China Television Co (CTV, 中視) is expected to lay off 200 employees — who are set to be named next week — by next month, a source close to the media outlet’s board of directors said yesterday.
The news surfaced following a board meeting on Thursday, during which a recruitment plan proposed by newly elected chairperson James Chao (趙善意) and a downsizing plan were reportedly passed.
The downsizing plan targets staffers in CTV’s newsroom and comes as a result of the company’s mounting losses in recent years, the source said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The media outlet suffered a loss of NT$160 million (US$5.02 million) in 2013 and another amounting to NT$260 million last year, sources said.
Following a merger in 2009 between CTV and CtiTV (中天電視) — which belongs to Want Want China Times Group — the work of the CTV newsroom, which produces three hours of news programs per day, has been gradually eclipsed by that of CtiTV, which has a dedicated 24-hour news channel.
The problem is exacerbated by the large number of CTV news employees (390), which is not cost-effective for the company and it therefore became an easy target for downsizing, the source said.
CTV vice chairperson Kuo Jen-chieh (郭人杰) on Friday said the newsroom staff account for two-thirds of the company’s overall number of employees, which is why it is the first department to be downsized.
He said that a list of people to be laid off would be announced within the next couple of days and the first stage of downsizing would begin this week.
The news desk would continue to report news on a daily basis, but would no longer cover real-time news, and the focus of its news coverage would shift to publishing features, Kuo added.
Taiwan Labor Front secretary-general Son Yu-liam (孫友聯) said the company should provide evidence to back its claim that its move is due to it being overstaffed and mired in losses.
It should propose an alternative to the downsizing plan; for example, helping those who are losing their jobs to secure positions at CtiTV, its sister company, Son added.
Those who are laid off will be given the priority to work for CtiTV, the China Times or the Want Daily — all subsidiaries of the Want Want China Times group — but there are not many job vacancies, said a CTV employee who asked to remain anonymous.
CTV employees union director Chen Kuang-hua (陳光華) opposed the downsizing plan, asking that a negotiation be arranged between the management and employees before Chao assumes office on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Taipei Department of Labor division head Yeh Chien-neng (葉建能) said that by law, a proposal and a notification on the layoff have to be delivered to the bureau 60 days and 10 days respectively ahead of any large-scale layoff, but so far the bureau has received neither.
The CTV could face a maximum fine of NT$500,000 for its failure to provide the documents, he said.
Additional Reporting by Huang Pang-ping
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of fresh fruit and vegetables sold in local markets revealed a 25 percent failure rate, with most contraventions involving excessive pesticide residues, while two durians were also found to contain heavy metal cadmium at levels exceeding safety limits. Health Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) yesterday said the agency routinely conducts inspections of fresh produce sold at traditional markets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, retail outlets and restaurants, testing for pesticide residues and other harmful substances. In its most recent inspection, conducted in May, the department randomly collected 52 samples from various locations, with testing showing
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taipei placed 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest ever, according to results released yesterday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019. Taipei is “one of Asia’s leading higher-education hubs,” with strong employer activity scores and students “enjoying their experience of the city and often keen to stay after graduation,” a QS staff writer said. In addition to Taipei, Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th) and Taoyuan (130th) also made QS’ list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the
RSS