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NCC sees no flaw in Broadcasting Corp of China sale

The National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday that a preliminary review of the case involving the purchase of Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC) by former UFO Network chairman Jaw Shao-kong (趙少康) showed that it did not violate regulations prohibiting political parties, the government and the military from operating media outlets.

NCC spokesman Howard Shyr (石世豪) stressed, however, that the commission only had time to ask questions based on the documents it has on hand, adding that the commission has not yet conducted a deliberation and might ask Jaw to return for further questioning.

Jaw, leaving after the closed-door meeting with the NCC, said he hoped the commission would resolve the matter as soon as possible.

"From now on, I am going to sue whoever says I am using fake companies to buy BCC," he added.

Jaw was scheduled to brief the commission yesterday as to how the four small companies that are said to be affiliated with Jaw's UFO Network were able to finance their purchase of BCC, which has more than NT$3 billion (US$90 million) of capital.

Shyr said the investigation was significant and necessary. BCC has the largest number of broadcasting licenses among private radio stations in the nation.

Though a relatively new player, UFO Network has performed well in the field.

Combining these two companies would raise concerns that a majority of market resources would be controlled by a few dominant players, he said.

Shyr said Jaw claimed that in addition to the down payment, which he paid in cash, he used money he acquired through bank loans to purchase BCC. These banks, he said, were all private, meaning that the government is not a shareholder in any of the banks.

Jaw also said that the deal would not create one large radio station. He said that the two radio companies would remain independent of each other and were competitors in terms of performance.

Shyr added that it would be impossible to nullify the NCC's settlement with BCC in its license renewal dispute as it was settled in court.

Shyr was responding to remarks by Cabinet Spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) that the government intended to nullify the settlement.
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