DIARY: My media - Janice Chan, general manager of M&C Saatchi, based in Hong Kong Television

<p>I'm bored stiff with Hong Kong TV. I used to console myself with </p><p>chocolates and Ally McBeal, but now the channel chiefs have even denied </p><p>me that small indulgence. The programmes I love come mostly from </p><p>overseas -Shakespeare in Love or Friends. We are crying out for a </p><p>revolution on the box. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Press </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Credit goes to Jimmy Lai for launching a breakthrough newspaper format </p><p>with Apple Daily (although its ethics are not always sound). But at </p><p>least, the move heated up competition and gave us new alternatives. I </p><p>love the tabloids that are full of juicy, bitsy gossip (which makes </p><p>media magazine a must-read). I love Vogue, Conde Nast Traveler, </p><p>Wallpaper and W - all from US. My daily bread is the SCMP or ASWJ. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Websites </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Whenever I am surfing the web, I am on a mission of info-search. Hence, </p><p>the sites I go to are often fact-driven and business-oriented: The </p><p>Economist, Fortune, Forbes, SCMP, McKinsey Quarterly, etc. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Advertising </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Given the short-term business mentality and short project time line in </p><p>Hong Kong, it is increasingly difficult to create powerful brands in </p><p>this part of the world. Even if you start off with the greatest </p><p>intention, the efforts often sizzle out after a few years. There were </p><p>telecom, ISP, dotcom ... none of these investments lasted long enough. </p><p>So industry folks try to do their best with promotional or tactical ads, </p><p>which are difficult to amount to something great. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>