HONG KONG
PRICE: $2
ANNUAL
DEPARTMENTAL
REPORTS
1953-54
PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
HONG KONG
ANNUAL DEPARTMENTAL REPORT
BY THE
PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FOR THE
FINANCIAL YEAR 1953 - 54
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY THE GOVERNMENT PRINTER,
HONG KONG.
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PART I-GENERAL
Policy
Staff
CONTENTS
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Paragraphs
1
2 - 7
8
9
10
11
• •
12 - 15
Premises
Relations with the Public Hong Kong Booklet
Coronation Celebrations
PART II-PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION
Services to the Press
Radio News
Press Arrangements for Coronation
Week
Press Visitors
Press Conferences
Facility Visits
Visit to United Kingdom
H.K. Newspaper Society
Films Section
Advertising, Display, Distribution &
Film Censorship
PART III-BROADCASTING DIVISION
Policy
16 - 28
29
30
34
35
36
37
38 - 39
40 - 41
42 - 53
54 - 58
59
Staff
60 - 63
Coronation Broadcasts
64 - 72
Other Important Broadcasts
73 - 77
ZEK-Chinese Station
78 - 80
ZBW--English Station
81 - 87
Relations with the B.B.C. Statistics
88
89 - 93
Technical Services
94 - 96
PART I-GENERAL
Policy:
The "growing pains", inevitably attendant upon the reorganization of the Department which started in 1950, seem to be over and Public Relations to be increasingly accepted as an integral-and useful-member of the machine of Govern- ment. Development of press services and news functions continued to be the main focus of activity in the Public Relations Division itself. The decision to make the Broadcasting Division a separate Department of Government with effect from April 1954 was the major policy event.
Staff:
2. The Public Relations Officer went on 6-months' leave to the United Kingdom in July 1953 and the Press Officer acted as Public Relations Officer until January 1954.
3. The establishment of three Assistant Press Officers is now up to strength, enabling one officer to be on duty each night. This arrangement enables inquiries from morning newspapers to be dealt with right up to press time (at hours when the majority of Government offices are closed) and also facilitates the preparation of the early morning news bulletins broadcast from Radio Hong Kong.
4. Replacement of the General Clerical Service clerks engaged on Press Translation work continued, only one General Clerical Service clerk being employed on this work at the end of the year.
5. Approval was given for the creation of a new post of Advertising and Display Officer, to which one of the Press Translators, who has in fact been doing this work for some years, has been appointed with effect from 1st April, 1954.
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6. One Assistant Public Relations Officer left the depart- ment at the end of the year on expiration of his agreement, and will not be replaced. The Executive Officer Class II was trans- ferred to another department and replaced by an Executive Officer Class I.
7. The senior of the Chinese Programme Assistant, Radio Hong Kong, retired on 20.3.54. Considerable revision of the establishment of Radio Hong Kong is planned for the next financial year.
Premises:
8. Work on the construction of a Government Film Censorship Theatre in Gloucester Building was begun early in 1954, and the theatre will be ready for use by 1st June, 1954. The new theatre will undoubtedly increase the efficiency of the Film Censorship Unit, apart from the general convenience to staff.
Relations with the Public:
9. The usefulness of the department in explaining Govern- ment's policies and providing information about the Colony direct to the public (as distinct from statements and announce- ments published in the press or broadcast) continues to be shown. Staff were kept consistently busy throughout the year answering the queries of personal callers and telephone inquirers. Apart from dealing with the problems of Hong Kong citizens, the office is now handling an increasing volume of queries from visitors to Hong Kong, introduced by the various travel agencies, airline and shipping companies of the Colony.
Booklet about Hong Kong:
10. Production of a publicity booklet about the Colony, delayed owing to concentration on the Coronation celebrations, was completed towards the end of 1953. The Public Relations
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Officer took advantage of his leave in the United Kingdom to secure the technical assistance of the Central Office of Informa- tion in the final layout and typography and in preparation for the press. Book proofs reached the Colony in January 1954 and an initial print order for 50,000 copies was confirmed.
11. Preliminary bulk orders from commercial houses to whom the booklet was offered as a personal advertising medium at cost of printing only, soon showed that 50,000 copies would fall far short of requirements and the order was increased to 90,000 copies. Supplies were due to reach Hong Kong in the summer of 1954.
