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The Chief Executive in Council (CE in C) has approved the recommendation of the Broadcasting Authority (BA) to renew the sound broadcasting licence of the Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Company Limited (CRHK) for a term of three years upon its expiry on 25 August 2001.
Announcing the decision today (May 3), a spokesman for the Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau explained that the BA's recommendation was to ensure that CRHK could continue to provide its present service after the expiry of its current licence, pending the formulation of the long-term regulatory and licensing policy on digital audio broadcasting (DAB) by the Government.
The introduction of DAB will have significant impact on the sound broadcasting industry. Pending finalisation of the policy on DAB, it would not be possible for CRHK to assess the impact of DAB on its business operation and to submit a long-term investment plan in support of its application for a longer term licence. The BA's recommendation has been approved by the CE in C.
"During the period of mid-1998 to end-1999, the three local sound broadcasters, namely CRHK, Metro Broadcast Corporation Limited and Radio Television Hong Kong, jointly conducted a technical trial of DAB which confirmed the technical feasibility of DAB in Hong Kong," the spokesman said.
"At the same time, the Government has commissioned a consultancy study to examine, among others, the market potential of DAB in the multi-media environment.
"Having regard to the findings of the technical trial and the consultancy study, the Government will formulate policy proposals on DAB for consultation with the industry and the community later this year," he said.
The three-year licence contains essentially the same terms and conditions as the current licence except those which need to be amended to reflect the short-term nature of the licence.
Ends/Wednesday, May 3, 2000
Issued at HKT 15:05
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