KMT to relinquish media holdings

The KMT has decided to release its shares in Power TV (中天電視台), the Chinese Television Co (中視) and the Broadcasting Corp of China (中廣).

In line with the decision, the KMT will support proposed amendments to the Broadcasting and Television Law (廣播電視法) designed to turn two government-owned TV stations, namely the TTV (台視) and CTS (華視), into independent, commercial operations.

Wu Ching-ji (吳清基), director-general of the KMT's Culture and Communications Affairs Committee, has met with the management of the three radio and TV stations to notify them of the party's decision.

Wu the KMT will sell its shares in the three institutions as soon as they find appropriate buyers and does not necessarily have to wait for the passage of legislation.

The KMT holds 50 percent, 35 percent and 97 percent of the shares in Power TV, CTC and BCC, respectively.

While board of directors at Power TV is planning to increase the company's capital in January, the KMT will not take part in the plan to conform with its decision to back out of the media business. The party has so far invested NT$600 million in Power TV.

Justin Chou (周守訓), a KMT spokesman who has pushed hard in an effort to get the party to give up its stakes in the media sector, said the KMT's decision is consistent with the country's democratization.

"It's a trend in democracies for political parties to get out of the media business. The KMT doesn't have to maintain such a liability now that it is an opposition party," Chou said.

Chou that the KMT used to embrace a belief that media ownership would provide the power to manipulate voters during elections, but the party's long-term involvement in the media business has drawn much public criticism.

It's time for the KMT to recognize that it must abandon this mistaken belief, after two major setbacks in the elections -- first in last year's presidential race and again in this year's legislative races, Chou said.

By the first move, the KMT also intends urge the DPP government to follow its example, Chou said.

In what has been criticized by opposition lawmakers as the DPP's reluctance to give up media control, the Government Information Office has proposed creating a new independent government authority to take control of TTV and CTS to ensure their impartiality in news reporting.

Such a design is similar to how Public Television (公視) is operated.

Opposition however, have demanded that the government sell its shares in TTV and CTS to the public.

Chou it is questionable as to whether Taiwan needs more public TV channels, when the government has failed even to manage the only public TV channel properly.

He urged the DPP to make good on its long-standing position to oust political influence from the media, now that it has come to power.

The KMT has for the most part totally controlled Taiwan's media through extensive censor shipsince it arrived here in 1949.