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- What are the major newspapers in Taiwan?
The major Chinese-language morning newspapers are the three
general-interest dailies, the China Times, the United
Daily News, and the Liberty Times. The China
Times Express and the United Evening News dominate
the evening newspaper market. The English-language newspaper
market includes the China Post, the Taiwan News,
and the Taipei Times. The Government Information Office
(GIO) publishes the Taipei Journal (TJ) in English
once a week, and a Spanish version every ten days. TJ
can also be accessed via the Internet.
- How has the book publishing industry developed in recent years?
Recent political and economic developments, the public's rising affluence and purchasing power, new consumer fads, as well as an increasingly culture-conscious society have stimulated the growth of Taiwan's publishing industry. Growing Internet penetration and new socioeconomic trends have also brought significant changes to Taiwan's publishing industry and the public's reading habits. Books on finance, trade, business management, and computers are the most popular titles published. The growing interest in foreign travel has given rise to more books on other countries, foreign cultures, and individual travel. In addition, amid Taiwan's hectic lifestyles and increasing materialism, publishers have responded to the growing public concern for better health and spiritual growth by publishing books on those subjects. In recent years, the production of electronic books and CD-ROM products has expanded rapidly, further diversifying the publishing sector.
The Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE) is the largest book exhibition in Asia. Once a biennial event first held in December 1987, TIBE became an annual event in 1998 to meet the demands of the market. The book fair serves as a channel for the exchange of market information and the development of business relationships.
- How many radio stations operate in Taiwan?
Prior to 1993, there were only 33 radio broadcasting companies in the Taiwan area. By December 2001, however, the number had increased to 142 while another 32 were under construction. Radio broadcasting in the ROC includes regular domestic programming by medium wave AM and VHF FM stations, medium and shortwave broadcasts to China, and specialized programming via shortwave transmissions to other countries. Many radio stations focus almost exclusively on specialty areas, such as current events, light music, traffic updates, stock market reports, or agricultural news. Programs in various Chinese dialects and English are also available.
- How has the television industry developed in Taiwan?
The past decade has witnessed unprecedented challenges for
Taiwan's television industry, with the establishment of a
public television system, legalization of private cable operations,
increased popularity of satellite broadcasting, promotion
of digital television, and the employment of new information
technology by the broadcasting industry. The passage of the
Cable Radio and Television Law (originally the Cable
Television Law) and the Satellite Broadcasting Law
in 1999 further liberalized and guided the development of
these industries.
There are currently five terrestrial television stations operating in Taiwan: Taiwan Television Enterprise (TTV) was established in 1962, China Television Company (CTV) in 1969, Chinese Television System (CTS) in 1971, Formosa Television (FTV) in 1997, and Public Television Service (PTS) in 1998.
Taiwan's terrestrial TV stations are under considerable competitive pressure as more viewers are tuning in to cable TV programs. As of 2001, over 70 cable systems were offering their services throughout Taiwan. Taiwan's cable penetration rate ranges from 67 percent in Kinmen and Taitung to 89 percent in Kaohsiung. The cable systems usually offer subscribers a fixed package of over 70 channels at a fixed monthly rate of no more than US$20. These channels include news and information, Chinese and foreign movies, cartoons, religious programs, sports, music, and a variety of other entertainment programming. In 2001, a total of 60 domestic and 16 foreign companies were offering 94 and 31 satellite channels respectively, including a number of foreign channels as well as groups of specialized, satellite-based channels operated by local media conglomerates.
- What are the latest developments in Taiwan's movie industry?
Taiwan movies have captured awards at film festivals around the world. Despite these successes, Taiwan's film industry has declined since the mid-1990s, largely due to the aggressive marketing of Hollywood filmmakers and Taiwan's liberalization of film imports. The domestic film industry introduced 35 new films in the market in 2000, but only 17 in 2001. In metropolitan areas, large cinema multiplexes featuring mostly American films have opened in recent years, forcing many community theaters to merge into large complexes or improve their facilities in order to remain competitive.
The government-sponsored Domestic Film Guidance Fund continues to provide investment funding for high-quality domestic films. Budgeting for this fund was US$2.6 million in 2001, with five films receiving funding of US$320,000 each, and another five receiving US$160,000 each. In addition, the Golden Horse Awards are held annually to recognize outstanding Chinese-language films in a number of categories, including features, shorts, documentaries, and animation, while Taiwan Film Festivals are held overseas to promote domestic films in the global market.
- What has the government done to protect intellectual property
rights?
The Copyright Law gives legal protection to works in both written and
spoken form, as well as works related to the fine arts, photography,
graphics, audiovisuals, sound recordings, architectural works,
and computer programming.
In April 1993, a revised version of the Copyright Law
went into effect. It adopts the principles of equality and
reciprocity for both local and foreign nationals, granting
copyright protection for up to 50 years after the death of
a work's author. Under the new law, copyright violators risk
a maximum fine of US$17,000 and a jail term of one to seven
years. With a few exceptions, parallel importing of copyrighted
materials has also been banned.
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