[Explanation] On February 19, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government issued a report on the governance and management review of Radio Television Hong Kong.

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Yau Tenghua, said that in recent years, some of RTHK's programs have caused many complaints and controversies. As a public broadcaster, it has been convicted of violating the code provisions one after another, which is quite serious.

He pointed out that RTHK must do a good job in the designated role of the "RTHK Charter" in order to win the trust of the public.

　　[Concurrent] Yau Tenghua, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

　　As we all know, RTHK has two roles, both a government department and the only public broadcaster in Hong Kong. This role is unique and important.

The Charter stipulates that Radio Television Hong Kong enjoys editorial autonomy, but of course it must fulfill its editorial responsibilities. Radio Television Hong Kong is a public broadcaster with its public mission, but it cannot be a media organization alone, or On the grounds of editorial autonomy, it deviates from the requirements of the Charter as a public broadcaster.

　　[Explanation] Quoting the review report of the task force, Qiu Tenghua pointed out that RTHK currently has three major issues: editorial management, lack of transparency in the complaint mechanism, and staff management.

　　[Concurrent] Yau Tenghua, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

　　In terms of editorial management, RTHK lacks an effective mechanism, clear guidelines and a stable system to ensure that RTHK programs can accurately fulfill the "Chart."

The report also pointed out that editorial decisions are often based on the judgment of individual production units, and the editor-in-chief and senior management are often in a relatively passive position in the program production management process.

In addition, the report also mentioned that in handling complaints by RTHK, this mechanism lacks transparency and cannot ensure that complaints from the public are handled properly and fairly.

In terms of staff management, RTHK now employs many different staff to provide this public broadcasting service.

During our inspection, we did not see that there is an overall monitoring and training system to ensure that a consistent level and quality can be maintained.

　　[Commentary] It is reported that the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced on July 6, 2020 the establishment of a task force to review the governance and management of Radio Television Hong Kong and start work on July 15.

　　[Concurrent] Yau Tenghua, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

　　The task force reviewed the management and control of RTHK in six areas, including editorial management and complaint handling mechanisms, service performance measurement and evaluation, RTHK staff management, RTHK financial management, material supply and procurement, and Hong Kong and Taiwan are in the management of information technology.

Therefore, the purpose of this review is to take a comprehensive look at the overall situation of RTHK, and hope to give this department a positive and constructive suggestion. The Bureau of Commerce and Economic Affairs has submitted the report to RTHK today (February 19). The management, doing in-depth research and follow-up, also asked RTHK to set up a priority improvement project, action plan and work schedule for the report content to fully implement the report’s recommendations.

　　[Explanation] On the same day, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced the personnel changes of Radio Hong Kong. The Director of Broadcasting, Leung Ka Wing, originally scheduled to expire in August 2021, terminated the contract early with the consent of the Special Administrative Region Government. The Deputy Secretary-General of the Home Affairs Bureau Li Baiquan on March 1 Replace him as the Director of Broadcasting.

　　Reporter Fan Siyi and Li Yue from Hong Kong

Editor in charge: 【Luo Pan】