He Zuozhi
George Ho Cho-chi, was a Hong Kong entrepreneur, founder and honorary chairman of Commercial Radio Hong Kong. Born Sai-yee, he was a prominent businessman. In 1959, he founded Commercial Radio; in 1971, he founded ABC Paging; and in 1975, he founded Commercial Television, which closed down three years later. Ho was deeply committed to Hong Kong and public welfare. He founded the George Ho and Fung Yuet-yin Charity Fund. Commercial Radio held numerous charity fundraising relief events, and Ho donated countless scholarships to schools for talent cultivation. Known for his hard work, Ho often said one must “endure and persist,” and that his management philosophy was “if things go well, everyone should benefit.” He treated his employees like family and cared for them deeply.[1]
Biography
Ho was born on November 3, 1918, in Washington, D.C., United States. He was the illegitimate son of Sir Robert Hotung and nurse Zhu Chunlan. He studied at King's College and later graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.
In 1940, he returned to Hong Kong and initially worked in a property management company under Robert Hotung. In 1950, he co-founded George and David Trading Co. with David Miao, engaging in trade, importing liquor, electrical appliances, and radios.
In 1956, Robert Hotung passed away. Ho received HKD 50,000 in inheritance, significantly less than his half-brothers. He used this money to start his own business. As the trading business declined due to a lack of programming, Ho acquired broadcasting rights from Sir Pedro José Lobo, founder of Macau’s Radio Vila Verde. Within a year, the station broke even. Ho then returned to Hong Kong and applied for a radio license from Governor Grantham. He enlisted Executive Council members Lo Man-wai and Sir Tang Shiu-kin as directors and successfully won one of four bids for the license in December 1957.
Commercial Radio officially launched on August 26, 1959. The headquarters were located near an oil depot in Lai Chi Kok (now Mei Foo Sun Chuen), rented at HKD 0.20 per square foot. The transmitter was also located there, and Ho personally tested its coverage, which reached Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The station turned a profit in its first year, used to reward employees, and distributed dividends to shareholders in the second year. British shareholders of Rediffusion even offered HKD 1 million to acquire the station, which Ho declined.[2]
In 1968, Ho became a director of Bank of East Asia. In 1971, he founded Hong Kong’s first wireless paging company—Commercial Radio Paging, later renamed ABC Paging and now under Global Group Holdings. In 1973, he became a non-executive director of Hongkong Land.
In 1975, Ho founded Commercial Television, which collapsed three years later. Former Director of Broadcasting Cheung Man-yee said that although Ho had sold his shares to Lam Siu-fung, son of Hang Seng Bank’s founder Lam Bing-yim, just a year after starting the station, he still personally paid employee severance packages out of his own pocket when the station closed—“a spirit of generosity all employers should emulate.” Although Commercial Radio remains a private company, it has consistently earned healthy profits due to habitual listener loyalty.
In 1981, Ho became a non-executive director of Jardine Matheson. In 1991, ABC Paging was listed on the stock exchange as Global Group Holdings. In 2003, he retired, stepping down from his directorships at the Bank of East Asia, Hongkong Land, and Jardine Matheson, as well as from the chairmanship of Commercial Radio, passing it to his son George Ho Jr. He remained honorary chairman.
He was appointed Justice of the Peace and awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire. In 2001, he was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong SAR Government. In 2008, he resigned from Global Group Holdings but continued to serve as chairman of Commercial Radio Enterprises Limited.
According to online media outlet Bus News, Ho had suffered from bladder cancer in his later years, which had spread to the kidneys. Although his condition was under control and he lived normally, the stress caused by Commercial Radio’s license renewal situation reportedly worsened his health, leading to hospitalization.
On June 4, 2014, he passed away peacefully at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, aged 95. That evening, Commercial Radio’s logo was turned black and a black-and-white image announced his passing. The station broadcasted a series of commemorative programs, including a joint tribute on CR1 and CR2 from 11 p.m. to midnight titled “Commercial Radio Remembers Mr. George Ho,” replaying his 2009 50th anniversary interview on “Who Resonates with Me,” in which he shared stories of founding Commercial Radio.[3]
Family
- Father: Robert Hotung
- Mother: Zhu Chunlan
- Wife: Fung Yuet-yin (d. 2006)
- Daughter: Ho Kwan
- Son: George Ho Jr.
- Granddaughter: Josephine Ho
Broadcasting Philosophy
- “Social responsibility first, profit second”
- “Leave a few words unsaid, yield three points where reason lies”[4]
- “As long as democracy in Hong Kong is not achieved, this show (18th Floor Block C) will continue to reflect the voice of the people”[5]
See also
- Commercial Radio Hong Kong
- Hotung family
- Global Group Holdings
References
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E4%BD%90%E8%8A%9D#cite_ref-2
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E4%BD%90%E8%8A%9D#cite_ref-3
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E4%BD%90%E8%8A%9D#cite_ref-4
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E4%BD%90%E8%8A%9D#cite_ref-5
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E4%BD%90%E8%8A%9D#cite_ref-6