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Advertisers' Association wants ads removed from TVBS

The Taiwan Advertisers' Association yesterday issued a statement suggesting that advertisers nationwide remove commercials from TVBS News for a week to protest against the television station's inappropriate news-gathering.

The association said in the statement: "We appeal that all the advertisers move their commercials from TVBS between April 20 and April 26 to other dates at the station or other media outlets."

The association made the call in the wake of the controversy stirred up by a video broadcast by the TVBS last Monday.

TVBS was condemned for its mishandling of gangster footage which the station admitted last Wednesday was directed and filmed by a TVBS reporter. The TVBS management fired the reporter the same day, arguing that the reporter pulled the wool over their eyes by falsely claiming that the tape had been made by the gangster and sent to him.

Critics however said the station's senior management should shoulder responsibility as well.

The National Communications Commission (NCC) last Friday imposed a NT$1 million (US$30,200) fine on TVBS. The punishment has been criticized by the pan-green politicians as being too lenient.

TVBS General Manager Lee Tao (李濤) quit on Monday, two days after the NCC ordered him to step down over TVBS' broadcasting of the staged video on March 26.

Secretary general Helen Wang (王彩雲) said during a phone interview that the association suggested yesterday that advertisers not use viewer ratings as the only standard by which to choose which TV station airs their commercials.

Founded in May 2001, the association currently has 37 corporate members, including state-run Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), McDonald's Restaurants (Taiwan) Co, Uni-President Enterprises Corp (統一企業) and Chinatrust Commercial Bank (中國信託商銀).
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