When King Pu-tsung (
King's handling of last week's cable TV dispute overturned his image as a mild and ineffective character and established him as a force.
Even opposition city councilors gave him the thumbs up, saying that his courage in challenging the conglomerates and the Government Information Office (GIO) to safeguard consumers' rights showed that he was the right person for his post.
FILE PHOTO
"His starting point was to safeguard cable TV subscribers' rights and to maintain the municipal government's authority," said DPP city councilor Lang Mei-chin (藍美津). "He supported the side of reason and the council backed him up."
The background
The dispute started when nine cable providers substituted three unlicensed channels for three licensed channels that they had previously been broadcasting. The substitution began on Jan.1, and on Jan. 3, hundreds of viewers had contacted the information department to file complaints about the change.
The same evening, King met with representatives from the nine firms. He demanded that they return to broadcasting the usual licensed channels by 12:01am the next day. Otherwise severe penalties would be imposed.
Four cable companies -- all under the banner of Eastern Multimedia Co Ltd (東森媒體科?THORN>股份?膝q) -- ignored King's request and did not resume broadcasting of their original channels until the GIO intervened in the dispute late Jan. 5.
However, between Jan. 4 to Jan. 5, King imposed a total fine of NT$12 million on the four firms, the maximum penalty under the Cable Broadcasting and Television Law.
When dealing with the dispute, King blasted representatives of the conglomerate who arrogantly claimed that they had prepared enough cash to pay the fine.
King said the city government was ready to "fight the issue to it conclusion."
Corporate arrogance
Even after the dispute, King said in a radio interview that certain conglomerates involved in cable TV industry "considered everyone beneath their notice (
He also confirmed that a representative from the conglomerates had said to him, when negotiating cable TV rates with the city government, that "it's us [referring to cable TV providers] who will determine who becomes the next president."
King turned to the GIO, asking it to clarify its position on the dispute. Some people wondered whether the fact that GIO director Chiao Yi (趙怡) was the deputy chairman of the Eastern Multimedia company before taking the post as the government spokesman was purely coincidental.
"The longer the GIO delays dealing with the chaos in the local cable TV industry, the angrier people will become," he said on Jan. 4.
Responding to King's call, the GIO, as well as other cabinet members were quick to intervene in the dispute, saying the central government supported the city government's punishment of the four firms.
An unexpected force
King's outspoken actions surprised not only his critics but also his supporters, and won him support from Ma and City Council.
"His daring combined with his judgment was a bit beyond my expectations," said Tina Chou (周慧婷), King's wife and a veteran news anchor.
After all, King was working for Ma, a KMT party member, and his opponent in this game of brinkmanship was the Eastern Multimedia company, an affiliate of the Rebar Group, which is led by KMT heavyweight Wang Yu-tseng (
When asked if he had come under pressure from high-ranking KMT officials to support the conglomerate, King said: "I didn't think that far ahead before acting."
When asked if he had received any threats from outside, King's answer was evasive. "More or less," King said.
But he admitted it was Ma's "full support" that enabled him to challenge the violators so directly. "The key point was Ma's full support. He gave me a free hand in dealing with the issue," he said.
The support from city councilors was another factor. King said some opposition city councilors not only phoned him to express their support, but some even urged him on in his handling of the dispute.
Chou attributed King's actions to his clear choice of what he though was right.
Although King is a man with a gentle manner, Chou said King knows what persistence is. "Although some people said he was rather fierce [when handling the dispute], I think this only shows that he held fast to what he thought was right," she said.
"I think I am tough but fair," King said. "I know it's impossible to please everyone, but I am doing what I think is right."
Seeking to become an "expert in the cable TV industry" in his current post, King said he and his subordinates were preparing to study "thoroughly" the problems that currently exist in the cable TV industry before finding broad-ranging solutions to its chronic problems.
King, who claimed he disliked becoming a celebrity as it would deprive him of the pleasure of enjoying a public spa, still visited a spa for two hours after the dispute was settled on Jan. 5.
"I took a rest so that I am prepared to fight another battle," he said.
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