Coronation Celebrations:
12. Details of the work done by Radio Hong Kong and the Press Section in recording the many activities, both local and in the United Kingdom, which marked the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth are given in later sections of this report.
13. The general publicity material prepared by the Department-films, posters, leaflets, magazines and so on-the preparation of which was described in some detail in last year's report, was just as successful as had been hoped.
14. Every child of school age (nearly a quarter of a million of them!) and tens of thousands of adults saw special film pro- grammes dealing with the Royal Family, the Commonwealth and the Coronation. Several of the films were also included in the ordinary programmes of the Colony's cinemas.
15. There was a mass distribution to the children of Coronation Souvenir folders and magazines, and portraits of Her Majesty and posters illustrating the Coronation ceremony made a brave show. The illustrated souvenir programme of the Colony's own celebrations sold well.
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05
PART II-PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION
Press Section
16. The Press Section staff was brought up to strength during the year and now consists of a Press Officer, 3 Assistant Press Officers, 6 Translators, 2 Chinese Copyists and 2 Typists.
Services to the Press:
17. The general output by the Section showed an allround increase over the previous year with the local press using more than ever of the material prepared and distributed by the Section.
18. The most important routine functions of the Section continued to be the preparation of the Daily Information Bulletin containing news of Government affairs, official state- ments, views etc., and the preparation of daily News Bulletins for broadcast by Radio Hong Kong.
19. London Press Service, in which is included a special regional service for the Far East known as "Feastco", is received nightly by wireless telegraphy from the Central Office of Information in London and edited and distributed for use by the local press. Taking its chance with the wealth of inter- national news pouring into the Colony daily through the commercial news agencies, London Press Service showed reasonable acceptance results and must be considered a worth- while adjunct to Government Public Relations Office activities.
20. Another specialized C.O.I. service ("Colco") which deals exclusively with Colonial news also meets good response and is evidently appreciated by editors for the panoramic picture which it gives of activities in other Colonial territories.
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21. The London Press Service is also supplemented with a feature service of articles written by journalists and writers of repute. This again is C.O.I. material, merely distributed in Hong Kong.
22. A Press Summary of items of interest translated into English from the vernacular press is prepared daily. This Summary has a restricted circulation in so far as its primary aim is to keep Departmental Heads informed of what is being said by the local press about their respective departments, and about the actions and policies of Government. It is also of assistance to Government in evaluating suggestions and criticisms which from time to time appear in the local news- papers.
23. Apart from the feature material and Press Summaries, all output of the Section is handled in the two languages, English and Cantonese.
24. The Department's Photographic Library is building up steadily and its services are increasingly in demand.
Good use is made of United Kingdom and Commonwealth photographs supplied through the Central Office of Information. Whilst no attempt is made to compete with the press in the field of local news photographs, the Department does from time to time commission photographs of special interest and provides a "cover" service for any events at which, for one reason or another, press facilities have to be limited. Simplified plans, sketch maps and scale drawings prepared to amplify and explain text matter are now a well established part of the photographic service.
25. The Department's system of distribution of material to the press is employed by the Public Relations Officers of the three arms of H.M. Forces stationed in the Colony, with whom the Press Officer works in close liaison.
26. The Press Section provides an almost round the clock service, as Duty Officers, both English-speaking and Chinese, are available from 10 p.m. onwards, the office closing usually
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only between the hours of 5 or 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily. This arrangement is both helpful to morning newspapers wishing to make inquiries when most Government Departments are closed and also facilitates the preparation of radio news bulletins broadcast in the early morning.
27. Use by the local press of all varieties of material can be summarized as follows:
Total No. of Acceptances
No. of Items No. of Items
Issued
Used
by Local Press
Average Use Per Item Accepted
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
1,215
1,096
1,215
10,843
LONDON PRESS SERVICE
579
696
"FEASTCO" (LONDON FAR EAST SERVICE)
269
128
229
"COLCO" (LONDON COLONIAL SERVICE)
446
502
139
79
129
179
RADIO NEWS & PROGRAMMES
473
8.92
1.20
1.80
1.39
3,371
7.13
ARMED SERVICES RELEASES
137
892
6.51
C.O.I. FEATURE ARTICLES
79
PHOTOGRAPHS
159
(including plans, maps and sketch drawings)
2.01
P.R.O.
182
171
470
2.75
C.O.I.
