Several Hakka activists called for a clear definition of Hakka TV’s legal status ahead of its 10th anniversary tomorrow because, despite its close ties to the Taiwan Broadcasting System (TBS), it is not part of the group nor is it an independent station.
“Ten years after its founding in 2003, Hakka TV is not in the condition that we would expect it to be and just less than 30 percent of the programs it airs are new,” Taiwan Hakka Alliance secretary-general Liu Hui-chen (劉慧真) told a news conference in Taipei. “The station needs to have a larger budget and a more clearly defined legal status if it is to generate breakthroughs.”
Former Hakka TV chief executive director and long-term Hakka activist Chern Ban (陳板) said that many people seem to think the station is a member of the TBS group, but “Hakka TV was never part of the group, rather, Hakka TV gets its funding from Hakka Affairs Council, and the council outsources production to the TBS.”
“Since Hakka TV gets the budget from A and works with B, we are not very optimistic about its future, unless some fundamental changes are made,” Chern added.
Yiong Cong-ziin (楊長鎮), director of the Thinking Taiwan Foundation’s Social Force Development Center and one of the founding members of Hakka TV, said he is worried about the station’s future.
“It’s been almost 10 years since the station was established, it’s time to change it status as an outsourced project,” Yiong said.
“As both the Cabinet and the legislature have proposed amendments to the Public Television Act (公共電視法), we think now is the time for the public, the government and the legislature to do what’s best for Hakka TV — whether that entails becoming part of TBS or an independent station.”
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