Hong Kong's rules, not politics, were what decided ATV's fate
Some said Beijing would never let the station sink - they forgot how things work in this city
When in Rome, do as the Romans do - but in this ATV saga, if there is a lesson to be drawn, it should be "when in Rome, follow the Roman rules".
It was definitely no April Fools' Day joke when the government decided not to renew the licence of the troubled station last Wednesday. Seldom can any decision have received such applause across the political spectrum. It allowed the government a rare taste of support from various camps. Much has already been said about the problematic management of ATV under its last investor Wong Ching, but one issue is worth further discussion.
Many in Hong Kong see ATV as a pro-Beijing media outlet because Wong has a mainland background, as did some its previous shareholders. Because of this, quite a few once believed that it would be impossible for Beijing and the Hong Kong government to let it die.
But to be fair to the station, one should judge it by the quality of its programmes rather than the background of its shareholders. On the other hand, whoever the shareholders or investors are, and wherever they come from, they should follow the rules of Hong Kong when doing business in this city, whether supportive or not of the Beijing and local governments, and should never expect to be guaranteed a licence.
ATV, as holder of one of the two precious free-to-air television licences, has an obligation to strictly follow the Broadcast Ordinance and meet public expectations. For decades ATV produced quite a few shows that were both popular and of good quality, and its news programmes won public recognition. People supported ATV not just out of sympathy but also in the interests of competition.
But when the station started to stray under the control of an investor who ignored local regulations, it inevitably started to lose public support.
Fined by the broadcasting watchdog, the Communications Authority, for various breaches of regulations, ATV created more drama last week, and grounds for further investigation, when it ran a stunning news report that Wong Ching had agreed to sell his majority stake in the station to Ricky Wong Wai-kay's HKTV. Ricky Wong's denial the next morning was followed by the last-minute announcement that a "white knight" had been identified to save the station, hours before an Executive Council meeting to discuss ATV's fate. The late developments only seemed to prompt Exco to pull the plug.
The ATV drama has also proved an embarrassment to the government. Over the past months there have been accusations that the government was dragging out the licence decision for political reasons - that it could not afford to lose a pro-Beijing media organisation.
But people need to look at the matter reasonably. Shortly after the Communication Authority submitted a suggestion to Exco last November that ATV's licence should not be renewed, the High Court appointed Deloitte Partners as manager of ATV to look for a potential white knight.
In January, management at ATV wrote to Exco asking for a three-month extension to allow it to look for new investors. Out of considerations of "procedural justice", as explained by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, Exco extended the station's deadline until the end of March - last Tuesday.
The facts show that politics and personal backgrounds did nothing to stop Exco from making a well-received decision. Now the government needs to reinforce the sense of fairness and openness surrounding the process of licence bidding in the future and to uphold the rule of law to clear any public doubts.
And it must try every means possible to help the more than 600 hard-working staff of ATV.
