If Ricky Wong Wai-kay's business script makes it into production, Hong Kong television viewers will be sitting back comfortably to watch programs put together by some of the brightest talent around, and they'll be working for him. For 49-year-old Wong, using part of a fortune he made by hitting on a winning formula in telecom pricing when that market was opened up for competition some 20 years ago, is making a play for a free-to-air license that could be available after next month. His application is not, however, being viewed on its own by government regulators. Along with Wong's City Telecom in the bidding are iCable's Fantastic Television and Now TV's HK Television Entertainment. How many licenses are handed out remains to be seen. We could, in theory see all three join the fray. But this is just part of the television plot that is unfolding before our eyes. Looming just as large are TVB and ATV, the two broadcasters which have had things their own way since they ran their last rival in free-to-air competition, Commercial Television, off local screens nearly 30 years ago. And it appears to be TVB that Wong is raiding for talent - to extraordinarily good effect as he tells it - and setting off alarm bells along the corridors and through the studios of Hong Kong's top terrestrial broadcaster, which has 4,000 employers on its books. But TVB bosses are not just listening to the bells. They are flashing lights and calling for action to keep top talent, which if Wong's boasts are close to the mark - and there's no reason to believe this canny businessman would spin tall stories on top human resources - stand to hit TVB hard. "There are only 60 screenplay writers and editors in the industry. I have talked to the top 32 and have 31 of them." Those were among standout lines that Wong - chief executive of ATV for a few weeks in 2008 - delivered in a briefing this week on his ideas for television. It shows the scale of the moves he is making and the waves he is causing. Fleshing out his summary in dramatic form, Wong claims too that more than 20 directors have agreed to join his free-to-air revolution when the time is right. With the licensing decision by the Office of the Telecommunications Authority not expected until next month at the earliest, the big production that Wong is making of the situation might have some people thinking that he's jumping the gun. He obviously has his reasons to be talking this way at this time, though, and it's likely it has something to do with convincing any talent unsure about his vision that he is indeed the man to follow. The particularly ominous warning for TVB - a powerhouse of entertainment in the costumed and contemporary fare that provides a bit of continuity at the end of the daily struggle for Hong Kong's masses - comes with Wong saying of the talent lineup he's penned into his operation: "They all come from one TV station." That talent is reckoned to include people who worked on acclaimed TVB series such as War and Beauty (2004), Beyond The Realm Of Conscience (2009), Can't Buy Me Love (2010) and Ghetto Justice (2011). A more focused picture of Wong's strategy emerged this week amid a blitz of station-selling lines that appear intended to be disseminated in the industry. In one message, TVB stars, artistes and drama production staff are told: "Our free-to-air TV station is about to kick off. We will focus on producing quality series. We need lots of artistes to join us. Currently we have some 30 screenwriters and editors, with 20 directors and coordinators. "We will produce 260 hours of TV programs in the first year and 520 hours in the following year. If you are interested, please contact our talent department ... Please forward the message to others in the industry." Top TVB drama stars receiving WhatsApp messages from Wong's personal mobile include Wayne Lai Yiu- cheung, Moses Chan Ho, Roger Kwok Chun-on and Steven Ma Chun-wai. These sort of recruitment tactics for top TVB names in front and behind the cameras appear to be worrying Mona Fong Yat-wah, the station's deputy chairwoman and wife of TVB's 103-year-old founder Run Run Shaw. She's said to have become concerned to the point of ordering TVB's controller of production resources, Virginia Lok Yee-ling, to speed up negotiations with stars and other talent who are not locked into firm contracts but who should be. Also being drafted into the front line of the coming battle of the airwaves are TVB general manager Stephen Chan Chi-wan and group general manager Mark Lee Po-on, who will be expected to put aside personal and professional bickering - at least for the time being - over corruption and fraud charges that continue to plague Chan. For her part, Lok is making all the right noises, saying stars in the TVB stable can expect more decisive contractual negotiations and - apparently a response to the big money talk that is doing the rounds - better terms. And that includes talent at various levels, not just the stars. "All of them have to be retained," declares Lok, as that's what Fong wants. Still, Lok is also dropping hints at how grave the situation is viewed by people in the top echelons of TVB management. "Some in the industry are experts at war," she says. "Such a war is a good thing for TVB. Some may say TVB is like a cruise ship, but we are a battleship." In a sign of the kind of concessions and deals that the station is willing to make, Lok points to financial packaging arranged for Charmaine Sheh Sze-man, one of TVB's biggest-name actresses. "For those who want to earn yuan but do not want to leave TVB, they can take Charmaine Sheh's case as a reference and work on a contract that is based on a series," Loks says. She adds: "Many big stars started out in TVB. There is opportunity in crisis, so there are plenty of newcomers to take up the mantle when established stars leave. But the key remains a non- stop stream of good artistes and productions. "All of us know it is hard to match the kind of money being thrown around in the mainland, so we have reached a consensus to allow artists to earn money outside if conditions allows." Production chief Catherine Tsang chimes in: "TVB has a history of over 40 years. It is is one of the biggest regional TV stations. It is not strange for some colleagues to leave and others to return. We're