The preservation of news archives: the case of Asia Television (ATV) in Hong Kong

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the urgency to ensure the preservation of the news archives of the crisis-packed Hong Kong-based Asia Television (ATV), the first Chinese television station in the world. This paper also explores the life and times as well as the future of the historical collections of the ATV archives, which is a treasure trove that covers key events in Hong Kong’s history since 1957, a decade before its major rival Television Broadcasts Limited began to go on air. Design/methodology/approach Adopting the qualitative approach with in-depth face-to-face interviews, the now defunct ATV News’ longest-serving as well as its very last Chief Librarians discusses the bleeding of priceless history in the 62-year-old news archives which contain Hong Kong’s collective memories. Findings An important role of the old news footage is to capture the public’s memories and to take people back to the actual unfolding of landmark events. The interview answers open the way for readers to understand the ways television archives hold immense historical value for a city’s memory and what could be done and preserved before their disappearance. Originality/value This paper will be of interest to those historians, journalists, scholars and archivists, including news librarians, who are interested in learning how the ATV’s half-a-century-old archival news footage is a significant asset and cultural record to the former colony.