Talk show host Lee Tao (
"I am sorry for the mistake made by [TVBS] reporters and believe I should take full responsibility for it," Lee said in a statement.
"Please give the TVBS news team one more chance to correct the mistake ... Let them prove to you their determination to pursue quality news," Lee said.
"I hope that my resignation will stop some politicians and the media from raging and seeking revenge against TVBS," he added.
TVBS' board of directors also issued an official statement yesterday that it had grudgingly approved Lee's resignation.
"The National Communications Commission's [NCC] resolution asking us to replace the station's general manager may involve some legal issues, and we reserve the right to file a lawsuit against this injustice," the statement said.
Lee's position will temporarily be filled by Lin Chia-hsin (
Li Siduan (
Stations fined
The announcement came after the commission issued a ruling last week that TVBS and TVBS-N would each be penalized NT$1 million (NT$30,200) for mishandling the gangster footage broadcast last week.
The commission also asked the stations to replace the company's general manager and deputy general manager for failing to control news quality and to act in a responsible manner.
Controversies surrounding the NCCs ruling were also the focus of a question-and-answer session at the legislature's Sci-tech and Information Committee yesterday.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuo Chun-ming (
Kuo also asked NCC chairman Su Yeong-chin (
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lwo Shih-hsiung (
"The commission has apparently overextended its authority in this regard," Lwo said.
In response, Su said he had no plan to resign any time soon, adding that the NCC had no intention of making any changes to its ruling.
He added that the commission would offer a more detailed and thorough explanation of the ruling to the public today.
Su reiterated that the resolution does not target any specific person, including Lee Tao.
He said the commission has the authority to ask TVBS to replace its managers, but it would not ask who they must choose to fill these positions.
"The TVBS incident is a very special case in the history of Taiwan's journalism," Su said.
"It is more appropriate to handle it as an isolated case rather than some precedent-setting principle," he added.
Infractions
When asked about the Cabinet's planned release of a report on the NCC's 10 major infractions, Su said he only knew of 10 questions that the Cabinet had asked in regard to the commission's operations and its members' conduct.
The questions include whether commissioners Wu Chung-chi (吳忠吉), Jimmy Hsieh (謝進男) and Liu Zong-de (劉宗德) have held other government positions, or whether commissioners Lee Tsu-yuan (李祖源) and Liu Yu-li (劉幼琍) may have a conflict of interest in reviewing the cases of China Television Co and Broadcasting Corporation of China.
The commission has sent formal replies to these questions to the Cabinet, he said.
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