Though it’s easy to gripe about the English media in Hong Kong, we have a wide range of English language newspapers, radio and television stations for a city that’s predominantly Chinese. And, for the time being at least, there is freedom of the press, though self-censorship occasionally occurs. This freedom of the press is among the foundations of Hong Kong, so far helping to distinguish HK from mainland cities.

Newspapers

Hong Kong's main English newspaper is the South China Morning Post. It's impressive compared to many English papers in this region ("For almost a hundred years - Asia's most respected source of English language news," puffs a promotional video on the website), but articles typically lack the punch and insight you might expect in leading papers in, say, Europe and the US.

There is a comprehensive website, but you need to be a subscriber to get past the home page:

SCMP.com

In a rather distant second place is The Standard - which, during something of an identity crisis, downsized to become a broadsheet, and now bills itself as "China's Business Newspaper". One plus is that the website is open to all, including for archived articles:

The Standard

Magazines

There's a smattering of English-language magazines published in and focusing on Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Tatler aspires to be an essential magazine for Hong Kong's high society.

But for many expats, the main Hong Kong magazines are perhaps the ones you can pick up for free from many outlets, including coffee shops. Especially HK Magazine and bc Magazine - which both have strong coverage of leisure activities, including what's on guides, as well as restaurant, movie and music reviews, but differ in style.

HK Magazine is printed on matt paper, broadsheet size, and includes feature articles on various aspects of the city, as well as a pullout with advertising including job vacancies.

bc Magazine is smaller, glossy, and brasher, more into the club scene and arts. The features, reviews and listings appear on the website:

bc Magazine

Radio

Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is a government broadcaster, with two English language radio stations. Radio 3 has a mix of programmes, with a focus on current affairs in the mornings, news in the early evening, and music and chat. Radio 4 focuses on classical music.

You can listen over the Internet ∆ and find archived shows - via:

RTHK on Internet

Metro Radio AM 1044 is a commercial stations dominated by music mixes, with programmes including a weekly show for Hong Kong's Indian communities, as well as shows in Indonesian and Tagalog for the Indonesian and Filipino communities. There is a live broadcast over the Internet:

Metro Plus

Television

There are two terrestrial broadcasters ∆ Asia Television (ATV), and TVB. Each broadcasts one Cantonese and one (primarily) English language channel, but at times they complain of broadcasting the English channels under sufferance - as it's mandated by law - and lose money doing so.

TVB is the dominant station, in both Cantonese and English, and this is reflected in the English programmes shown. TVB shows some of the most successful English language series from overseas - especially dramas from the US, and documentaries, as well as a fairly strong selection of movies, focusing on those with mass appeal.

To some extent, ATV is similar, but has a lower budget, and less self-confidence: even when it does run major series such as CSI, promotions seem rather muted. Horse racing is a perennial favourite.

Both companies have websites where you can check programme schedules:

ATV World

TVB Pearl

Happily for consumers, massive transformations are underway in the world of Hong Kong television. Thanks to companies now broadcasting by satellite, cable and the Internet, there's now a wide, and growing, choice of channels - including several which focus on prime tv shows and movies from overseas, and on sports.

The situation is in flux, but currently the main players include:

STAR, which pioneered satellite broadcasting in Hong Kong, and now offers channels including its own Star World (US shows - not always very recent), Star Sports, and Star Movies.

STAR

i-Cable Communications, which likewise offers a substantial list of channels:

i-Cable

NOW Broadband TV, which is broadcast over the Internet, with a basic package available for free for Netvigator broadband subscribers:

Now Broadband TV