Chai steps down from media post

DPP Legislator Trong Chai (蔡同榮) resigned as chairman of Formosa TV yesterday to comply with President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) policy of removing political influence from the media.

Chai announced his resignation yesterday afternoon in a press conference after attending a meeting with the board of directors. Chai, the founder of the TV station, will be succeeded by the company's vice chairman, Tien Tsai-ting (田再庭), a former DPP lawmaker and ex-chairman of the Taiwan Independence Party.

"To comply with the DPP's long-standing policy of freeing the media of political influence, I've actually been prepared to withdraw from Formosa TV for a long time and have talked this matter over with the president," Chai said.

"I am more interested in politics and my involvement in the TV industry is just a sideline to my political career. Therefore, it is impossible for me to quit my main job as a legislator," he said.

"I sincerely hope that Chen will be re-elected next year. My resignation will play an important part of [realizing] Chen's promise to the public," Chai said.

Chai founded Formosa TV in 1996, a station known for its pro-DPP stance.

While promising to quit his media post, Chai urged the KMT yesterday to withdraw from the operations of the China Television Company (中視) and Broadcasting Corporation of China (中廣).

The KMT is the dominant shareholder in both companies.

DPP Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday said, "We appreciate Chai's decision to quit the chairmanship of the TV station, which shows his utmost respect for the party's long-standing policy of freeing the media from political influence."

Chang said the resignation is a responsible action and shows Chai's commitment to the DPP, adding Chai is a member of DPP's Central Standing Committee.

Tien, the new chairman, said yesterday, "Though Chai has resigned, we still see a very slow withdrawal of political and military forces from the media. We hope that Chai's resignation will serve as a model for other parties and politicians who are still involved in the media.

"We appreciate Chai's contributions and efforts for Formosa TV, where he built a unique broadcasting culture," Tien said.

Prior to Chai's announcement, local media reported that the Presidential Office had tried to interfere with the appointment of the new chairman, as it was allegedly not satisfied with Tien taking over.

The report said Chai was supposed to meet with Chen yesterday morning and inform the president of his decision. However, the meeting was canceled as Chen didn't want to accept Chai's favor, the report said.

"It was just a miscommunication between the Presidential Office and me about the time of the meeting," Chai said.

Presidential Office spokesman James Huang (黃志芳) yesterday dismissed the report, saying the Presidential Office does not get involved in personnel changes at media operations.

"We disagreed with the contents of the report, which is biased and misleading," Huang said.

Huang said the president's goal is to remove political influence from the media and, therefore, would not interfere himself.

In a Central Standing Committee meeting on June 11, the DPP delivered its ultimatum that all party members must relinquish control in media industries before Sept. 5.