Bulletin Autumn 1975

"Mission Impossible" by Perry Siu Mr. Perry Siu studied psychology and anthropology at Sydney University, from which he received his B.A., M.A. and Dip.Ed. Mr. Siu joined this University in 1965 and helped to set up the Extramural Department, with which he has worked since. He thus has first-hand knowledge of the needs of adult education in Hong Kong. Mr. Siu is no stranger in the field of broadcasting and television. In 1970 he negotiated with HKTVB for hours of air time for extramural sessions and in 197 2 was in charge of a radio certificate course in Basic Business Administration. The launching of the present large-scale project is a real challenge for Mr. Siu, who has kindly written for the Bulletin an account of his new venture. " I hope to start an instructional television programme for adults, using two hours of evening prime time five nights a week, Monday to Friday. The date set for transmission is 26th August, 1975.I have a team of semi-trained producers with no T V experience, a production crew yet to receive their first lesson of training. No government subsidy, no funds, no experienced presenters, not even an assistant. With a little luck, I may have an Art Department. Where the studio is to be located is still a car-park." That was the way I introduced myself to a group of friendly yet puzzled participants of an Educational T V Production class in London on the morning of 13th March, 1974. I made no effort to hide what was apparently absurd. The response was going to be apprehensive anyway. In order to conceal my own lack of confidence, I even specified the date of transmission. I was wrong about the date because we were almost two weeks late. The third T V station of Hong Kong, C T V , did not start transmission until Sunday 7th September, 1975. By ‘we' ， I now refer to the entire working force at C T V , from the Managing Director to the doorman, and the whole administrative and clerical staff of the Department of Extramural Studies of The Chinese University. Our Hurdles Our productions are nothing to write home about. Our producers are green. Although every effort is made to avoid a "talking face", the effective use of graphics is yet to be learned. Our presenters are not up to professional standard. Our subject experts come to know more about T V requirements only after the recording. Our supporting reading materials are often behind the screening of a programme. Shaky directions are evident. Studio management, chaotic. But most difficult of all, the Hong Kong public has yet to accept an I TV programme, to take it not as an interference to their evening entertainment, but as a regular learning programme for someone in the family. In this respect, the I T V programmes have been unfairly, and in most cases unconstructively, criticized by the entertainment sector. When I TV programmes were broadcast for the first time in Hong Kong in the evening of 8th September, 1975, it is probably no exaggeration to say that no home viewer was prepared to switch on a T V set with the consciousness of being educated, even if it was just for half an hour. By far the commonest criticism is 1 5