207
207
217
1.05
ARMED SERVICES
4
4
27
6.75
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28. Most photographs produced by the Public Relations Office were of a local topical nature and so were popular with the Colony's daily press. C.O.I. material-mostly of the feature type (e.g. stories told in a series of pictures) found its way mainly into the Colony's several pictorial magazines.
Radio News:
29. Three radio news bulletins are produced daily by the Press Section and are prepared in both English and Chinese. The English language news starts with a short bulletin of head- lines broadcast at 7.15 a.m. This is followed with a 10 minutes news bulletin at 8 a.m. and a full quarter of an hour of world news at 1.15 p.m. Chinese bulletins are broadcast in three dialects (Cantonese, Kuoyu and Swatow) at 8.15 a.m., 1.30 p.m., and 6 p.m.
The majority of special radio announcements are also written by the Public Relations news staff.
Press Arrangements for Coronation Week:
30. A good deal of thought and effort went into plans to assist both local press and visiting newspapermen in covering the colourful story of Hong Kong's Coronation celebrations.
31. The week-long succession of Coronation events-start- ing with a Festival of Youth and including the Dragon Blessing Ceremony, Ceremonial Parades in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories, the reading of the Loyal Address in the Council Chamber, Chinese Processions and the Governor's Official Reception, to say nothing of the many requests by individual photographers for facilities to take special pictures, gave the Press Section plenty to do.
32. In good time before Coronation Day, the press were given a three-page circular detailing each and every event and setting out the proposed press arrangements, together with application forms for special press passes and badges issued whenever they were required.
33. Sight-seeing crowds and general congestion-parti- cularly at the Chinese processions-made adequate cover no easy matter. The press were warned of this in advance and
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advised that successful coverage would largely depend upon the enterprise and ingenuity of newspaper staffs themselves. "Pool" arrangements-operated by official Public Relations Office photo- graphers-were only necessary at three functions and this merely because of limited space. Within a few hours of each event, pool photographs were made available, free of charge, to all bona fide newspapers and news agencies.
34. Complaints were few and far between and most news- men got their stories and pictures without too much difficulty.
Press Visitors:
35. During the year the Department was visited by the usual quota of press visitors. Well over 100 newspaper and magazine writers, authors, lecturers, research workers and publicists passed through the Colony, the majority of them making contact with the Office for assistance and guidance in their respective assignments. The majority of these visitors were American but newspapermen from many lands were seen and given help during their stay in the Colony. The majority of these visitors remained in Hong Kong for only a few days.
Press Conferences:
36. During the year 11 Press Conferences were held. Among those who gave conferences were Mr. Malcolm MacDonald, Commissioner General for the United Kingdom in South East Asia, Dr. the Hon. S. N. Chau, C.B.E. of the Hong Kong Settlers Housing Corporation, the British Naval authorities in connection with the shelling of a Naval launch off Hong Kong, Mr. K. Keen, the Social Welfare Officer dealing with the Shek Kip Mei Fire, Dr. D. J. Sloss, C.B.E., Chairman of the Salaries Commission, the Commissioner of Police who dealt with Police arrangements for Coronation Week, the Director of Public Works on the subject of reduced water supplies, Mr. R. A. Bates, the Presiding Officer at the Urban Council Election and Dr. G. M. Thomson, Senior Social Hygiene Officer who spoke to the Press on the prevention of social diseases in the Colony.
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Facility Visits:
37. These visits, arranged by the Press Section so that reporters and photographers can see at first hand how various Government Departments function and observe operations not normally seen by the public but about which information is in the public interest, continued to be popular, particularly with the local press. In some cases, where the visits involved trips to outlying areas, official transport-road and sea-was provided. Among the oustanding trips of this nature were a tour of the Kowloon Resettlement areas in company with the Chairman of the Urban Council, a visit to Waglan Lighthouse and marine installations, a visit to the Hong Kong Regiment in camp at Sai Kung, a tour of the Shamshuipo area after the big Christmas Night fire, a visit to the Cooperative and Market- ing establishments in the New Territories and a look at the Special Constabulary in training at their annual camp at Aberdeen.
Visit to United Kingdom:
38. Hong Kong was one of 21 colonial territories invited to send, as guests of the United Kingdom Government, a press representative to witness the Coronation and to spend a month in Britain.
