HKC40: A 40 Years’ Record

This cross-media experimental project aims to introduce traditional television programmes into the new media. Hong Kong Connection (HKC) first aired in 1978 as a half-hour weekly news documentary on TV channels. To mark the 40th anniversary of its first broadcast in 2018, the opportunity arose to do a cross-media project. From January to October ‘HKC40’ started a series of activities. Two half-hour programmes were produced for TV that review the growing journey of HKC and Hong Kong over the years. Highlights were chosen from the archive to make 40 x 5min clips for Facebook about current social issues. The number of ‘Likes’ increased from 50,000 to 80,000. Some of the clips reached 400,000 views, which is ten times more than usual. Screenings were organised to encourage interaction with the audience, attracting about 300 people. Through the screening sessions, 200 phone numbers were collected to create a WhatsApp group that updated them with news of the programme and to collect the audience’s opinions. When significant events unfolded, the audience were invited via WhatsApp to record videos on their phones. A final programme was produced with crowdsourcing and aired on the traditional TV channel. More than 100 video clips were collected this way.