Plans to find RTHK a new home appear in doubt as government struggles to find roommates
Authorities still considering a plan for the city’s public broadcaster to share space with other departments, secretary for commerce and development says
Plans to find a new home for Hong Kong’s public broadcaster appeared to hit a snag on Tuesday after the commerce minister cast doubt on a move to share a building with other government departments.
RTHK has been looking for a new headquarters since 2014, citing outdated infrastructure and overcrowding at its current location in Kowloon.
The broadcaster’s chief had floated the idea of sharing space but Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah said finding other departments was difficult.
RTHK staff challenge their boss over press freedom
“We are still considering whether RTHK can share a building with some government departments. But we have not identified any suitable partner,” Yau said in a Legislative Council meeting.
Three years ago, a HK$6.1 billion (US$781 million) proposal to build a new headquarters in Tseung Kwan O for the broadcaster was vetoed by the Legco’s public works committee. Most pro-establishment lawmakers had opposed the plan, citing its high cost.
This year, the station’s chief, Leung Ka-wing, broached the idea of sharing space with government departments as a way to save costs and better utilise land, but a concrete proposal has never been made.