Celebrating 90 Years On Air

Since its inception, the broadcasting industry has played an important role in the daily lives of Hong Kong people.

It provides both news and entertainment, bears testimony to social events, and promotes history, culture and art. It develops alongside society and serves as its collective memory.

Through various activities such as film editing demonstrations, a recording studio and exhibits showcasing classic programme scenes, Radio Television Hong Kong’s photos and audiovisual archives, the "90 Years of Public Service Broadcasting in Hong Kong" exhibition allows visitors to immerse themselves in the city’s rich broadcasting history.

Time travel

Visitors can step back in time to a bygone era of broadcasting through a time tunnel at the exhibition that takes them on a journey all the way back to 1928.

Heritage Museum Curator Judith Ng explained there were no 24-hour radio broadcasts back then and there would even be a long break in programming in the afternoon.

Visitors interested in finding out what skills were required to become a broadcaster in the 1960s can take a look at an exhibit of a voice test script from 1966 that was used during the recruitment process.

Apart from taking a voice test, applicants would take writing tests too. They had to draft a script and set questions for interviews.

For those with dreams of hosting a radio programme, a recording studio has been set up at the exhibition.

Ms Ng said visitors can participate in the expo’s special programme Studio X where they will have the chance to read a news extract or a weather summary. A special edition USB flash drive with their audio recording stored on it will be given to them as a souvenir.

There are also some unconventional exhibits which appear not to belong in a broadcasting expo, like construction tools. But they were actually used to make sword sound effects for radio dramas.

Another unusual exhibit looks like a broken telephone. It was in fact used by field reporters to send sound bites back to the office. They would connect the tape recorder to the phone using crocodile clips.

Ms Ng hopes visitors to the exhibition can reminisce about the past while also gain a deeper understanding of how people lived and the economic situation at that time.

Childhood memories

As is the case for adults, TV and radio teach children what they need to know to live within a society. It promotes socialisation while igniting their curiosity.

Hong Kong families have long enjoyed RTHK’s We Are Good Neighbours show and will now have a chance to visit its set which has been recreated for the exhibition.

The show’s host Harry Wong is a renowned Hong Kong entertainer who joined RTHK in 1986 where he started producing and hosting children’s programmes. He appeals to children and adults alike with his keen sense of humour.

“We do believe that RTHK has produced some really wonderful children’s shows that actually stand the test of time.

“So, some of the classic ideas are still wonderful because we still want to tell children that we love them and also there are some really unchanged values that we really want to pass on to the second generation,” he said.

Visitors can take photos with the show’s mascot Eor at the exhibition on December 23. They can also meet Harry and his friends at the “We Are Good Neighbours Party” to be held in the museum in mid-January.

The cartoon characters from RTHK’s Education Television are also featured in the exhibition. The producer of the cartoon characters will share how they were created during one of the expo’s special programmes.

The exhibition will run until February 25. For more details, please visit the museum’s website.