East Week
Encyclopedia
East Week is a Hong Kong
-based weekly Chinese language
magazine
which was established by Oriental Group on October 29, 1992 and sold to the Emperor Group in September 2001. It is now owned by Global China Group Holdings Limited, and published by China Touch Media Solutions & Services Limited.
of Next Media Limited. However, East Week could not beat Next Magazine throughout the years as Next Magazine still remained as the top-sold magazine with around 150 thousand publications for each issue. So, Ma Ching Fat, Chairman of Oriental Group finally decided to sell the magazine to Emperor Entertainment Group
, owned by Albert Yeung
.
After Yeung had taken over East Week, a revolution of the magazine took place. There was a significant change in the type of news story and the reporting method. Since it took advantage of the "freedom of democracy", it always used very sensational and controversial topics to attract customers. It reported stories like the sex life of the businessman Law Siu Fai (羅兆輝) and the extramarital affairs of David Li Kwok-po. Such stories became the gossip of the town after the reporting and aroused huge public awareness. However, its way of reporting such news has stirred up fierce social echoes. Law Siu Fai alleged that he had been cheated him in this issue. Also, Donald Tsang
, the Chief Secretary of the HKSAR Government
, was angry with a news story in which his old chef was interviewed. This is because his private life was reported in that interview without his approval. At last, East Week apologized to the public and Donald Tsang, and paid 120 thousand Hong Kong dollars to Tsang as compensation, in order to avoid lawsuit.
Another tide of trouble came on 29 October 2002, the day of its 10th anniversary, the issue demonstrated a nude picture of a famous Hong Kong actress, Carina Lau Ka Ling. It was believed to be taken 12 years ago when she had been kidnapped in distress. The issue was sold out soon in the afternoon, and its price went up to $50 or $100. But there was no extra issue. It outraged the public, showbiz professionals, politicians and government officials. The showbiz professionals gathered together to go on strike and attacked the immorality of the magazine. Ms Lau was praised by the public for her bravery to come up and clarify the case.
The Chairman of Emperor Group, Albert Yeung, requested East Week to stop publication at 4pm on 1 November 2002. The Director of East Week, Mr. Chan Yiu On, announced East Week to stop publication an hour later, and this 'East Week Scandal' marked a temporary suspension of the 10-year-long publication.
Meanwhile, East Week apologized to the actress and the public through ads in various Hong Kong
newspapers, regretting the inconsiderate publication of controversy. On the other hand, the local entertainment industry also published in full-page ads their criticism and dissatisfaction on East Week's approach. And people started to think of the issue of the so-called 'freedom of democracy' seriously. Jackie Chan
even condemned the Press in Hong Kong as immoral and nearly all as paparazzi
which only aimed at revealing the private life and dark side of artists but failed to report the good side of them. The reason for this is that only reporting these things could there be a great number of readers.
On 3 September 2003, East Week was back on sale in the market with a renewed image to become an apparent rival of the entertainment magazines. The publication's ownership had switched from Albert Yeung's Emperor Group to Charles Ho Tsu Kwok's (何柱國)'s Global China Group Holdings Limited, which has its influence over several local newspapers, such as Sing Tao Daily
and Hong Kong Standard (英文虎報). Mr. Ho Kwok Fai (何國輝), CEO of China Touch, said that Mr. Lai Ting Yiu (黎廷瑤), who is currently the Executive Chief Editor of Sing Tao Holdings Ltd., had been appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of East Week to oversee the overall operations and editorial matters. The acquisition of East Week was because of its great business potential. It had grasped wide readership base and support from advertisers in the past ten years. It was believed that the new East Week would be capable of capturing a noteworthy market share after its re-launch. Ho Kowk Fai added that the investment to East Week was about 40 to 50 million Hong Kong dollars. Any money loss of the first four issues would be borne by a well-known supermarket chain, but its name was undisclosed. He expected that the company would start to make a profit within 1.5 to 2 years.
Besides ownership, East Week also seeks change in terms of editorial positioning. According to the official website, a balanced and objective approach would be adopted. Coverage of celebrity news would also aim to be more content-driven. Its task is to reveal the truth and concerns of all Hong Kong people. Ho Tsu Kowk said whether East Week entered the China market would depend on the regulations and laws of the mainland government.
With a new design and layout, the first issue of the revived magazine on 3 September 2003 featured Carina Lau, the actress of former controversy, in a discussion of her new movie, Infernal Affairs II
, and Anita Mui
, in discussion of her seeking a famous oncologist.
The cover price is HK$20.
A condensed edition of East Week (one book) is included every Saturday or Sunday in Sing Tao Daily's overseas editions.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
-based weekly Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
which was established by Oriental Group on October 29, 1992 and sold to the Emperor Group in September 2001. It is now owned by Global China Group Holdings Limited, and published by China Touch Media Solutions & Services Limited.
Development
Upon its establishment, East Week has been viewed as the direct competitor against Next MagazineNext Magazine
Next Magazine is a Chinese weekly magazine, published in Hong Kong and Taiwan with different versions. Owned by Jimmy Lai , both magazines are the number one news magazines in both markets in terms of audited circulation and AC Nielsen reports...
of Next Media Limited. However, East Week could not beat Next Magazine throughout the years as Next Magazine still remained as the top-sold magazine with around 150 thousand publications for each issue. So, Ma Ching Fat, Chairman of Oriental Group finally decided to sell the magazine to Emperor Entertainment Group
Emperor Entertainment Group
Emperor Entertainment Group is one of the largest entertainment groups in Hong Kong founded by Albert Yeung Sau-Shing in and established in Wan Chai in 1986, along with Music Icon Entertainment Limited and Emperor Motion Picture Group, EEG operates under the major conglomerate Emperor Multimedia...
