Removal holds off TTV news mutiny

The internal conflict at Taiwan Television Enterprise (TTV, 台視) came to an end after 75 members of the news department withdrew their threat of carrying their complaints about the president's alleged mismanagement directly to TTV shareholders, who held a meeting today.

The protest was to be an angry reaction to punishments meted out by TTV president Hu Yuan-hui (胡元輝) after the company launched an investigation into a petition drive by 75 employees from the news department calling for news department supervisor Chen Ching-hsi (陳清喜) to resign.

Chen was transferred to become a special secretary to the network's president after the investigation was completed last Friday.

Hu said he regretted that the 75 employees didn't make their feelings known through normal administrative channels. What they had done hurt the company's image, Hu said.

The 75 news department employees were upset by Hu's remarks and also by the fact that Chen's punishment looked more like a promotion.

They called off their shareholders' meeting protest because, they said, they had achieved most of what they sought with Chen's removal. Yesterday the employees released the statement that they had originally planned to read at the shareholders' meeting.

The statement said that the result was acceptable and a sense of achievement has emerged from the row, which was to "make TTV's news better."

The 75 signatories pointed out that they have learned two valuable lessons through the petition process. These were that the station's reporters became more aware of journalistic professionalism and of the management's concern over employee opinions.

In the statement, they also apologized to former TTV anchor Dai Chung-jen (戴忠仁) and all of the department's female colleagues. In a 4,000-word e-mail response to the petition, Chen had accused Dai of having sexually harassed a female colleague. Chen also accused Dai, who has been transferred to another position, of instigating the petition drive.

The 75 employees started signing the petition on June 13, protesting Chen's management of the news department and asking him to resign. Chen remained silent on the matter until last Monday when he expressed his side of the story by posting the e-mail on the department' s Web site.

The company established a committee to investigate the case after Chen broke his silence.

Chen's position was a new one created after the government became involved in the company's personnel affairs. The position has now been cancelled after Chen's removal.

Chiu Yueh (丘岳) and He Kuo-hua (何國華) were promoted as assistant managers of the department after Chen's removal, and Chiu Yueh will serve as acting manager of the department.

Reacting to the new managers' assignments, Liu Kuo-tung (劉國同), one of the signatories of the petition, said that they welcomed any professional who could improve TTV' s news programs.