Opposition Lawmakers Urge More Funds For RTHK

Several pro-democracy lawmakers have called on the government to increase funding for RTHK, saying the public broadcaster has been lacking the money and resources to improve their productions.

Speaking during a council debate on the government's Appropriation Bill, People Power's Ray Chan, Hong Kong First's Claudia Mo, and Civic Party's Kwok Ka-ki all raised issues about RTHK's lack of funding.

They accused the government of cutting back its budget for the broadcaster because of its critical stance towards the administration. They say this has made it difficult for the broadcaster to produce in-depth and quality programmes.

Mo said the HK$1 billion allotted is not enough in this age of new media, and the broadcaster should be given more funds.

Chan noted that the budget for both the TV and Radio sections have been cut by around 2 percent this year over the last financial year.