Letters | As Hong Kong nears digital TV switch, Japan shows the way on fond farewells

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An abandoned television set sits on a street in Sham Shui Po. Hong Kong will end analogue TV services on December 1. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 1:00pm, 8 Nov 2020Updated: 1:00pm, 8 Nov 2020

Analogue television broadcasting in Hong Kong will end for good in less than a month, on December 1. I wish to give some suggestions to three TV stations that still provide analogue service – RTHK, Hong Kong Open TV and TVB – regarding the termination.

According to government statistics, we still have about 5 per cent of households who are not prepared for the termination of analogue service. Recently, the TV stations have put a countdown clock and a warning message on all analogue channels to warn viewers. However, I feel the warning message and the countdown clock are too small. I believe many of those unprepared are elderly who have limited access to information and they might miss the warning in the small text.

I think the TV stations should make the warning message and the countdown more prominent. Inquiry hotlines for the digital transition, such as the number for the digital TV subsidy, should be displayed, and broadcast more frequently. TV stations could also offer a short-term nightly programme guiding viewers on installing digital equipment.

Finally, to mark the historic moment, I hope the stations can emulate Japanese stations and play a farewell programme showing the past glory of analogue TV just before the termination of broadcasting. This will provide a fitting end to the era.

Henry Wong, Kennedy Town