History

In April 1947, the ROC government moved from political tutelage to constitutional rule, completing all preparations for the implementation of constitutional government and expanding all ministries, commissions, and councils under the Executive Yuan. On April 23, the Executive Yuan was reorganized; and the Government Information Office (GIO) and agencies for health, irrigation, and land affairs were established. The GIO was formally set up in Nanjing, Chinese mainland, on May 2, 1947, with three departments overseeing domestic and international publicity, media industry guidance, and news analysis.

On March 21, 1949, the ROC president promulgated the revision of Articles 3 and 5 of the Organic Law of the Executive Yuan, whereby the organization of the Yuan was streamlined and its agencies were regrouped into eight ministries, two commissions, and one department. Two weeks later on April 5, the Executive Yuan approved at its 52nd meeting the establishment of an Information Department under the Secretariat of the Executive Yuan. Twenty days later, the headquarters of the Information Department were transferred to Guangzhou, Chinese mainland, along with the central government.

Following the central government's relocation to Taipei, Taiwan, on December 7, 1949, the Executive Yuan was reorganized in March 1950 and the Information Department was abolished. On April 24, the Executive Yuan established by administrative order the Office of Government Spokesman, which was responsible for issuing press releases.

The GIO was reactivated under its original structure on January 1, 1954, in response to changes at home and abroad. Although its organic law was revised twice, in 1955 and 1958, its three departments remained in operation. In December 1968, the GIO was revamped to incorporate three departments (for domestic publicity; international publicity; and compilation and translation) as well as two offices (for audio-visual materials; and information and liaison). In August 1973, the GIO also became responsible for mass media guidance and regulation, which was previously under the jurisdiction of the Ministries of the Interior and Education and other related agencies. Departments of publication affairs, motion picture affairs, and broadcasting affairs were subsequently established under the GIO.

In February 1981, the domestic and international publicity departments were renamed the Department of Domestic Information and the Department of International Information, respectively. The audio-visual materials office was expanded into the Department of Audio-Visual Materials. In addition, the Department of Planning was established at this time.

When streamlining the government, the Taiwan Provincial Department of Information was converted into the GIO's central Taiwan office on July 1, 1999. As this office continued to engage in domestic services, on September 16, 2001, it was renamed the Department of Local Information. To date, the GIO has retained this structure, which is comprised of nine departments and five offices.

The National Communications Commission (NCC) was established on February 22, 2006 as a response to the trends of technological convergence, cross-industry integration and globalization. A portion of the broadcasting industry responsibilities under the purview of the Department of Broadcasting Affairs was then transferred to the NCC; and the Department was restructured as the Broadcasting Industry Guidance Group.

On November 15, 2006, the Department of Broadcasting Affairs was reinstituted with three subordinate sections, and the Broadcasting Industry Guidance Group was disbanded.