|
Taiwan 2002 |
 |
 |
Mass Media |
|
BroadcastingTaiwan's free media environment has resulted in the diverse and dynamic growth of radio and over-the-air, cable, and satellite television industries in recent years. To keep pace with these developments and coordinate with the government's liberalization policy, revisions have been made to related regulations on foreign investment, shareholding restrictions, market monopolies, and protection of consumers' rights. The newly revised Cable Radio and Television Law 有線廣播電視法 raised the ceiling of direct and indirect foreign shareholdings of a cable radio or television company to 60 percent. The programming business has also expanded rapidly in response to the growing demand for radio and television programs. As of December 2001, a total of 11,580 companies were supplying programs to the many broadcasting systems around Taiwan.
RadioPrior to 1993, there were only 33 radio broadcasting companies in the Taiwan area. By December 2001, the number had increased to 142, and another 32 were under construction.The radio broadcast industry in Taiwan has changed significantly since the 1950s, when dramatic, cultural, educational, and children's programs on the radio were the mainstays of household entertainment. TV broadcasting in Taiwan in the 1960s brought revolutionary change to local entertainment habits; however, another major change occurred in the 1980s, as radio stations specialized to secure target audiences. Currently, many radio stations focus almost exclusively on such specialty areas as current news, light music, traffic updates, stock market reports, or agricultural news. Throughout the 1990s, news stations have diversified their programming to include regular features and studio and telephone interviews. Also, newspapers, with their vast resources, are cooperating with radio stations to bring the latest news into local homes as quickly as possible. The ROC's increasing social diversity and the public's growing assertiveness have led to a proliferation of radio call-in programs. Listeners are eager to express their views on the air about national developments and question government officials who visit the studios to answer inquiries about government policy. Call-in programs cover a wide range of topics from health care to traffic laws. Radio broadcasting in Taiwan includes regular domestic programming by medium-wave AM and VHF FM stations, medium- and shortwave broadcasts to the Chinese mainland, and specialized programming via shortwave transmissions to other countries. Programs in various Chinese dialects and English are also available.
Station Facilities and ServicesThe Broadcasting Corporation of China 中國廣播公司 (BCC), the pioneer of the ROC's broadcasting industry, was founded in Nanking in 1928 as the Central Broadcasting Station 中央廣播電臺 and reorganized under its present name in 1947. Two years later, it began international radio operations with its broadcast of the Voice of Free China 自由中國之聲 over short-wave channels. The BCC set up the ROC's first FM station in 1968 and was also the first to broadcast in stereo over AM channels in 1987.The BCC operates its main station in Taipei, nine regional stations, and two professional stations that specialize in agricultural programs and traffic reports. The BCC has six national and five regional simulcast program streams. These networks offer popular music, national news, industrial and commercial services, educational and religious programs, stock market reports, and programs in the Southern Fujianese 閩南語 dialect. Its news and popular music broadcasts are also available via streaming audio on its website. In January 1998, the Central Broadcasting System 中央廣播電臺 (CBS) was reorganized as the ROC's national radio station under the Central Broadcasting System Establishment Statute 中央廣播電臺設置條例 by merging the CBS, formerly under the Ministry of National Defense, with the BCC's international department. The CBS operates a variety network and a news network in Mandarin Chinese; a dialect network that is broadcast in seven dialects, including Southern Fujianese, Cantonese, Hakka, Mongolian, and Tibetan; the Radio Taipei International 台北國際之聲, broadcast in 11 foreign languages; and the Voice of Asia 亞洲之聲, broadcast in English, Mandarin, Thai, and Indonesian. The CBS broadcasts news on ROC governmental policies, business activities, tourism, and education to the mainland and the global community. The Voice of Han Broadcasting Station 漢聲廣播電台 operates from its headquarters in Taipei and has five other stations and 15 transmission sites around Taiwan. It serves a wide variety of interests with programming that ranges from parent-child relationships and military life to Peking opera and popular trends of young working people. In addition to its AM and FM broadcasts in Taiwan, it also provides special programming to audiences on the Chinese mainland. The UFO Network 飛碟聯播網 was established in 1996 and began a joint broadcast on seven FM frequencies around Taiwan a year later. In 1998, its broadcasts could be heard in major cities in the United States and New Zealand. Its programming is 30 percent news and related commentary, 50 percent music, and 20 percent variety programs. Programs are usually on public service and lifestyle and meet the interests of different occupation, gender, and age groups. News98 is the only exclusive news station broadcasting on FM. It broadcasts news programs around the clock, with latest news updates every quarter hour. Its programming includes news forums on financial and political issues, world news, medical and health information, and literary developments. Based in Taipei, it also provides streaming audio online for listeners around Taiwan. The government-run Public Radio System 警察廣播電臺 (PRS) specializes in traffic reports and social services. It operates three networks: a national traffic network 全國交通網, offering updates on traffic conditions on freeways and highways; a regional traffic network 地區交通網, consisting of five FM and two AM stations devoted to news on local traffic and weather conditions across the island; and an evergreen network 長青網 of five AM stations, which provides medical, health, travel, legal, and governmental policy information to the elderly, children, and women. International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT), owned and operated by the Taipei International Community Cultural Foundation, is Taiwan's only predominantly English-language radio station. Its FM channels broadcast separate programming, including popular Western music, talk shows, and community service segments. ICRT is also available via streaming audio on its Internet website.
