''Headliner'' () was a Hong Kong television program produced by
RTHK
Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service in Hong Kong. GOW, the predecessor to RTHK, was established in 1928 as the first broadcasting service in Hong Kong. As a government department under the Commerce and Econom ...
that airs on
RTHK TV 31
RTHK TV 31 (, formerly RTHK TV 31A for analogue TV) is a 24-hour Chinese-language free-to-air television channel in Hong Kong, owned by RTHK. It is one of RTHK's three channels alongside RTHK TV 32 and RTHK TV 33 on digital terrestrial televisi ...
which
satires current affairs in Hong Kong,
mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
and the rest of the world. It first aired on 4 April 1989.
The show contains satirical sketches with
self-referential humour
Self-referential humor, also known as self-reflexive humor, self-aware humor, or meta humor, is a type of comedic expression that—either directed toward some other subject, or openly directed toward itself—is self-referential in some way, int ...
, along with segments of news clips paired with music (
Cantopop
Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") or HK-pop (short for "Hong Kong pop music") is a genre of pop music written in standard Chinese and sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production ...
in particular), and content from guest contributors. A radio version of the show was briefly aired during the 1990s.
''Headliner'', being critical of the
government in Hong Kong, was suspended indefinitely in May 2020 after the
Communications Authority
The Communications Authority is a statutory body responsible for licensing and regulating the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in Hong Kong. It was formed in 2012 through a merger of the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority, Television ...
warned the broadcaster for "insulting" the police force in an episode aired on 14 February.
RTHK says they will suspend the production of Headliner after this season was completed, the last episode was broadcast on 19 June.
Incidents
Tung Chee-hwa comment
In October 2001,
Tung Chee-hwa
Tung Chee-hwa (; born 7 July 1937) is a Hong Kong businessman and politician who served as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong between 1997 and 2005, upon the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July. He is currently a vice-chairman of the Chin ...
, the first
Chief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and head of the Government of Hong Kong. The position was created to replace the office of governor of ...
, commented that ''Headliner'' is "bad-taste production" after an episode aired on 13 October 2001 linked his administration to the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
. Chinese state newspapers ''
People's Daily
The ''People's Daily'' () is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The newspaper provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP. In addition to its main Chinese-language ...
'' and ''
Ta Kung Pao
''Ta Kung Pao'' (; formerly ''L'Impartial'') is the oldest active Chinese language newspaper in China. Founded in Tianjin in 1902, the paper is state-owned, controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central Government after the Chinese Civil War ...
'' also criticised the programme and RTHK for being "anti-Tung".
TVB cancellation
On 5 July 2017, a first-run episode of the ''Headliner'' which aired a speech by
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
, General secretary of the Communist Party of China – who was visiting Hong Kong that week – was cancelled by
TVB
Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and TVB ...
. The episode was later aired on its
J5 channel instead, while the RTHK TV 31 premiere remain untouched. TVB was accused for self-censorship. Amen Ng Man-yee, head of corporate communications of RTHK, stated that complaints has been made. Ng added that they are "awfully displeased" and believe that the suspension is "unusual and unprofessional".
Suspension
In February 2020, the
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Po ...
issued an official complaint to the Director of Broadcasting of RTHK about an episode aired on 14 February, objecting in particular to a sketch where a cast member dressed as a police officer suggested that the force stockpiled large amount of
personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elec ...
while leaving other government departments and medical workers short amid the
COVID-19 outbreak
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. The police expressed "extreme regret", and argued that the supply is needed for its large workforce.
RTHK later responded that they "
nderstoodthe hard work of the police" but explained the show offered a satirical perspective based on "different voices in the society". RTHK Programme Staff Union also added that the police force should accept public criticism.
The
Office of the Communications Authority
The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) is an executive arm of the Communications Authority in Hong Kong. It is the body responsible for telecommunications regulation (through the Regulatory Affairs Branch), antitrust enforcement (thro ...
announced on 18 February that they had received more than 200 complaints about the programme.
Edward Yau
Edward Yau Tang-wah, GBS, JP (; born 28 April 1960, Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong politician. He was the Secretary for the Environment from 2007 to 2012, and from 2012 to 2017, he was the Director of the Chief Executive's Office of Hong Kong. He ...
, the
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development heads the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Government. The Secretary is responsible for promoting commerce and the economic development of Hong Kong. The position was ...
, urged RTHK to abide by its own charter. On 19 February, a group protesting the RTHK defamation of the police gathered outside the
Hong Kong Police Headquarters The Hong Kong Police Headquarters () or HKPHQ are located at 1 Arsenal Street, Wan Chai, on Hong Kong Island. It is the headquarters of the Hong Kong Police Force.
The headquarters complex comprises several buildings, including Arsenal House (incl ...
, urging the force to issue a warning letter or sue the broadcaster for libel.
Staff of the show thanked the viewers on Facebook, citing the show will do its best with the support from viewers.
Within one day, the Headliner team's post had received some 197,000 thumbs up emojis by lunchtime,
and over 250,000 signatures were collected in an online petition in support of the programme by April.
In May 2020, the
Communications Authority
The Communications Authority is a statutory body responsible for licensing and regulating the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in Hong Kong. It was formed in 2012 through a merger of the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority, Television ...
issued a warning to the broadcaster for "insulting" the police force and has promoted "insult and prejudice" by portraying police as trash.
RTHK issued an apology to police officers and all others who were offended, and suspended the program, adding that a review would also be done afterwards. Yau said the ruling was fair and should be respected, and urged RTHK review its management.
On 29 January 2021, it was ruled that Headliner has broadcast content that was deemed to be insulting towards the HKPF.
References
{{reflist
External links
Official website
RTHK original programming
News parodies