After nearly 40 years of continuous broadcast, the 24-hour BBC World Service broadcast in Hong Kong will be replaced with programming from China’s state radio channel next month.

The move by Hong Kong's official radio station - Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) to replace the BBC broadcast with programs from the China National Radio Hong Kong Edition (CNR), was meant to “enhance the cultural exchange between the mainland and Hong Kong”, a spokesman said.

Hong Kong's "mainlandisation"

After the swap, the CNR will broadcast news, finance, arts, culture, and lifestyle programmes, all mostly in Mandarin.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the move is actually part of a broader demise of digital radio channels in Hong Kong.

RTHK will pull the plug on five channels – DAB 31 to 35 – reassigning affected programmes to its FM channels in a reshuffle. The reshuffle will see the BBC’s World Service, now broadcast round the clock on DAB 34, reduced to an 11pm-7am slot daily on Radio 4.

Speaking to the SCMP, a spokesperson of the broadcaster explained that the swap could help enhance exchanges between Hong Kong and mainland China, and that the channel will still be "tailor-made" for its listeners.

Critics have panned the move a "mainlandisation" effort, as some see it as a sign of Hong Kong's closer alignment with the mainland.

[related_story]

Allowing a 50-year extension of its administrative system after the British handover, Hong Kong is now  governed under the "one country, two systems" formula until 2047.  The mainland government is vague on Hong Kong's eventual fate.

Signs of Beijing's growing influence are becoming more prominent in Hong Kong's media industry, as more than half of Hong Kong's media owners currently have roles in Chinese politics.

Here are some equally interesting but totally unrelated stories:

6 life hacks you never knew could save you tons of water

Who looks after our ailing seniors outside of general hospitals?

Top image composite image