TelevisionThe past decade has brought unprecedented challenges for Taiwan's television industry with the establishment of a public television system, the legalization of private cable operations, increased penetration of satellite broadcasting, and growing popularity of mainland Chinese, Korean, and Japanese drama series. In June 2000, digital television broadcasts began on a trial basis in Taiwan's northern metropolitan areas. Taiwan's five over-the-air TV stations expect to be fully digitized by the end of 2002. A digital TV environment will provide a greater number of channels, a wider variety of programs, and two-way interaction. Its multichannel capability will facilitate the reception of diverse opinions outside mainstream culture.
Commercial TelevisionROC television began in February 1962, when the experimental National Education Television began broadcasting two hours of educational programming each day. This was followed by the establishment of Taiwan Television Enterprise 臺灣電視公司 (TTV) in 1962, China Television Company 中國電視公司 (CTV) in 1969, and Chinese Television System 中華電視臺 (CTS) in 1971. To meet growing demands for the liberalization of the electronic media, Formosa Television 民間全民電視臺 (FTV), affiliated with the Democratic Progressive Party, was inaugurated in 1997, and the Public Television Service channel was established in mid-1998.Taiwan's over-the-air TV stations are being severely threatened as cable TV continues to gain viewers and advertising receipts. Intense pressure to preserve their market share requires over-the-air TV to improve programming and technical facilities. Regulated cable television operation arrived relatively late in Taiwan. When the Cable Television Law was passed in August 1993, illegal cable systems were already serving viewers throughout Taiwan, some improving reception of over-the-air television broadcasts in hilly areas and some offering a wide selection of satellite and videotape programming. These cable systems have since registered with the GIO and remain in temporary service until authorized cable systems under the Cable Television Law 有線電視法--which was revised and renamed the Cable Radio and Television Law in 1998--began to provide programming in the service areas concerned. As of December 2001, 11 of these cable systems were still in operation, while another 65 had already begun offering services under the Cable Radio and Television Law.
The major news and information channels include TVBS-N 無線衛星電視新聞臺, FTV news, the Power TV (PTV) news channel 勁報電視新聞臺, the Eastern Television (ETTV) news channel 東森新聞臺, the Cable News Network (CNN), the Discovery Channel, and National Geographic. The more popular foreign movie channels are HBO and Star Movie, both of which feature Chinese subtitles. For sports fans, live telecasts of Taiwan's professional baseball and basketball leagues along with a wide selection of other sports programming are available on several channels. A June 2000 survey showed that the most popular cable channels included HBO, TVBS-N, TVBS, ETTV news, Discovery, National Geographic, FTV news, and Star Chinese.
Public TelevisionThe Public Television Service 公共電視臺 (PTS) was established on July 1, 1998, as an independent, non-profit station to serve the interests of the public, raise the standards of Taiwan's broadcast culture, safeguard the public's freedom of expression and access to knowledge, and enhance national education and culture. Under the Public Television Law 公共電視法 passed in May 1997, PTS received a government subsidy of NT$1.2 billion (US$38.4 million) and raised its own funds of NT$3 million (US$96,000) in its first year of operation. However, with each passing year, PTS is becoming increasingly independent financially as the law mandates that government contribution be reduced by 10 percent annually until it falls to half of the first-year subsidy. PTS raises its own funds through program sponsorship from the business sector, individual donations, marketing videotaped programs and other peripheral products, and leasing studios and other facilities.PTS offers a rich diversity of distinctive and high-quality programs for different age groups, ranging from children to senior citizens, as well as minority groups, including indigenous peoples and those with hearing impairments. It introduces Taiwan folk customs and traditional local operas; broadcasts music, dance, and theatrical performances; produces special programs on Taiwan's environment, ecology, and related issues; and records social changes and historical events. While emphasizing news issues, PTS also airs movies for children and young people and programs on politics, technology, economics, social sciences, and the arts. Its programming includes in-house productions as well as culturally diverse international programs that promote cultural exchange and expand the prospective of Taiwan audiences.
Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution
|
|||