, owned by Albert Yeung
Albert Yeung
Albert Yeung , born in 1944 with ancestry in Chaozhou, Guangdong, China, is a well known entrepreneur in Hong Kong. He is now the Chairman of Emperor Group.-Early years:...
.
After Yeung had taken over East Week, a revolution of the magazine took place. There was a significant change in the type of news story and the reporting method. Since it took advantage of the "freedom of democracy", it always used very sensational and controversial topics to attract customers. It reported stories like the sex life of the businessman Law Siu Fai (羅兆輝) and the extramarital affairs of David Li Kwok-po. Such stories became the gossip of the town after the reporting and aroused huge public awareness. However, its way of reporting such news has stirred up fierce social echoes. Law Siu Fai alleged that he had been cheated him in this issue. Also, Donald Tsang
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....
, the Chief Secretary of the HKSAR Government
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, was angry with a news story in which his old chef was interviewed. This is because his private life was reported in that interview without his approval. At last, East Week apologized to the public and Donald Tsang, and paid 120 thousand Hong Kong dollars to Tsang as compensation, in order to avoid lawsuit.
Another tide of trouble came on 29 October 2002, the day of its 10th anniversary, the issue demonstrated a nude picture of a famous Hong Kong actress, Carina Lau Ka Ling. It was believed to be taken 12 years ago when she had been kidnapped in distress. The issue was sold out soon in the afternoon, and its price went up to $50 or $100. But there was no extra issue. It outraged the public, showbiz professionals, politicians and government officials. The showbiz professionals gathered together to go on strike and attacked the immorality of the magazine. Ms Lau was praised by the public for her bravery to come up and clarify the case.
The Chairman of Emperor Group, Albert Yeung, requested East Week to stop publication at 4pm on 1 November 2002. The Director of East Week, Mr. Chan Yiu On, announced East Week to stop publication an hour later, and this 'East Week Scandal' marked a temporary suspension of the 10-year-long publication.
Meanwhile, East Week apologized to the actress and the public through ads in various Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
newspapers, regretting the inconsiderate publication of controversy. On the other hand, the local entertainment industry also published in full-page ads their criticism and dissatisfaction on East Week's approach. And people started to think of the issue of the so-called 'freedom of democracy' seriously. Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
even condemned the Press in Hong Kong as immoral and nearly all as paparazzi
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
which only aimed at revealing the private life and dark side of artists but failed to report the good side of them. The reason for this is that only reporting these things could there be a great number of readers.
On 3 September 2003, East Week was back on sale in the market with a renewed image to become an apparent rival of the entertainment magazines. The publication's ownership had switched from Albert Yeung's Emperor Group to Charles Ho Tsu Kwok's (何柱國)'s Global China Group Holdings Limited, which has its influence over several local newspapers, such as Sing Tao Daily
Sing Tao Daily
The Sing Tao Daily is Hong Kong's second largest Chinese language newspaper. It is owned by Sing Tao News Corporation Limited, of which Charles Ho Tsu Kwok is the chairman. Its English language sister paper is The Standard...
and Hong Kong Standard (英文虎報). Mr. Ho Kwok Fai (何國輝), CEO of China Touch, said that Mr. Lai Ting Yiu (黎廷瑤), who is currently the Executive Chief Editor of Sing Tao Holdings Ltd., had been appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of East Week to oversee the overall operations and editorial matters. The acquisition of East Week was because of its great business potential. It had grasped wide readership base and support from advertisers in the past ten years. It was believed that the new East Week would be capable of capturing a noteworthy market share after its re-launch. Ho Kowk Fai added that the investment to East Week was about 40 to 50 million Hong Kong dollars. Any money loss of the first four issues would be borne by a well-known supermarket chain, but its name was undisclosed. He expected that the company would start to make a profit within 1.5 to 2 years.
Besides ownership, East Week also seeks change in terms of editorial positioning. According to the official website, a balanced and objective approach would be adopted. Coverage of celebrity news would also aim to be more content-driven. Its task is to reveal the truth and concerns of all Hong Kong people. Ho Tsu Kowk said whether East Week entered the China market would depend on the regulations and laws of the mainland government.
With a new design and layout, the first issue of the revived magazine on 3 September 2003 featured Carina Lau, the actress of former controversy, in a discussion of her new movie, Infernal Affairs II
Infernal Affairs II
Infernal Affairs II is a 2003 Hong Kong crime-thriller film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak.It is a prequel to the 2002 film Infernal Affairs. Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, and Chapman To reprise their roles from the original film alongside new cast members Carina Lau,...
, and Anita Mui
Anita Mui
Anita Mui Yim-fong was a popular Hong Kong singer and actress. During her prime years she made major contributions to the cantopop music scene, while receiving numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout most of her career, and was generally regarded as a cantopop diva...
, in discussion of her seeking a famous oncologist.
Publishing details
East Week is published every Wednesday, in three sections:- EntertainmentEntertainmentEntertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
- Political, SocialSocialThe term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
and FinancialFINANCIALFINANCIAL is the weekly English-language newspaper with offices in Tbilisi, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine. Published by Intelligence Group LLC, FINANCIAL is focused on opinion leaders and top business decision-makers; It's about world’s largest companies, investing, careers, and small business. It is...
Issues - Discovering FoodFoodFood is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
in Hong Kong.
The cover price is HK$20.
A condensed edition of East Week (one book) is included every Saturday or Sunday in Sing Tao Daily's overseas editions.