The reprimand, coming just weeks before the Government passes its feared national security bill, was described as badly-timed by media observers.
They said it would send a message that authorities were trying to stifle press freedom. Teacup in a Storm host Albert Cheng went on leave of absence after the warning was issued in the middle of this month. The Broadcasting Authority claimed he deprived two officials of the right of reply after rounding on them in his shows.
Although Admango's data showed that the programme's daily ad income climbed after Cheng went on leave - from HK$187,018 (US$24,000) to $208,725 - media agencies attributed the rise to the timing of campaign bookings.
However, they pointed to a tripling of complaint calls from the public to the authority over its action as a more significant development.
At Media's press-time, the authority received 1,214 calls, outnumbering the 157 calls, which had triggered the warning on Cheng.
MediaCom Hong Kong general manager Daniel Kong said that advertisers preferred such shows and its host because they enjoyed mass popularity.
"What it comes down to is numbers - how many people are listening. If Cheng is not there, I would recommend we try to pull the ads because a toned-down format could reduce audience numbers. What makes the media industry interesting is controversy," Kong said.
Cheng has been replaced by Hong Kong deputy to China's National People's Congress and former Liberal Party chairman, Allen Lee Peng-fei.