The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday rejected Next TV's (壹電視) application to set up news and information channels, saying the news content it intends to show on both channels went against the core values upheld by the commission and violated regulations on TV program ratings.
The ruling came as no surprise as NCC spokesperson Chen Jeng-chang (陳正倉) had said on various occasions that the chances of the commission granting the Next Media group a license was very low given the controversy generated by the animated “News-in-Motion” feature of its newspaper arm, the Apple Daily.
Last week, the commission also decided to postpone review of Next TV's entertainment, movie and sports channels, saying its plans did not clearly detail how it intended to present sports and entertainment news.
In response to the ruling, Next TV chairman Chu Wah-hui (朱華煦) said in a statement yesterday that while the company respected the commission's decision, it felt that it was “misunderstood.”
Chu said the company felt sorry about the commission's ruling even though it had promised not to present controversial news using animation.
“Our determination to build a brand new TV network will not be shaken,” Chu said.
“We also promise to become the first TV network to have an ethics committee and to set up a self-regulatory system,” he said.
Despite the ruling, the NCC spokesperson said Next TV is entitled to file another application, and the commission is obligated to review the case within three months of receiving an application.
Chen said the commission had issued its ruling based on the video clips submitted by Next TV in its application. The contents presented in the clips obviously contradicted the values stated in Article 5 of the Communications and Broadcasting Act (通訊傳播基本法), which states that “communications shall safeguard human dignity, respect minorities' rights and interests, and promote the balanced development of cultural diversity.”
“Instead, the contents trampled on human dignity,” he said.
Chen added that the commission has consulted media researchers and animation experts before it ruled on the case.
“They said that there was a huge difference between the content of News-in-Motion and genuine news,” Chen said. “The contents in News-in-Motion can be called 'docudrama' at best, which combines the characteristics of news and drama. But it's not news.”
Chen added that media experts said News-in-Motion had deviated from the goal of seeking the truth by trying to imagine the mood and thoughts of the parties involved in any given incident, and even added imaginary dialogues or sound effects to the presentations.
It also failed to protect the rights of children, young people and minorities by devoting a large percentage of the coverage to violence and sexual abuse, Chen said.
Animation experts said the content of News-in-Motion could be seen as animation about news, not animated news. They said footage of real news cannot be edited or modified.
Article 13 of the “Regulations Governing the Classification of Television Programs” (電視節目分級辦法) states that images used in news programs should meet general rating guidelines, Chen said.
And while Next TV has guidelines that govern the production of the animated news, which has specific regulations on handling news on crimes, suicides, sexual abuse and traffic accidents or those involving corpses, they do not follow regulations on television program ratings, he said.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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