RTHK Sacks Slew of Hosts

Host Allan Au said goodbye to listeners on his last show

In the last two weeks, Radio Television Hong Kong has had a spate of hosts fired from radio and television shows.

On Monday evening, at the end of RTHK's Open Line Open View, long time host Allan Au announced it was his last time hosting the political commentary show. 

The veteran journalist said that he had hosted the phone-in program once or twice a week for 11 years and described his departure as "the end of a chapter", and said he had developed a relationship with his listeners.

Tsang Chi-ho was also let go abruptly

"Actually, we only discuss facts [during the show], and we reason, we just want to listen to the opinions of more people," he said at the end of the show.

Au bid farewell to his listeners and his colleagues at the government-funded radio broadcaster, saying, "Everyone, take care."

The following morning on Commercial Radio, Au said he was told by the department head 30 minutes before the radio show that it would be his last day due to "staffing changes."

He did not know why he was fired as a host, but speculated it could be related to opinion pieces he wrote for other media outlets, some of which were critical of senior management at RTHK. 

Au, who is also a journalism academic, said he was only in charge of raising questions on the radio show, adding he never expressed the views from his commentaries while on the air.

Also on Monday, a TV show called RTHK Talk Show, which covered topics such as history, philosophy and literature was also axed, said one of its hosts Leung Kai-chi.

Tsang posted this empty set on his Facebook

He wrote on Facebook that he was going to record an episode on Tuesday, but later received a notice that the show was terminated.

"Thank you to the production team for your efforts along the way. Thank you to the guest hosts for encouraging each other and thank you each and every audience for your support and encouragement," he wrote, and attached a photo of an empty studio in RTHK.

And on June 18, a popular radio presenter with pro-democracy leanings, Tsang Chi-ho, was told he was sacked after he finished his program. His co-host, Jackie Chan was also let go.

Tsang was part of the popular satirical show Headliner that was axed in June last year after the show received numerous complaints from the police commissioner, and was investigated by the Communications Authority.

Maybe that's why yet another RTHK host, Stephen Vines, has decided to call it quits.

Tsang starred in a satirical show axed last June

The commentator and author who was previously the editor-in-chief of the defunct Eastern Express back in the mid 1990s, says he's leaving the public broadcaster because of the national security law.

He was guest presenter of Backchat since April, and was dropped as a political commentator on the Morning Brew radio show, which he had appeared on for more than 10 years.

Vines ended the Backchat program by saying:

"We happen to be discussing the first anniversary of the national security law today, it seems to me that for somebody who is more critical, the time to remain at RTHK has ended. So with great regret -- but reflecting great pleasure over the years -- I think I better go," he told listeners.

He also hosts an English political program called The Pulse, which aired its final episode before the summer break and Vines was unsure if he would return as host.

Vines told listeners he was leaving RTHK

"I think that the whole point about RTHK and the reason why I've always liked it is it took very seriously its role as a public broadcaster, by which I mean a broadcaster that was more responsible to the public than it was to the people who provided the money, i.e. the government. But then you could say, well who provides the money for the government -- that's also the public," he said.

"The reason why I have misgivings now is that I don't feel that the mandate of RTHK as a public broadcaster is as strong as it was in the past, I think there's much more pressure on the station to be an organ of government rather than a public broadcaster."

With all these shows cancelled and axed, what are people listening to and watching on RTHK? Is there dead air, or a blank screen?

The changes happening there are fast and shocking, leaving people little time to prepare, let alone say goodbye to colleagues, and more to come.

Only the head of RTHK, Patrick Li Pak-chuen knows when it will all end...