39. Mr. Cheung Wing-Ngok, an editorial writer on the staff of the "Wah Kiu Yat Po" was invited to represent Hong Kong and his despatches, including an eye-witness account of the actual crowning ceremony in Westminster Abbey, were made available to the whole of the local press through the Public Relations Office, and were read with considerable interest by a wide public. Mr. Cheung attended events in London and Birmingham and also toured many major cities in the British Isles.
Hong Kong Newspaper Society:
40. An idea widely canvassed by the Public Relations Office in recent years-the creation of a professional association of the Colony's newspapers-became actuality in January when the formation of the Hong Kong Newspaper Society was announced.
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Consisting initially of representatives of four of the Colony's main newspaper groups-South China Morning Post, Ltd., Overseas Chinese Daily News Ltd. (Wah Kiu Yat Po), Industrial & Commercial Daily News Ltd. (Kung Sheung Yat Po) and the Aw Boon Haw group (H.K. Tiger Standard and Sing Tao Jih Pao) including their evening and Sunday editions-the Society aims at becoming as representative as possible of the entire Hong Kong press.
41. Apart from the good which the Society can do in raising and maintaining professional standards among the Colony's newspapers, it should serve a most useful purpose as a respon- sible and representative body with which Government can discuss all questions touching Government/Press relationships (e.g. the issue of Press Passes, operation of satisfactory "pool" arrangements at functions where press facilities must necessarily be limited, possible future amendments of Ordinances affecting the Press, etc., etc.). The new Society is therefore most heartily welcomed.
Advertising, Display, Distribution & Films Section
42. This Section has maintained and increased its activities during the year, with no expansion of staff. Particularly heavy demands were made on it during the Colony's Coronation Celebrations.
Government Advertising:
43. During 1953/54 the number of Government advertise- ments placed in local newspapers remained almost the same at 491, as against 494 in 1952/53. The total cost was $134,970.72, or approximately $278 per advertisement, against an average cost of $224 last year.
Visual Display and Distribution:
44. Two coloured posters were produced by the Section during the year, one on anti-rabies precautions, the other on immunization against Diphtheria. 5,000 copies of each were printed, and the same number of copies of a notice regarding smallpox was also produced.
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45. The production, for schools, of Chinese editions of large picture posters originated by C.O.I. continued, 8 sets being over- printed during the year.
This work is now also undertaken on
behalf of the Governments of Sarawak and Borneo.
46. There was a considerable increase in the number of simple plans and diagrams produced on behalf of the Press Section.
47. The supply of publicity material from C.O.I., in the shape of posters, picture sets, booklets etc., continued at a very satisfactory level. The reference material from London con- tinues to enhance the usefulness of the Department's Reference Library.
Films:
48. During the year under review 3,627 films were borrowed from the library and were shown to audiences totalling some 746,000. This represents an increase of about 40% over last year, (2,531 films, 446,000 audience total) and well demon- strates the popularity of these films.
49. Films continued to come forward from C.O.I., but it is still only just possible to keep up with the demand. The British. newsreels are particularly appreciated. Two copies of the colour Coronation film made by the H.K. Amateur Cine Club have been added to the Library.
50. Provision has been made in the coming year for the acquisition of one of the new "soundstripe" magnetic recording projectors, by means of which an additional sound track in vernacular can be provided, and the English or vernacular commentary used according to the composition of the audience.
51. No film production has been undertaken during the year. But every possible assistance has been given to visiting film teams making documentaries about the Colony-viz. Dudley Film Corporation, Los Angeles (Mr. Ed Drews) "March of Time" unit, B.B.C. Television unit (in recording local Coronation scenes for a special T.V. programme on celebrations throughout
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the Commonwealth) and Deane Dickason. Towards the end of the year a copy was received of the Dudley production-a very fine job in colour with a most sympathetic commentary.
Photographs:
52. Big display photographs-some measuring 30′′ × 20′′- were supplied during the year for exhibitions in India, Seattle, U.S.A., Durban, South Africa, and for the British Industries Fair.
53. The department continues to be responsible for provi- sion and selection of the photographs published in the Colony's Annual Report.
Film Censorship Section
54. Film Censorship continues to be administered by the Public Relations Officer in his capacity as Secretary to both the Film Censoring Panel and the Films Appeal Board. There has been no change in the composition of the panel of censors.
55. The Film Censorship Regulations 1953 were gazetted in November 1953, and had the effect of standardizing procedure for the composition of the panel and for appeals against the censors' decisions. The regulations also now empower the Colonial Secretary to act upon any complaint in respect of a film already passed by the censors.
