Chiang Hsia (
Two issues lie at the heart of the controversy over Chiang's appointment: some see it as a political reward for her involvement in President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) presidential election campaign earlier this year; others were shocked that Chiang had apparently blacklisted certain Taiwanese entertainers and initiated a boycott of Chinese-made television programs.
FILE PHOTO, TAIPEI TIMES
Chiang, whose official name is Liao Yin-yin (
A weighty responsibility awaits Chiang in her new job, as the Government Information Office has proposed making CTS part of a public television group which will be supervised by the public or an organization that is independent of any government or political influence. Nevertheless, Chiang and her supporters are optimistic about the future of CTS under her management.
"I believe in Chiang's professionalism as a media figure. Her credentials are self-evident: she has been in the television business for decades, and she has been an administrative board member at TTV, where she became familiar with the management of a television station," said Chin Heng-wei (
Chin, who is currently a member of CTS' supervisory board, said that Chiang's job would not be easy, as the members of the social elite on the station's board would monitor her every move as general manager.
"One just has to take a look at the job titles and occupations of these new board members to realize that these individuals are experts in their respective fields; everything from technology to women's rights," Chin said.
According to Chin, several names illustrate the diverse voices from all realms of society repre-sented on the supervisory board: Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容), chief executive officer of the Garden of Hope Foundation, a social group specializing in the welfare of women; Huang An-chieh (黃安捷), chairman of the Accton Company (智邦科技), a technology firm; and John Chen (陳傳岳), a prominent attorney.
"The members of the CTS board have widely divergent areas of expertise, so they can be expected to hold different expectations of Chiang," Chin said.
Considering that CTS has been losing its edge in its drama programs over the years, Chiang's rich experience in the field might also help the station to regain its past glory, Chin said.
"The claim that Chiang's appointment is a political reward is meaningless as long as the person being appointed is actually professional in her job. Looking at the general managers appointed during [People First Party Chairman] James Soong's (
In a telephone interview with a Chinese-language television news station on Thursday, Chiang spoke her mind about what she thought of certain local entertainers, including Sun Tsui-feng (孫翠鳳), star performer of the Ming Hwa Yuan Taiwanese Opera Company (明華園), and pop singer Luo Da-you (羅大佑), who both claimed to be pan-blue supporters during the presidential election in March.
Chiang said in the interview that she did not consider Sun's style to be traditional Taiwanese opera and that Luo was a has-been singer. These assertions deeply displeased pan-blue supporters, and Chiang has been portrayed in some media outlets as a "green giant boycotting pan-blue entertainers."
In a telephonic interview with the Taipei Times, Chiang sought to clarify public misgivings and shared her vision for CTS' future.
"Those particular names mentioned in the phone interview [on Thursday] were brought up [by the reporter] and I simply spoke my mind. When I was asked about Sun, I simply said her Taiwanese opera style was not in accordance with the traditional style, but the media totally took my words out of context," Chiang said.
She said that traditional Tai-wanese opera focuses on drama and melody, while the Ming Hwa Yuan Taiwanese Opera Company deviates from this principle by adding more acrobatic moves to its performances.
"Having a quick tongue is just how I am -- my style. The system of education offered in the past 40 years or so in Taiwan did not teach about how to be yourself," Chiang said.
She also echoed Chin's view about the formidable team of board members.
"These people have a high social status and come from women's rights groups, corporations and the literary world, and do you think the board is going to act as a rubber stamp which approves whatever I do?" Chiang said.
She said the public should not classify the board members according to their political orientations.
"People look at a list of the board members' names and pinpoint the pan-green supporters, and assume that the entire board has been made `green' on purpose, without even considering the professional backgrounds of these people," Chiang said.
In her heart, Chiang said, she feared facing these professionals.
"To be quite honest, I am rather intimidated by having to face these board members, as they are all experts in their fields and will probably supervise my every move as the general manager," she said.
As for her strategy to help promote local entertainers, Chiang said she would be very careful with the phrasing of her wish.
"Every time the word `vernacular' is mentioned, many people jump to the conclusion that I am exerting a certain ideology and try to make a devil out of me. When I use this word, I refer to an idea that television shows should be able to reflect common everyday life, such as the usage of the Taiwanese language," Chiang said.
Regarding the issue of the Government Information Office's plan to turn CTS into part of a public television group, Chiang said she knew her role in the process.
"I have been in the television business for 40 years. I know the media has a very heavy social responsibility. In the future, we will be selective with scripts and do a good job with quality control of our programs," she said.
"To put it quite bluntly, Taiwan's society can go on without the addition of another television news station. The saturated market results in the fabrication of news and my assertiveness adds to that," Chiang said.
Kuo Li-hsin (
"In the transition to become part of a public television group, the person who steers the way should have a clear understanding of what being a public television station is all about, as well as the spirit of being a `public' entity," Kuo said.
Kuo said he considers Chiang to be underqualified for the job.
"It will take someone who has a lot of professional ability in the media to handle the transformation. I feel that Chiang currently lacks this ability," Kuo said.
In an column which appeared in a Chinese-language newspaper last week, Kuo said that if Chiang were to enrich herself with detailed knowledge of transforming CTS into part of a public television group, she might able to shrug off the negative comments about her appointment and earn herself more nods of approval by understanding related issues and coping with the necessary policies that will take CTS into the "public" stage.
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