With reports that under the present economic climate, TVB is considering protecting the interests of the company and is considering cancellation of long term artiste contracts and changing them to job-related contracts and those worst hit will most likely be the second, third and fourth line artistes. Yesterday, TVB's Deputy Production Resources Director Au Tai Kwan stood out to calm the troops and refute this, saying: "TVB has no intentions of any brash moves to calm the morale, these measures were approved way back in 2000 and have since been mentioned in meetings, but there are no plans to go ahead with them just yet, but I can't speak for ten years down the line!"

TVB has over 300 artistes on its books and Au admits that the costs in this area are very high, amounting to an eight-figure sum every month, but TVB is a good employer and will not set about forcing people to change contracts just to save some money on benefits. After reports that TVB are using $1 token contracts to stop their artistes appearing on other TV company's productions, Au replies: "There is no such thing going on, either we don't sign them or we pay them with a real amount. No $1 contracts, but the amounts will vary between the different people." Also in response to some earlier reports about some "golden age" (mature) artistes leaving because their airtime was cut, he says that some adjustments were made as a result of the business needs and the artiste's own health reasons.

Nancy Sit feels that you can't have the best of both worlds as TVB is a public company that need to be responsible to its shareholders, so as artistes they need to continually improve themselves, otherwise they will be left behind by society.

http://www.singpao.com/20030612/gossip/390113.html