Actress Chiang Hsia (
CTS held a board meeting yesterday afternoon to approve Chiang's nomination. Chiang used to serve on the board of Taiwan Television (TTV).
PHOTO: LIN SHU-JUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
Also elected to CTS' board were pro-DPP figures Chin Heng-wei (
In a TV interview broadcast last night, the outspoken Chiang told the show's host that she had been informed by the the Presidential Office on June 11 that she would be given the position at CTS.
"My new position is indeed a reward and it makes perfect sense because I support President Chen Shui-bian (
Atop her priorities for her new job will be banning soap operas produced in China.
"If we continue to broadcast Chinese-produced soap operas, our local entertainers will have fewer job opportunities," she said.
Chiang also said that pro-unification entertainers such as Sun Tsui-feng (
Chiang characterized Sun's performances as "stunts" rather than traditional Taiwanese operas and derided Luo's abilities as a vocal artist.
Chiang also said that she would like to see news programs on CTS take a more neutral stance.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea for anchorman Li Siduan (
When asked by the media about her controversial remarks, Chiang reacted indignantly.
"Don't demonize me," she said.
"The media shouldn't have interpreted what I said out of context," she said.
Chiang said that she had never said that she would bar all entertainers with a pro-unification background.
"Although I don't have an impressive educational background, I'm not stupid enough to say something like that," she said.
Chiang said that she would like to continue to work with Lee because he is a veteran journalist with high social status.
Unimpressed with her rebuttal, six Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday requested a meeting with Lin Chia-lung (
"While the government has pledged to free the media from political influence, it is in fact meddling in the personnel arrangements of CTS," said KMT Legislator Liao Feng-te (
"It only proves that the DPP administration doesn't mean what it says about nationalizing media outlets," Liao said.
KMT Legislators Huang Teh-fu (
"Could you tell me what she has done to deserve the position? Is it her educational background or experience?" Huang said.
Praising Chiang's 30 years of experience in show business, Lin said that everybody has political beliefs and that Chiang just happened to be someone who was explicit about hers.
Lin also threw his backing behind Chiang's proposal to ban China-produced TV programs. However, he refused to comment on Chiang's remark about her new job being a political reward, saying that he wanted to know for sure if she had said such a thing.
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