56. Appendices A and B on pages 23 and 24 give a summary of films censored.
57. The China Fleet Club has been used throughout the year for the censorship of films, with the exception of 3-D and Cinemascope films, which are censored in the theatre in which they are to be shown.
58. The projectors in the new Government Censorship Theatre will handle 3-D films, but not Cinemascope. Since the use of Cinemascope is increasing it may eventually become necessary to provide this facility in the new theatre.
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PART III-BROADCASTING DIVISION
Policy:
59. In July 1953, with the departure on six months' leave of the Public Relations Officer, it was decided, as an experiment, to transfer responsibility for the administration and control of Radio Hong Kong entirely to the Controller of Broadcasting, whose responsibilities had up till then been largely confined to programme organization. This move proved successful and at the close of the year it had been decided to make Radio Hong Kong a separate Department with effect from 1st April, 1954. Under the new arrangements, the Public Relations Office con- tinues to be responsible for the provision of radio news bulletins and for general overall policy guidance on "the spoken word".
Staff:
60. During the year vigorous measures were taken to tackle the problem of under-staffing. Recommendations to Government for strengthening staff all-round and particularly in the Chinese Section, (ZEK) with improvement of programme quality a main consideration, were approved in full, and a new establishment was drawn up for Radio Hong Kong which, for the first time, included all programme posts on the permanent and pensionable establishment. The new establishment will
begin to take effect in 1954/55.
61. During the year the work of the Chinese Section suffered a set-back because of the protracted illness of Mr. S. C. Lau, the senior member of ZEK. Mr. Lau subsequently went on vacation leave prior to retirement, and in the autumn of 1953, Radio Hong Kong bade farewell to a colleague who had been associated with broadcasting in the Colony since 1935.
62. This loss was offset to a certain degree by the formal installation in July of Mr. E. Au Yeung who had, for the first few months of his appointment as Programme Assistant, been
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"seconded" to the Press section of the Public Relations Office, although during this time he was frequently "borrowed" by Radio Hong Kong on a number of occasions to perform outside broadcasts, especially during the exceptionally busy period of the Coronation.
63. There was no change in the remainder of the staff of Radio Hong Kong throughout the year.
Coronation Broadcasts:
64. The Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a challenge to broadcasters the world over and in Hong Kong exceptional efforts were made to provide a complete sound coverage of the celebrations both in London and in the Colony. The results were highly successful in every way, and reflect great credit on all concerned. In this respect high praise is due to the engineering staff of Messrs. Cable & Wireless Ltd. whose work, often under most difficult conditions, contributed to the success of the whole.
65. Plans for broadcast cover of the Coronation were started in the early months of 1953. It was apparent from the start that a sound picture of the ceremonies would fall into two distinct parts: those in Hong Kong first (by reason of the time difference), to be followed by the stirring events in London. Moreover it was clear that programmes on this basic pattern would have to be broadcast over both the English and Chinese Stations.
66. Special thought and care went into the planning of the Chinese coverage of the Coronation. Apart from the actual commentaries on events in Hong Kong and London, it was considered essential to present the Coronation to the average Chinese listener in such a way that its great tradition and underlying symbolism would be recognized and appreciated. A special series of preparatory programmes, some of which were made available through the courtesy of the British Council, were therefore planned. These programmes in Chinese, along with B.B.C. Transcriptions in English, were put over during
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the "build-up" period, and so timed as to reach their culmination on the day before the Coronation itself. No fewer than 40 of this type of pre-explanatory programme were broadcast.
67. In the last few days before the Coronation, a number of feature programmes were prepared which reflected the excitement which had taken hold of the people of the Colony, and particularly the Chinese, as the great day drew near. Some of these features, such as the Festival of Youth at Sookunpoo, and "The Birth of the Golden Dragon", were done as outside broadcasts. The latter programme, which was of immense interest to Chinese listeners, was recorded 'on the spot' under very difficult conditions at the Tien Hau Temple where the ceremony of "Blessing the Dragon" and "Endowing him with Sight" took place. This broadcast was made possible by the use, for the first time by Radio Hong Kong, of a completely portable and self-contained tape recorder, weighing only 18 pounds and slung on the back. The commentator is thus able to move in and out of the crowds to record descriptions and obtain sound effects.
