Occupy-linked DJs dumped as Hong Kong broadcaster RTHK rejects censorship accusations
Management says staff concerns about axing of programmes hosted by Occupy activists are unfounded and changes were made for benefit of audiences
RTHK’s management has rejected staff concerns about possible politically motivated censorship after the public broadcaster scrapped two programmes hosted by DJs who were activists in the Occupy movement in 2014.
In a statement released on Thursday, the RTHK Programme Staff Union said there was concern among the public that the station might cut back discussions on politics and curb freedom of expression.
But RTHK dismissed such fears, and also added that its Director of Broadcasting Leung Ka-wing had not been involved in the changes.
“There are also reports suggesting that the changes were ordered by the director, which is not true,” said RTHK management spokeswoman Amen Ng Man-yee.
“He was never involved in the discussion on the programme reshuffle, and was only notified of the new programming afterwards.”
Ng stressed the revamp was made for the benefit of RTHK’s audience.
Chan Ka-ming, who hosts phone-in entertainment show Sik Si Fung, said he had received instructions to downplay certain sensitive subjects such as the pro-democracy Occupy protests.
“I do not know who was giving such instructions to us through the producers, but we all felt the pressure,” he said.
Chan, a well-known cultural critic, was an active participant in the Occupy movement. He interviewed activists on his regular Sunday show on RTHK Radio 2, the broadcaster’s only phone-in programme that combines politics with humour.
Chan said he was informed on December 6 that the eight-year programme would have to end in a month’s time – the last broadcast will be this Sunday.
The same fate was decided for the weekday programme Cultural Renaissance, which has six rotating hosts. One of them is Roye Shiu Ka-chun, an activist who played host at the main protest stage in Admiralty during the Occupy campaign.
Shiu said the producer of the programme had reminded him many times not to mention his participation in the protests during the talk show.
“It is very suspicious for two programmes to be scrapped that just happened to be hosted by people who were involved in the movement in different ways,” Chan said.
“It may be a very small matter, but I speak out because I believe the public should see all these worrying signs.”
A new programme, Sunday Man’s Talk, will replace Sik Si Fung, while an existing programme called Knowledge Company will be scheduled an hour earlier to take over the slot of Cultural Renaissance.