. His imminent departure has drawn an almost unanimous round of criticism from staff.
But I believe that when the staff say they want to safeguard the station's editorial independence, what they really mean is they want to be able to do whatever they want.