Politics
Wan Chai Candidates Get 90 Minutes RTHK Airtime, Less Than Adjacent Districts
Wan Chai residents will encounter three candidate spotlight segments on public radio instead of the four segments available in adjacent districts under the 2025 amendments to the Broadcasting Ordinance.
How we reported this
The Electoral Affairs Commission issued updated media access guidelines in March 2026 that set district-level allocations for candidate interviews ahead of the November district council elections. Wan Chai falls under the 90-minute total for RTHK broadcasts, while the Central and Western District receives 120 minutes based on the same formula applied to registered voter numbers and prior turnout records.
The guidelines took effect after the Commission reviewed submissions from all 18 districts and published allocation tables on its website. The change aligns broadcast slots with the 2025 amendments to the Broadcasting Ordinance, which replaced the previous flat 100-minute standard with a variable system tied to each district's voter roll.
Allocation differences across districts
Wan Chai's three 30-minute blocks will cover local issues such as the Wan Chai harbourfront redevelopment and the Cross-Harbour Tunnel toll adjustments. Residents who rely on RTHK for candidate statements will therefore hear from fewer contenders than listeners in the Central and Western District, where four blocks have already been scheduled for September and October.
The Commission document states that districts with more than 180,000 registered voters receive the higher allocation. Wan Chai recorded 152,400 registered voters in the 2025 voter register published by the Registration and Electoral Office, placing it in the lower band.
Practical effects on daily information sources
Local advocates note that many Wan Chai households still use RTHK as their primary source for election information because commercial stations carry fewer district-level segments. The reduced slot count means candidates must rely more on printed leaflets and district office visits to reach the same number of households.
The government says the policy will produce final broadcast schedules by 15 August 2026. Candidates must submit programme proposals to RTHK by 1 August, after which the station will assign dates and times within the allotted minutes for each district.