The TVB Pearl (無線電視明珠台) is one of the domestic free television programme services in Hong Kong, it is an English language channel operated by the Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB, 電視廣播有限公司).
Established on November 19, 1967, TVB Pearl, as a channel of TVB has been continuing to provide television broadcasting service free of charge to over 2.1 million households in Hong Kong and during the first half of 2003, TVB in general has achieved an average of 71% of Hong Kong's television audience share during the prime time viewing hours (Weekday primetime on Pearl 7:00p.m. to 12 midnight). In 1991, TVB Pearl employed NICAM (Near Instantaneously Companded Audio Multiplex) system which produced designed programmes with equipped television sets. Audiences can watch these programs with their preferred language. (usually Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese or English).
It features programs of various categories:
Diversified Programmes
Among all these categories, movies are the most watched programmes on TVB Pearl.The "930 Cinemaque" is familar to most Hong Kong audience according to a TV viewship rating conducted by ACNielsen in 2001.
As a Hong Kong-based English channel, Chinese subtitles are available in most programmes after 6:20pm. In order to widen the scope of audience, programmes in languages other than English are also provided, for example, the daily Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese) news and weather report, Japanese entertaining shows, Italian movies, etc.
The channel produces special collections of programmes during some special occasions. For example, the collection "Be My Valentine", featuring a series of love movies is released a week before Valentine's Day. And horror movies are shown at Halloween.
As a free TV broadcasting channel, TVB Pearl is important in introducing drama produced outside Hong Kong to the populace. Award-winning drama series such as the "ER", "Soprano", "The West Wing", "X-Files","24", "24(2)","Roswell" were put into the "Serial Tuesday Night" programmes, and recently the hottest discussion topic "Sex and the city"; are brought to Hong Kong people by TVB Pearl. Those dramas are so popular that Hong Kong version of "ER" - "The Healing Hands", "Sex and the city", and "20/30 Dictionary"; are produced and resulted in great success.
Also, since The Hong Kong Government does not have its own television station, its agency, Radio-Television Hong Kong (RTHK), produces the program and requires the two domestic free television stations to broadcast their programmes and advertisements. One of the well known programmes is the Educational Television(ETV) which began in 1971. From Monday to Friday, over a period of 32 weeks within the school year, ETV programmes in the subject areas of English Language, Chinese Language, Mathematics and Putonghua etc. are shown for both primary and secondary schools on TVB Pearl from 12:00noon to 4:00p.m.. As the topics are designed according to Hong Kong education syllabus, it serves as a reference for students in Hong Kong.
Other programmes produced by RTHK are broadcast on TVB Pearl on weekly basis. These programmes are mainly documentaries concerning politics and social issues such as "A week in politics" and "Hong Kong Connection".
A full set of programme schedule is published on the Sunday Post magazine of the South China Morning Post, the Hong Kong Standard (also known as The Standard) as well as everyday newspapers.
See also: Education in Hong Kong, Newspapers of Hong Kong
Both ATV World and TVB Pearl are permitted by the Broadcasting Authority (BA) (廣播事務管理局) to broadcast non-English Programme outside the prime time up to 20% of their total transmission time per day. However, TVB Pearl's average transmission time for the broadcast of non-English programmes was 12% and which 83.6% of it (that is 10% of its total transmission time) was in Putonghua. Other non-English programmes include Japanese, Korean, Phillipine programmes and documentary programmes featuring bona fide interviews or dialogues delivered in Cantonese.
TVB Pearl has received a number of awards during the years of its programming production. For example, "The Pearl Report: Outsider" won a merit of the Human Rights Awards 2002 organised by the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC), and the "2008 Olympic Image" was awarded the Bronze Medal (Station and Image Production)in New York Festivals 2002, etc..
Since the 2002/2003 academic year, TVB Pearl has been in partnership with SCOLAR (The Standing Committee on Language Education and Research) in a pilot project to promote language education in Hong Kong. TVB Pearl will continue to be one of the partner stations of SCOLAR in launching the "English in the Air 2003/04" project, aiming at promoting the learning and teaching of English through television programmes among secondary school students and teachers. Two teenage English television programmes titled "Road Scholars" and "Lizzie McGuire" will be broadcasted on TVB Pearl in accordance with the project. English subtitles will be provided during broadcasting to facilitate the learning of English. More details on the project, relevant teaching materials and activities can be found on the project website: " class="external">http://www.hkedcity.net/english/tv.
Television Broadcast Limited cooperates with the ABC Asia Pacific (ABC AP), whose service is managed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), to have a broadcast of ABC AP Australian National news every morning after mid night on TVB Pearl. According to the ABC AP Chief Executive, John Doherty, the association between these two channels can offer a rich and diversified quality programming relevant to Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific region. TVB Pearl also includes a block of ABC AP programmes entitled "Good Day from ABC Asia Pacific" every Saturday from 10:00 am to 1:40 pm which is an English Programme helping viewers refine their English language. According to David O'Leary, Australian General in Hong Kong, the ABC AP programms shown on TVB Pearl would be well received by the Australians working and living in Hong Kong and on the other hand help promote Australian culture to Hong Kong people.The press release of ABC AP and TVB Pearl on 15 April 2002 can be found in this website:http://www.australia.org.hk/eng/pub_affairs/releases/20020415%20TVB-ABCAP.pdf Further details are shown in official website of the ABC Asia Pacific:http://www.muracam-tv.com/page045.html.
TVB Pearl operates its own official homepage which contains information about the programs shown by the channel, for example, the time schedule of programs, featured special collection, highlights of some movies, editor's choice etc. The homepage is established as an easy access for the audience to check the show time and relevant information of its programs and helps promoting the programs.
A discussion area called Pearl Club, where audience may acquire a membership for free and post their opinions about the programs of TVB Pearl, is also designed. Moreover, a new service named 'Pearl e-alert' are now available. People who register on http://app2.tvb.com/member/newsletter/pearl_ealert/pearl_reg.asp will get programme information regularly through email free of charge.
TVB has started its relocation to Tseung Kwan O (77 Chun Choi Street,
Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate) in late 2002, and expected to complete by the end of 2003. The new TVB City has an area of over 110,000 sq. metres, which is 30% larger than the old TVB City in Clear Water Bay and is fully digitized, e.g. the installation of the Pinnacle Systems broadcast equipment in its new broadcast center.
Broadcast of TVB Pearl is made through UHF radio spectrum from six main transmission stations at Temple Hill, Golden Hill, Castle Peak, Kowloon Peak, Cloudy Hill and Lamma Island.Tsuen Wan and Tsing Yi Transposer were first used for transmissing programmes on TVB Pearl on 22 August 2003 and 18 September 2003 respectively. These transposers enhance the English channel reception services. The new added channel is Channel 57 for Tsuen Wan TV users and Channel 24 for Tsing Yi TV users .
For any comments or enquiries on TVB Pearl, the public could contact TVB via several channels:
By phone:
By fax: (852)2358 1300
Non-English Programme
Achievement
Partnership with SCOLAR
Partnership with ABC Asia Pacific
Homepage of TVB Pearl
Site of TVB station
Transmission of TVB Pearl Programmes
Contact TVB Pearl
By mail:
By email: tvbpr@tvb.com.hkExternal links
See also: