Aboriginal producers yesterday protested that most programs broadcast on Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Television (TITV) are made by non-Aborigines and demanded that they be given priority in producing the programs.
"One of the purposes of having TITV is to protect the media rights of Aboriginal peoples," Namoh, an Aboriginal producer, who goes by one name, told a news conference yesterday.
"How can such protection be possible when most of the 12 programs now showing on the channel are produced by non-Aboriginal teams?" he asked.
Mayaw Biho, a member of the Council of Indigenous Peoples' TITV evaluation committee, told the Taipei Times by telephone that more than 80 percent of programs shown on the channel were produced by non-Aborigines.
TITV deputy station manager Tannaifu Cynro did not agree with the producers.
"Ideas for all these programs were proposed by TITV employees," Tannaifu said.
However, because the station lacks resources, "we often ask for technical support from Taiwan Broadcasting Systems [TBS], the group we're affiliated with," Tannaifu said.
As this stage, Tannaifu said it was up to TBS to select production companies to work with.
The explanation did not convince the Aboriginal producers.
"Does that mean that whoever has worked with TBS will permanently have priority over us?" playwright Yukan Masa asked.
Tannaifu angered producers when he said he was "unaware that there are so many production companies run by Aborigines."
After a prolonged discussion, Tannaifu promised that the station would compile a list of production companies run by Aborigines next year.
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