Shows walking on a fine line

Ghosts in the Air

     The memory of the KCRC ad in which a little girl was seen bleeding aired a few years ago is still vivid among many viewers.

     All the fuss was initiated by a call from a listener to a radio horror show.

     Programmes featuring ghosts and supernatural phenomena have been popular for years. Andy Ho On-dai, a prominent media critic in the territory, outlined the changing nature of such programmes.

     He said, "In the past, horror programmes were mainly performed by actors on TV.

     Today, phone-ins from the audience have become the mainstream. To the audience, the phone-in stories are way more credible.

     The Night Flight -- Terrible Hotline, hosted by Mr. Miguel Choi Hong-lin of Hit Radio, is one of the latest phone-in programmes featuring ghost stories.

     According to Mr. Choi, the programme, which started last summer, originally tailored for secondary school students.

     "Students often go camping during the summer vacation, they may gather at night and tell their ghost stories," said Mr. Choi.

     "However, stories such as the 'oxtail soup' are quite old-fashioned. I want to provide a meeting place for those who have original ghost stories, so they can share their own tales of horror.

     Over time, the composition of the audience for the programme changed.

     Mr. Choi said, "More and more housewives and the elderly are interested in our show.

     "Because of their mature voices, the stories seem even more horrifying, and that attracts more people to listen to the programme.

     "Even I get scared at times," he added.

     Mr. Choi believed that an entertaining programme depends on the quality of the stories presented by the callers.

     "I observe that some places are more popularly featured in ghost stories, such as prisons, police stations and hospitals.

     "I guess the reason is that the general public can't easily reach these places, so it adds a sense of mystery to the stories," said he.

     Hosting this kind of programme is no easy task.

     Mr. Choi has to strike a balance between making the programme entertaining and avoiding violating the regulations set by the Broadcasting Authority.

     Said he: "If the stories happen to be promoting a specific religion or to be encouraging superstition, they will be banned.

     "We respect all forms of religion and rituals, but we do not preach or demean any of them."

     During festivals such as the Chinese New Year and the National Day, the programme may either be moved to a different time slot or suspended.

     "I've been working as a disc jockey for five years. I have thoroughly read the code of practice of the Broadcasting Authority, so I won't cross the line," he said.

     He added, "I'm aware of the BA's effective monitoring systems."

     It reacted quickly when one of Mr. Choi s colleagues broadcasted a song comprising foul language.

     "Until now, I haven't received any warnings, and no problem has ever arisen," he said.

     Mr. Andy Ho echoed with Mr. Choi's view.

     Under the current regulations, the meaning of terms such as 'undesirable emotional disturbances' differs greatly from what it was two decades ago, because moral standards change with time.

     "The most important thing is the way media deal with the programmes." Said he, "The bottom line is they cannot have anything to do with violence, otherwise the living space will be attenuated.

     "Besides," he added, "hosts and producers cannot escape from the monitor of social ethics. If they spark public discontent, the room for these programmes will be further limited."

     With reference to the information given by the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority, from June to September 1998, only one complaint, which was unsubstantiated, was related to this kind of programme (refer to the first sidebar).

     Mr. Ho attributed this to the airing time and the channels in which the programmes are broadcasted.

     For Night Flight, the segment which invites callers to tell ghost stories, starts after midnight.

     The late time slot also prevents it from being exposed to the scrutiny of the society.

     The Unbelievable of Cable TV is another programme that features ghost stories and other inexplicable phenomena.

     Footage of a Chinese spiritual ceremony was shown in a recent episode of The Unbelievable. The host even used his own body to testify the effectiveness of a Chinese ritual.

     The host was chopped after a series of ceremonies, but no wounds were inflicted.

     According to Mr. Ho, if the programme does not advocate or promote its advantage with vivid description, broadcasting a spiritual ceremony is legal.

     It can be regarded as a documentary providing information as a form of custom.

     "But it is possible that the act would be imitated by the audience, so it is subject to complaints," said Mr. Ho.

     In future, the limitation is expected to be looser due to a higher degree of narrow-casting.

     Mr. Ho explained that the continuous development of video-on-demand and Cable TV help to open more channels which will undoubtedly provide viewers with more choices.

     Programmes about ghost stories are likely to benefit from this.

     Said he: "As a result of the expansion of narrow-casting, the bottom line that monitors horror programmes can be further lowered, provided that an effective mechanism is on hand to prevent children from viewing them.

     Mr. Miguel Choi believes there is demand for horror programmes in Hong Kong.

     "The audience in fact needs them. You can see that horror films are still popular even under the current economic turmoil," he said.

     Usually, both hosts and celebrities in the show business keep a distance from horror programmes, in fear of encountering bad luck.

     Despite this long-held superstition, Mr. Choi will keep hosting his show with new ingredients injected.

     "Special features such as interviews with cemetery workers will be added to the programme in future. Moreover, we will invite artists to tell their own stories on air.

     "So let's listen and get terrified together," he said.

     One complaint about the radio programme Night Flight broadcasted on Metro Hit Radio was processed within the month of August 1998.

     A segment of it was complained to be horrifying and unsuitable to be broadcasted late at night.

     Upon investigation, the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority found that the contents and presentation of the programme segment, which was targeted at a mature audience, were within acceptable boundaries of the late broadcast hours.

     The complaint was unsubstantiated.

     On the day prior to the interview with Varisty, Mr. Choi drove to the radio station alone.

     An actress was driving on the opposite lane, she saw a girl sitting next to him in the car.

     When she met Mr. Choi later, she asked, "Who was the girl sitting by you?"

     Mr. Choi was horrified.