National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) yesterday denied accusations that he had asked members of a preliminary review committee to approve the application of Mirror Media (精鏡傳媒) to establish a news channel, Mirror TV.
Chen made the remarks in response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee.
“I was not in the meeting when the preliminary review committee approved the bid, nor did I ask committee members to do so. The allegation was clearly from someone who sought to influence public opinion,” Chen said.
The NCC launched an internal investigation after one committee member reported that internal communication on their opinion about Taiwan Optical Platform’s application to establish a TV news channel was leaked to the media.
“We had completed the investigation and reported the findings to all members of the review committee on Friday last week, [at a meeting during which] they approved Mirror Media’s application to establish Mirror TV,” Chen said.
Chen also denied claims that he had said the review of Mirror Media’s application should be suspended until after the investigation was concluded.
Asked by Hung and New Power Party Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) to disclose the details of the investigation, NCC Department of Broadcasting and Content Affairs Director Huang Wen-che (黃文哲) said that such information should remain confidential until NCC commissioners issue a final ruling, citing regulations governing the operations of the preliminary review committee.
The NCC found no evidence that someone within the body might have leaked the information to the media, he added.
NCC officials said that the Mirror TV bid would be forwarded to commissioners, who would start working on it later this month.
The Transportation Committee also passed a motion requiring the NCC to submit minutes of all commissioners meetings in which Mirror Media’s application was discussed within one week of a final ruling.
Mirror Media’s plan to establish Mirror TV came under close scrutiny as the commission has not approved a news channel for nearly 10 years.
Among the moves that drew criticism were Mirror Media’s plan to retain National Chengchi University adjunct professor Weng Shieu-chi (翁秀琪) as a full-time ombudsman to monitor the quality of news broadcasts at Mirror TV and Mirror Media chairman Pei Wei’s (裴偉) resignation from the post of Mirror TV chairman.
The moves were believed to be in response to NCC concerns that the company would use the channel to broadcast tabloid-like content similar to that of its Mirror Magazine.
Criticism also focused on the investors behind Mirror TV, as the channel’s board of directors would mostly be staffed with celebrities and media professionals who do not hold a stake in the company.
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