BEIJING, June 16 -- Hong Kong Commercial Radio was fined HK$140,000 (US$18,000) Thursday and ordered to broadcast an apology for holding a poll asking listeners to name the actress or singer on a list of 20 female celebrities that they would most like to sexually assault.

A Broadcasting Authority spokesman said the watchdog imposed a penalty for the first time "in view of the seriousness of the case and wide public concern about the program."

The poll was posted June 3 on the Web site of Commercial Radio 2's popular "So Fab" show.

The poll drew strong condemnation from the government-funded Women's Commission and prompted the radio station to suspend program hosts Sammy Leung and Kitty Yuen and take their program off the air for two months.

The spokesman said: “The apology should be broadcast once in all three channels of Commercial Radio during prime time by a senior member of Commercial Radio's management.” The broadcasting watchdog concluded that complaints about the poll, totaling 189, were substantive after examining the poll's content.

(Source: Shenzhen Daily)