always preparing new blood. Only one or two colleagues are leaving - not those numbers reported in the papers. Series are being produced as usual." Nor, Tsang adds, is it true that TVB is short of good quality scripts, as some have suggested. True, "some directors and scriptwriters have been were wooed with offers to leave TVB. But they decided to stay as they believe it's safest to remain in TVB. They will get a pay rise." Yet some movement out of TVB is now under way. Tsang Sing-ming, deputy director for external affairs, points to headhunters zeroing in on TVB staff and reveals that 16 resignations have been handed in this week. But they are merely a fraction of human resources available at the station, Tsang adds, and TVB also trains its writers to keep this side of the talent picture in solid shape. "There are about 280 people in the drama department, of which some 80 are scriptwriters," explains Tsang. "Others are non-drama researchers and writers. Most of those who have resigned are screenwriters and researchers." Meanwhile, Tsang says, improved pay deals have already been struck and are now in effect. Some screenwriters and assistant producers have enjoyed pay rises of up to 40 percent. But Ricky Wong and City Telecom are not the only people sniffing around for staff. Also looking to add muscle as it flexes for a license, Richard Li Tzar- kai's Now TV free-to-air license, has recruited former TVB non-drama production controller Ho Lai-cheun. Now listed as a senior vice president for Now TV, Ho denies rumors he is principally responsible for attracting established names to the station. He also says that behind-the-scenes staffing numbers are adequate, but he does not rule looking for faces who will look right in front of the cameras. In fact, word is that Ho has offered pay rises of up to 150 percent to some people as he goes about trying to recruit some 30 staff. The responses that Ho is receiving are matters for conjecture, but there are firm words on some answers that Wong has received after delivering offers to TVB personnel. Among them, Moses Chan, Wayne Lai and Roger Kwok have let it be known that they received offers but intend to remain loyal to TVB, saying they have not replied or have no intention of replying to Wong. He received a message from Wong's mobile, Chan says, who then dismisses it out of hand. "It was a long one and I forget what it said, apart from I can contact a certain person if I'm interested. I'm not tempted by it. I act not for getting awards or money alone but for good scripts and good screenwriters. TVB treats me well." Nor did Wong's messaging approach did not go down well with Lai. "Everyone is receiving it and it shows no sincerity," he says. "I do not need to find work and I'm not tempted at all." That from a star who does not have a management contract with TVB and works on a series-by-series basis. The attraction of TVB, explains Lai, is that it offers the largest broadcasting platform for the Chinese community. But some familiar names are said to be more open to approaches. Wong Hei, a close friend of Stephen Chan, has met representatives of Cable TV, Phoenix Satellite and Now TV recently. And then there is Bowie Lam Bo- yee, a former TVB actor seen meeting Wong and Virginia Lok. Lam insists his talks with Wong were on interests such as diving and hiking. But he admits Lok is trying to get him for a sequel to 2004's War and Beauty, for which Lam was named best actor at TVB. Steven Ma, a TVB veteran of 18 years who is rumored to be seeking an early end to his contract - it is supposed to end next year - admits Wong's people wants to "do lunch" but "I want to focus on shooting my current project before I figure out my future." Bernice Liu Bik-yee, a former TVB leading actress, is meanwhile said to be close to going over to Wong's side, and Tavia Yeung Yi admits receiving a call from Wong. "It sounds attractive," she says, "but I started my career in TVB. I have my roots and I'm content with what I have." Some of the reasons for stars being hestitant about twinkling for Wong are because of doubts about his financial clout. And that riles Wong, who began City Telecom with 18 staff and now employs 3,000. He says in a post on Weibo: "People keep asking us recently where the money for shooting TV series is coming from. Hey, we are a listed company in the United States and Hong Kong, with no liabilities and cash of HK$500 million. Our wireless broadband, IDD, etc, has a turnover of HK$1.5 billion and it is growing. Don't look down on us!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- City Telecom CAPEX: More than HK$1 billion in the first six years including HK$394 million for programming and HK$180m capital expenditure. Operating expenditure: HK$478m. BROADCASTS: 12 channels within nine months of licensing. No high-definition in the first six years. No indication as to which channel will be designated as an English-language service. PROGRAMMING: 12-24 hours. One to three hours of locally-made programs daily at prime time (7pm and 11pm) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iCable - Fantastic Television CAPEX: More than HK$1 billion in the first six years including HK$968 million for programming and HK$39m capital expenditure. BROADCASTS: Two channels. Cantonese (within six months) and English (in nine months). PROGRAMMING: Cantonese channel is for the masses with news, finance, information, entertainment, children's shows, sports and movies. Over 70 percent of prime-time shows to be produced locally. The English channel will feature acquired programs such as documentaries, lifestyle, news, information and financial programs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PCCW - HK Television Entertainment Co CAPEX: More than HK$600 million capital expenditure and operating expenditure. BROADCASTS: Cantonese channel, 24 hours daily and in high definition. HKTVE has requested that its license should not include a requirement to provide an English service. PROGRAMMING: Cantonese channel is to be a general entertainment service with news, finance, current affairs, documentary, lifestyle, travel, variety show, arts and culture, sports, music and movies as well as programs for elderly, children and young. Creds: Commerce and Economic Development Bureau/The Standard/AF
