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Show us the programming

It was a year ago that International Community Radio Taipei's (ICRT) morning team of Rick Monday and Bill Thissen began a petition to bring its audience better cable TV. The individual chambers of commerce, the Community Services Center and other organizations joined the effort by putting a petition on their Web sites.

Over 30,000 listeners responded and the petition was handed to the Government Information Office director. Today I have more and better choices of cable TV programming. That cooperation between ICRT and the English-speaking community is missing under general manager Janet Chu (朱雅如).

Anthony van Dyck and Gus Adapon's suggestion ("Keep the ICRT true to its mandate," Jan. 10, page 8) that the business community contribute NT$1,000 per year for quality English-language radio programming got me thinking. If those 30,000 listeners who signed Rick and Bill's petition each contributed NT$1,000 a year to bringing back a quality morning show, ICRT would receive revenue of NT$30 million from a three-hour show. Chu could then do whatever she wanted during the other hours and ICRT would still survive.

ICRT chairman Nelson Chang (張安平) seems to be saying "show me the money and I'll bring back professional announcers." The message, it seems to me, should be "show us quality programming" and then ask for sponsorship.

CK Rusty Lee

Neihu

ICRT part of our existence

Thank you for bringing out in public the ICRT's issues concerning the international community in Taiwan. ICRT's primary mandate is to serve the international community and to bridge the gap between cultures, which makes the station vital and useful to both international and local audiences.

With all these improper changes at ICRT, such as going from English programming to "Chinglish" and cutting down on all important shows and free community service ads, it has alienated its own benefactors -- the foreign community. Therefore, the international community is appealing for help and support to bring back the real ICRT with its high standard of English programming and community-based services.

Our concerns and opinions about the station's effectiveness have not even been polled, so why the abrupt changes from a non-profit station to ambitious business competition? I hope that Nelson Chang (張安平) [chairman of the Taipei International Community Cultural Foundation] could resolve this as soon as possible by bringing back the original programming.

It is to be hoped that support from the foreign community will come to light as losing the station means losing a vital part of our very existence in Taiwan.

Irene de Pablo

Taipei

Who cares?

After reading, painfully, "Keep ICRT true to its mandate" (Jan. 10, page 8), I can't help but wonder: Who cares about a lousy radio station like ICRT? I don't.

Jerome Favre

Taipei

Bring back the old ICRT

Does it seem odd to anyone else that ICRT chairman Nelson Chang is on the one hand asking corporations to support ICRT while at the same time refusing to bring back the programming schedule ICRT's listeners are asking for?

Chang can do anything he wants with his station, but if he presents programming that only he wants, then he needs to ask KGI Securities, Taiwan Cement and the China Trust bank to sponsor ICRT.

How many businesses will be willing to fund a radio station based solely on a promise to reverse its strategy? Chang, bring back the programming, then ask for support.

Jamie Yang

Banciao

Who killed ICRT?

It used to be a big pleasure to listen to this radio channel. It used to be a station with a foreign flavor. It used to be great when students were able to understand ICRT. The attractive male and female voices attracted thousands and thousands of listeners. It used to be full of mystery.

Right now, an unknown tornado has turned it upside down. Listeners don't know why they are tuning in to FM100 anymore. They don't know if the DJs' English usage is correct. Listeners don't want to be part of the ICRT gang anymore. Sad. Listeners are mostly turning off our favorite radio station because there aren't any familiar DJs, except for Ron Stewart.

Many times listeners cannot even find the channel, because the music and voices are almost indistinguishable from other local radio stations. Who killed ICRT? Who will give the listeners the answer? I do care.

Liya Su

Banciao
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