RTHK will not be broadcasting English news bulletins on its analogue channel when they begin broadcasting on April 2. RTHK is set to take over ATV’s slot when the private television company ends its broadcasts next Saturday. Previously, ATV broadcast several English news bulletins each day.

Speaking about English news, Kirindi Chan, the Assistant Director of Broadcasting at RTHK, said: “I think in the very near future, we don’t have such plan. But of course we strive to get all these things done and to cater for all the needs for every sectors of the Hong Kong public.”

RTHK broadcast truck
Photo: Wikicommons.

Chan said that the RTHK channels would provide a wide range of programming, along with a rescheduled prime time slot shifting from 7pm to 8:30pm to accommodate Hongkongers who now have longer working hours.

Charles Mok, who represents the Information Technology sector in the Legislative Council, told RTHK that it is difficult to predict whether Hong Kong will switch over to digital broadcasting by 2020. He said that he believes RTHK will need to maintain its analogue broadcast for at least four years, but there are few resources to produce content at the moment.

RTHK’s new analogue channel, “RTHK TV31A,” will broadcast from 6:30am to 1:30am daily.

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Chantal Yuen is a Hong Kong journalist interested in issues dealing with religion and immigration. She majored in German and minored in Middle Eastern studies at Princeton University.