Cable TV\'s sudden decision to pull the plug on its pay-TV service didn\'t surprise me. Media companies globally are failing from a lack of advertising revenue. US newspapers that serve small communities are dropping like flies. Larger ones have switched to online content but charge for access. It breaks my heart as a longtime journalist to see media companies fail. Hong Kong\'s digital radio service, which former radio host and politician Albert Cheng King-hon convinced the government to start in 2012, ended in 2017 when the stations couldn\'t attract advertisers.

In the 1970s a new TV station called CTV won a government licence and launched to compete with TVB and ATV. It closed three years later when it failed to get enough viewers and advertising. ATV, where I worked for many years as head of English News and hosted English and Chinese shows, pulled the plug in 2016. It broke my heart because I realized Hong Kong\'s media faces a rocky road. To pull the plug on something means to stop supporting it with money or stop it from continuing. The expression "dropping like flies" means falling down or dying in large numbers.

If you are on a rocky road, it means you are going through a difficult time. Cable TV\'s pay-TV service went through a rocky road with decreasing viewers and advertisers. I have been a TV journalist for many years as a reporter, host, and head of department. I believe HK TV stations lack fresh ideas like Fox, CNN, and Netflix. I am glad Cable TV\'s free channels will continue but hope it will understand it needs brave new ideas to succeed.

香港有線電視突然決定釜底抽薪，終止（pull the plug on）其收費電視服務，並不令我意外。全球的傳媒都因為缺乏廣告收入而衰微。美國那些只服務小社群的報章更是大幅減少（dropping like flies），而較具規模的報章則是轉向發布網上內容，但需要付費才能瀏覽。身為長年的新聞工作者，見到傳媒公司倒閉，實在讓我心碎。香港的數碼電台廣播服務，就是前電台主持及政客鄭經翰說服政府於二零一二年批准啟播的，同樣因為各數碼電台未能吸引廣告商，於二零一七年結束。

於一九七零年代，一個名為香港佳藝電視的新電視台，競投得政府電視台牌照並正式啟播，跟無綫電視及亞洲電視的前身麗的電視競爭。它未能吸納足夠的觀眾及廣告，以致要在三年後倒閉。亞洲電視，就是我工作多年，在那裏任職英文新聞部總編及中英節目主持的，亦於二零一六年終止（pulled the plug）免費電視廣播服務。這令我心碎，因為我知道香港的傳媒面前是一條崎嶇之路（rocky road）。To pull the plug on something是指停止資助某事情，又或阻止某事繼續。習語“dropping like flies”是指紛紛倒下又或大批死亡。

若你正在 rocky road之上，意即你面前障礙重重，深陷困境。有線電視的收費電視服務，收看人數與廣告商持續減少，路途崎嶇（rocky road）。我多年來亦是電視新聞工作者，擔任過記者、主持、部門主管，我認為香港的電視台缺乏像霍士新聞、美國有線電視新聞網以及Netflix般的新點子。我慶幸有線電視的免費頻道會繼續，但希望它會明白，要成功就需要大膽創新的想法。