Talk about career progression. Hongkong actor Frankie Lam, 52, who is best known for his roles in TVB dramas like Forensic Heroes and Ten Brothers and for being married to former TVB beauty Kenix Kwok, was announced as the vice president of Hongkong’s Asia Television (ATV). ATV is TVB’s long-time rival but for years, the station has struggled to keep up with the latter.

The announcement was made at the press conference for ATV’s 2019 Miss Asia Pageant yesterday (Dec 23), and Frankie, who joined showbiz in 1989, will officially start work in January.

There are rumours that ATV is facing financial trouble and the company had gone through a retrenchment exercise recently. When asked if he is worried about his future taking on such a role, Frankie said that “ATV’s finances are healthy”.

ATV isn’t the only broadcaster in the city that's badly hit by the protests and oncoming recession. According to reports, TVB is also retrenching 350 employees by the end of this year and Frankie was asked if he would be hiring any of his former colleagues. He didn’t give an answer, only saying that he “welcomes all like-minded individuals to contact [him]”.

As for whether he took the job because of the high pay, Frankie said: “Jessie Lai (the director of ATV) won’t ill-treat her staff and friends. I have turned down a lot of acting jobs because of my new appointment. And I will be working all 12 months in a year, so this is a very serious challenge.”

Frankie also said that he would not be inviting his wife Kenix to star in any upcoming ATV drama because her focus is on raising their nine-year-old daughter Tania. “Our daughter has a lot of say at home, she wouldn’t allow it,” he laughed.