68. On June 2nd, all the complex series of plans for the simultaneous reporting in English and Chinese of the day's events went into action. These "double" outside broadcasts, starting with the Military Parade in the early morning, taking in the Reading of the Loyal Address and the Coronation Service from St. John's Cathedral, and ending with complete com- mentaries on the great Dragon Procession, constituted an all- time record for this type of programme produced in one day. It is gratifying to record that all these outside broadcasts, which were taken 'live' into the transmissions, went off without a single hitch. As evening approached, and with the local ceremonies over, many people in the Colony prepared them- selves to listen to London. Radio Hong Kong went over to the General Overseas Service of the B.B.C. shortly after 6 p.m., and for over seven hours brought in a relay of the complete Coronation Ceremonies. Reception conditions were, fortunate- ly, well-nigh perfect.
69. The whole of the actual Service from Westminster Abbey was made available by line to St. John's Cathedral, thus enabling the congregation to hear it over the Cathedral's loud-
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speaker system. In addition to the B.B.C. programmes in English, descriptions of the London scene as broadcast by the B.B.C. in Chinese were relayed by Radio Hong Kong's Chinese Station.
70. After Coronation Day itself had passed, Radio Hong Kong continued to broadcast programmes on the celebrations in the New Territories. Events in Cheung Chau, Tai Po, Shatin and Yuen Long were covered on three successive days. In addition, during the post-Coronation period, a number of other programmes were broadcast including a concert of British music performed by Colony musicians, a reception for poor Chinese children at North Point, and a feature programme in Chinese describing the illuminations and fireworks.
71. At the request of the B.B.C., Radio Hong Kong prepared four special items which recorded the highlights of the Colony's celebrations. One of these was transmitted by radiotelephone on June 2nd, which meant that the sounds of Hong Kong's festivities were heard by millions of listeners on the evening of Coronation Day.
72. In all phases of the planning and actual transmission of Coronation programmes, the closest liaison was maintained with Rediffusion, to the mutual benefit of both organizations.
Other Important Broadcasts:
73. Apart from the Coronation and excluding the special stresses of May and June, the year was a heavy and an exacting year for broadcasting. It is the aim of both the English and Chinese language stations to improve, vary and brighten their services by supplanting run-of-the-mill gramophone record programmes with 'live' items, and to include an increasing proportion of programmes which stem directly from the varied activities of all sections of the community. This policy resulted in a considerable rise in the number of locally-originated pro- grammes in the form of studio productions (e.g. "Twenty Questions"-ZBW, and "Sincerely Yours"-ZEK) or broadcasts from the open air (e.g. Cross Harbour Race, ZEK; RAF Air Display, ZBW).
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74. Heading the list of feature and documentary pro- grammes on important events which were of common interest to the community were a series of actuality reports on the Shek Kip Mei fire disaster. Five programmes were put out in Chinese and four in English which, starting with descriptions of the devastation shortly after the fire, continued with a number of progress reports, ending on a happy note with the first batch of fire victims moving into their newly-built Government houses.
75. Other notable programmes of this 'civic' type included two feature programmes on public service organizations; the opening of the new Police Station at Sha Tau Kok; the farewell to Mr. Duncan MacIntosh, C.M.G., O.B.E., the retiring Com- missioner of Police; three special dramatized features (in Chinese) illustrating the new Landlord and Tenants Ordinance; an interview with Police Corporal Leung who was awarded the George Medal for bravery; a description of the Civil Aid Services Demonstration; and an actuality report of the results in the Urban Council Elections.
76. A number of now well-established yearly commitments were covered as "double" broadcasts, i.e. in English and Chinese, some simultaneously. These included the Queen's Birthday Parade; election platforms by candidates to the Urban Council; Remembrance Day ceremonies (covered for the first time in both languages); the Hong Kong Products Exhibition; the Agricultural Show at Yuen Long; and the Budget speeches of H.E. the Governor and Hon. Financial Secretary.
77. While the policy continued of broadcasting important civic events in identical manner over both ZBW and ZEK, the two stations also produced a number of special programmes during the year of particular interest to their own class of listener.
ZEK (Chinese Station)
78. The Station broadcasts mainly in the Cantonese dialect, spoken by the majority of the people of the Colony. But certain programmes, particularly news bulletins, are repeated in the Kuoyu and Swatow dialects. There are also occasional broad- casts in Shanghai dialect.
