The government yesterday notified ATV that it will be given until April 1, 2016, to operate with its spectrum revoked on the same date. Up to 700 employees will be made redundant.
The decision on the fate of the 58-year-old station came amid a 24-hour rollercoaster ride, with ATV announcing on air on Tuesday night that it had secured a "white knight" investor in HKTV's Ricky Wong Wai-kay. But Wong denied yesterday there was any such deal. Then came news yesterday morning of another mystery investor signing a deal with major ATV shareholder Wong Ching. But this investor is unlikely to push through with the transaction as the memorandum of agreement hinged on an ATV license renewal.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Gregory So Kam- leung said Exco had "considered all relevant developments and facts, including the news bulletin by ATV last night and the clarification from HKTV." He revealed that eight minutes past midnight yesterday he received a letter that "a few people had an indicative offer for ATV but there was no mention of a deal." He said the non-renewal decision was "well-deliberated" and that ATV was given enough time to submit its restructuring plan by Tuesday's deadline.
Accountancy firm Deloitte was appointed by the courts to oversee the station. In November, ATV requested leeway until the end of last month to give it time to develop a restructuring plan. On January 2, Deloitte asked the Executive Council not to make a final decision because of the ongoing restructuring. After seeking legal advice, the government gave ATV until March 31 to make its proposals. "By the deadline, no specific proposals were made by ATV on restructuring," So said. "The CE in Council also considered the request in the submission for the extension of the deadline and the information made available this afternoon, but was not satisfied that a sufficient case has been put forward to justify any further extension of time."
It is the first time in broadcasting history that an existing license was not renewed. So and Communications Authority head Ambrose Ho Pui-him warned that if ATV committed another serious breach of the law within the next 12 months, its license will be revoked immediately. The government will set up a task force to ensure the speedy resolution of various issues and to minimize any adverse impact of the non-renewal decision. The government has invited RTHK to provide an analogue TV service channel to give audiences one more choice from April 1 next year up to 2020. "For the spare spectrum, we will look at the entire situation and work according to Broadcasting Ordinance and spectrum policies to decide how to allocate them," So said. "Currently we cannot tell how we are going to arrange it." So said if ATV closes down before the scheduled timetable, RTHK will take over the service.
Calling yesterday "the darkest day in Hong Kong," ATV's major investor Wong Ching said he was not surprised by the license renewal failure. He attributed it to "a series of conspiracy and deception regarding the sale of the shares of ATV in these two years." He added it was "the price paid by a conscientious media station."
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