Next Media’s (壹傳媒) plan to venture into the TV industry in Taiwan yesterday suffered a major setback after the National Communications Commission (NCC) again rejected its applications to establish news, information and entertainment channels.
NCC Spokesperson Chen Jeng-chang (陳正倉) said the commission continued to have doubts on Next TV’s plans to present animated news as well as how it would protect the interests of youth in its news content.
“The commission listed four main reasons why it turned down [Next TV’s] applications last year,” Chen said. “While it has made some improvements, its efforts failed to convince members of the independent committee who reviewed the applications that it would do anything different from what they can see in the [Chinese-language] Apple Daily and Next Magazine.”
Chen said the committee opposed the applications because the network had failed to address two of the four main issues.
For one, the network’s animated news presented events in a “docudrama” format, which does not meet professional standards of journalism and truthful reporting.
Also, its guidelines for animated news production contravened Article 13 of the Regulations Governing the Classification of Television Programs (電視節目分級處理辦法), which states that “images in news broadcasting programs shall be subject to classified G [General rating] regulations, without classification labeling.”
Aside from the two main issues, Chen said the programs the network intended to present on its three channels were more or less the same, which spawned questions about the necessity of having three channels.
Chen said the committee’s decision was submitted to the commissioners’ meeting yesterday where it won unanimous support from commissioners, who deliberated the case for about an hour before making a final decision.
Chu Wen-bin (朱文彬), chief of the commission’s satellite communication division, said members of the committee reviewed sample tapes and operational plans for the three channels submitted by Next Media. As Next Television launched its TV service online in July, commission officials recorded content and handed it to committee members for reference.
Chu said Next’s news production guidelines showed that the network “completely misunderstood” the Regulations Governing the Classification of Television Programs.
“It [Next TV] said it would not explicitly present the sexual organs of people appearing in Next programs,” Chu said. “However, not showing sexual organs does not mean the news has a General rating.”
“[Next] also said it would be careful when handling live news broadcasts involving violence, sexual assault and suicides. However, these types of news should not be aired live in the first place,” Chu said.
Next TV chairman Chu Wai-hui (朱華煦) said the company protested against the commission for “undermining freedom of expression and stifling creativity.”
“Why does the NCC keep rejecting our applications?” Chu asked in a statement. “The NCC owes us an explanation.”
Meanwhile, the commission also rejected applications by China Television Co (CTV) for four new channels, saying they violated the Television and Broadcasting Act (廣電法), which bars investment from political parties, the government and the military.
The investigation showed that the Taipei City Government indirectly owns 0.2175 percent of the shares in the CTV’s Cultural Enterprise Co, which owns four channels.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious