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The following is issued on behalf of the Committee on Review of Public Service Broadcasting:
Experts from overseas public broadcasting organisations will come to Hong Kong in June to share their experiences of the provision of public service broadcasting (PSB).
Invited by the Committee on Review of Public Service Broadcasting, they will meet and exchange views with practitioners in the local broadcasting industry, academia and members of the public at the International Conference on Public Service Broadcasting to be held on June 21, 2006 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The overseas speakers will include senior executives from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) from Australia; the Association of Public Broadcasting Corporations (ARD) from Germany; Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) from Japan; the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Channel 4 from the UK; and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and WGBH-TV Boston from USA.
"We are honoured to have senior executives from various overseas public broadcasting organisations to speak at the conference," said Mr Raymond Wong, Chairman of the Committee. "Together, they will bring to Hong Kong various forms of public service broadcasting from some of the best known and respected public broadcasters in the world."
At the conference, the overseas experts will share their views on critical matters such as the status, function, funding, governance, accountability and programming of public broadcasters. The committee has also invited the Director of Broadcasting to speak at the conference.
Prior to the conference, overseas PSB experts will have professional exchanges with local broadcasters, academics and media practitioners during panel discussion sessions. That will also enable them to better understand Hong Kong's local PSB scene.
"The wise counsel of the overseas invitees will be of great reference value to the committee as we develop recommendations for PSB development in Hong Kong," said Mr Wong. "I am confident that discussions at the conference will deepen and broaden our understanding of PSB development around the world. The committee sincerely invites members of the public to attend."
The conference will be open to members of the public free of charge. Registration can be made online at the committee's website at www.psb.org.hk; by fax (3115 1334) or by phone (2594 0460). Seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The conference programme and speakers list are also available at the website.
Ends/Thursday, May 18, 2006
Issued at HKT 14:54
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