又中又英｜pull the plug on

Cable TV\'s sudden decision to pull the plug on its pay-TV service didn\'t surprise me. Media companies globally are failing from a lack of advertising revenue. US newspapers that serve small communities are dropping like flies. Larger ones have switched to online content but charge for access. It breaks my heart as a longtime journalist to see media companies fail. Hong Kong\'s digital radio service, which former radio host and politician Albert Cheng King-hon convinced the government to start in 2012, ended in 2017 when the stations couldn\'t attract advertisers.

In the 1970s a new TV station called CTV won a government licence and launched to compete with TVB and ATV. It closed three years later when it failed to get enough viewers and advertising. ATV, where I worked for many years as head of English News and hosted English and Chinese shows, pulled the plug in 2016. It broke my heart because I realized Hong Kong\'s media faces a rocky road. To pull the plug on something means to stop supporting it with money or stop it from continuing. The expression "dropping like flies" means falling down or dying in large numbers.

If you are on a rocky road, it means you are going through a difficult time. Cable TV\'s pay-TV service went through a rocky road with decreasing viewers and advertisers. I have been a TV journalist for many years as a reporter, host, and head of department. I believe HK TV stations lack fresh ideas like Fox, CNN, and Netflix. I am glad Cable TV\'s free channels will continue but hope it will understand it needs brave new ideas to succeed.

香港有线电视突然决定釜底抽薪，终止（pull the plug on）其收费电视服务，并不令我意外。全球的传媒都因为缺乏广告收入而衰微。美国那些只服务小社群的报章更是大幅减少（dropping like flies），而较具规模的报章则是转向发布网上内容，但需要付费才能浏览。身为长年的新闻工作者，见到传媒公司倒闭，实在让我心碎。香港的数码电台广播服务，就是前电台主持及政客郑经翰说服政府于二零一二年批准启播的，同样因为各数码电台未能吸引广告商，于二零一七年结束。

于一九七零年代，一个名为香港佳艺电视的新电视台，竞投得政府电视台牌照并正式启播，跟无綫电视及亚洲电视的前身丽的电视竞争。它未能吸纳足够的观众及广告，以致要在三年后倒闭。亚洲电视，就是我工作多年，在那里任职英文新闻部总编及中英节目主持的，亦于二零一六年终止（pulled the plug）免费电视广播服务。这令我心碎，因为我知道香港的传媒面前是一条崎岖之路（rocky road）。To pull the plug on something是指停止资助某事情，又或阻止某事继续。习语“dropping like flies”是指纷纷倒下又或大批死亡。

若你正在 rocky road之上，意即你面前障碍重重，深陷困境。有线电视的收费电视服务，收看人数与广告商持续减少，路途崎岖（rocky road）。我多年来亦是电视新闻工作者，担任过记者、主持、部门主管，我认为香港的电视台缺乏像霍士新闻、美国有线电视新闻网以及Netflix般的新点子。我庆幸有线电视的免费频道会继续，但希望它会明白，要成功就需要大胆创新的想法。