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79. Although short of staff, every effort was made to get out and around the Colony so as to produce a wide range of feature programmes on the life and work of the people. Many of these programmes were made possible only by the extensive use of portable tape recorders mentioned earlier in this report. ZEK's Outside Broadcasting Units covered a great deal of territory during the year-from Sha Tau Kok in the north to Hayling and Cheung Chau in the south-west. It completed a circular tour of the New Territories in search of material, and on one special occasion, did a commentary from the top of the Hong Kong Bank Building. The most notable of these open-air programmes were a feature on Hong Kong's beaches (inter- spersed with interviews ranging from an ice-cream man to a life-saver); the annual Cross Harbour Race, (done by V.H.F. radio link); a Chinese New Year Round-up of the Territories, called "Horse-shoe"--a title of double significance in view of the shape of the semi-circular road and the fact that this is the Year of the Horse; a visit to the U.S.S. "New Jersey" in Junk Bay; and the RAF air display.
80. Studio programmes included two new series provided by the British Council called "The Briton At Home" and "Towns in Britain"; a series of talks organized by Professor Drake and Professor Kan Yau Man of the Hong Kong University which dealt with art and culture in ancient China; a series of Chinese folk songs; and, as an experiment which proved highly successful, a translated version (done locally) of an English fantasy radio play.
81. In certain instances (particularly where "double" broadcasts were involved), the staff of ZEK secured the advice and guidance of the Senior Programme Assistant, (ZBW).
ZBW (English Station)
82. Running parallel with the efforts of ZEK, and with the same objects in view, the English station did all it could to improve the programmes by introducing new ideas and technique and, where possible, using 'live' material. A cam- paign was launched to track down local talent so that it might be used in a number of new programmes which had been planned.
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Whilst the enthusiasm of candidates is most heartening, a con- siderable amount of work in coaching and producing was inevitable before the programme could satisfactorily take the air. And since most of Radio Hong Kong's broadcasters have a job of their own during the day, all rehearsals had to take place after normal office hours. This unavoidably put additional strain on the cast and producer alike. However, the task of working out and producing new programmes was a stimulating experience for all concerned.
83. Among the year's productions specially worthy of note are the following:
"Twenty Questions"-This famous radio parlour game was started with an entirely local cast, and the results were extremely good. "Twenty Questions" was a very popular programme judging from the favourable reaction, or conversely, from the number of telephone calls when, inadvertently, someone made a mistake!
"Viewpoint" was a new idea. For the first time, Radio Hong Kong produced a compact weekly magazine, written and produced here, which gave serious and critical attention to literature, drama and the cinema.
"Contact". -a magazine of 'news, views and interviews' specially designed for the rising generation of Hong Kong.
"Looking Back"-This British Council feature, which dealt with notable anniversaries (and in so doing offered palatable slices of history) was widely listened to.
"Cantonese-by-Radio"-By popular demand this bi- weekly programme was restarted. It was felt that a new approach should be made, and so after consultations between the Education Department, the author of the former lessons and the staff of Radio Hong Kong, it was decided to write an entirely new series which, while retaining the simplicity of the old series, should broaden the scope of day-to-day colloquial expressions. It was also decided to introduce a third (English) voice into the lessons.
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84. As is usual, sport received considerable attention, and all major events at Home and in the Colony were reported by Radio Hong Kong. In particular, very full coverage, often amounting to three programmes a day, was given to the Test Matches between England and Australia.
85. In the sphere of music, Radio Hong Kong continued its policy of fostering local talent and many recitals were given by soloists as well as chamber groups. The highlights of the musical year were the concerts broadcast by the pianist Louis Kentner-a recital from the Concert Hall, and a concert with the Sino-British Orchestra at which the Third Concerto by Beethoven was played. Another distinguished visitor was Dr. Sydney Northcote, the principal adjudicator of the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. Over Radio Hong Kong he broadcast two instructive and entertaining recital-lectures.
86. A large proportion of music programmes-from jazz to the classics-must inevitably be on gramophone records, and great care is taken to see that these recordings are of the highest possibly quality. The number of long-playing discs now approaches the 1,000 mark, and these together with some 20,000 ordinary 78's and an appreciable list of '45's', combine to make up a very comprehensive library.
87. Throughout the year Radio Hong Kong brought in a great number of B.B.C. relays on events of outstanding im- portance. Through this medium it was possible to follow the daily progress of the Commonwealth Tour of Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The B.B.C's report "Royal Tour" was broadcast twice a week, while the highlights, such as the Queen's Broadcast to the Australian people and the Royal return were given prominence in the programmes.
