“C” is for Closure
Hong Kong online media outlet Channel C, an independent site founded in July 2021 by former journalists from Apple Daily (蘋果日報), ceased online updates more than a week ago, on April 23, as its 29 editorial staff halted work over unpaid wages and benefits. Channel C’s troubles deepened in mid-April after owner Chen Zhixing (陳智行) was arrested for allegedly defrauding a government loan program of HK$12 million.
Reporting on the story, the news outlet HK01 included images of a takeover notice posted by a creditor, JL Investment Capital Limited, outside Channel C’s shuttered Kwai Hing office on April 25. According to HK01, the debt holder had offered HK$100,000 monthly, or just under 13,000 US dollars, to allow Channel C to maintain operations. But this fell far short of the estimated HK$470,000 required monthly to sustain full staffing, and the outlet’s staff reportedly rejected this proposal, which they said showed no sincere long-term commitment to quality journalism. Channel C’s parent company, Artview Production Limited, has had its accounts frozen since mid-April.