88. As in previous years, the excellent B.B.C. Transcrip- tion Service was widely drawn upon for talks, features, music programmes and high-quality drama production.
20
Relations with the B.B.C.
89. Radio Hong Kong maintains the closest liaison with the British Broadcasting Corporation and during the year received visits from five members of the B.B.C's staff on world tour. One of these a prospecting trip by a member of the Features Department-led to the inclusion of a contribution from Hong Kong to the B.B.C's Christmas world hook-up. This year the programme ("The Queen's Journey") originated from Australia, and Radio Hong Kong's item was fed 'live' into the programme by radio-telephone circuit on a time cue. Hong Kong's contribution, fittingly enough for the occasion, came from the new Queen Elizabeth the Second Youth Centre in Kowloon. In addition, Radio Hong Kong also supplied the B.B.C. with a number of programme items in response to requests.
Statistics
90. The number of wireless licences in force on 31st March, 1954 was 41,750 compared with 42,606 for the corresponding date in 1953.
91. There was no change in the basic hours of broadcasting during the year. The two stations have three daily periods on the air: an early morning session, during the lunch period, and the main evening transmission which lasts between 6 and 11.30 p.m.
Over the week-ends, ZBW's transmissions continue between 2 and 6 p.m. with programmes specially devised for listeners in the Forces.
broadcast all day.
On public holidays both stations
92. The following number of Outside Broadcasts were carried out during the year:
ZBW
ZEK
Total
180
192
372
This compares with a total of 342 for last year.
21
93. There was a large increase in the number of pro- grammes recorded. During the year 1034 items (609 on tape, 425 on disc) were recorded, compared with a total of 721 recordings for last year.
94. A total of 1904 programmes from overseas stations were relayed over the two stations during the year, compared with last year's total of 1848. The technical services relating to these relays were of high standard, and most of the pro- grammes were heard clearly.
Technical Services
95. All engineering and technical operations for broad- casting are carried out by the staff of Messrs. Cable and Wireless Ltd., who work in close cooperation with the staff of Radio Hong Kong.
96. The Engineer-in-Charge Broadcasting reports as follows:-"Only minor additions to the plant have been made during this period (two portable tape recorders and a number of special purpose microphones) and we have been mainly concerned to consolidate the position resulting from the con- siderable additions during the preceding twelve months. Aver- age service hours have remained substantially unchanged and there has only been a slight upward trend in outside broadcast activities and Radio relaying. Recording work has, however, increased by 60% on discs and 80% on tape as a result of altered methods of programme preparation and presentation. Existing recording facilities are now being used to the full and steps are being taken to obtain additional equipment. Re- presentations have been made to the authorities responsible for transmission on 860 kilocycles, allocated to the English programmes, and it is hoped to clear this frequency in the next month or two so that ZBW can move to its proper allocation".
22
J. L. MURRAY,
Public Relations Officer.
23
Appendix A.
FEATURE FILMS
APPEAL BOARD
Number
Country of Origin
Censored
Passed Passed
Clean with Cuts
Banned
Films Ban Appeal Submitted Confirmed Upheld
Passed with cuts
AMERICAN
BRITISH
382
360
8
14
16
14
2
58
57
1
CHINESE (Hongkong)
(Mandarin)....
48
42
5
1
1
1
CHINESE (Hongkong)
(Cantonese)
140
119
19
2
2
2
1
FRENCH
20.
15
3
2
Ι
I
ITALIAN
3
3
INDIAN
12
11
1
RUSSIAN
22
3
19
SWEDISH...
1
1
JAPANESE
19
16
2
1
POLISH
I
1
|
}
1
Appendix B.
24
NEWSREELS, SHORTS ETC.
APPEAL BOARD
Ban Appeal Submitted Confirmed Upheld
Passed with cuts
Country of Origin
Number Passed Censored Clean
Passed with cuts
Banned
Films
NEWSREELS
AMERICAN
255
255
1
1
| |
293
292
1
1
1
BRITISH
73
73
HONGKONG (Cantonese)
(Mandarin)
10
2
10
2
SHORTS ETC.
AMERICAN
BRITISH
14
14
CHINESE (Hongkong)
10
10
RUSSIAN
12
7
LA
5
I
:
མ
===
RESS
HONG KONG
: