Chinese Television System (CTS) has been warned over a failure to meet the percentage of domestically produced content required by the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法), the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday, adding that the network would be given one month to address the problem.
CTS, one of the nation’s three oldest terrestrial TV networks, is a part of Taiwan Broadcasting System, the nation’s public broadcasting group.
Article 19 of the act stipulates that a TV channel’s locally produced content should not constitute less than 70 percent of total programming, while domestic dramas broadcast in prime time — from 8pm to 10pm — should comprise no less than 50 percent of programming in that category.
The network’s locally produced content from January to last month ranged between 63.93 percent and 69.68 percent, CTS statistics showed.
CTS only met the legal requirement in the week starting on Jan. 22, during which 72 percent of its programming was produced in Taiwan, the data showed.
CTS mainly aired dramas produced in China during prime-time hours, the commission said, warning the network that it could soon contravene the act should it continue to broadcast Chinese dramas in prime time.
Data submitted by other terrestrial TV networks showed they fulfilled locally produced programming requirements, it added.
The commission has issued a warning to CTS per Article 42 of the act, NCC spokesperson Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said, adding that the network would face a penalty of between NT$200,000 and NT$2 million (US$6,583 and US$65,831) should it fail to resolve the issue within one month.
The commission had invited CTS president Kuo Chien-hong (郭建宏) to answer questions from commissioners at a meeting yesterday, he said.
However, Kuo had asked for a leave of absence due to a trip abroad this week, Wong said, adding that the network dispatched its program manager, who met with commissioners.
CTS said it was undergoing a management reshuffle in the first quarter of this year, adding that its new leadership team was aware of the issue.
The network’s board of directors last month approved a plan to spend NT$300 million on increasing the percentage of its domestically produced programs, CTS told the commission.
“We still want Kuo to meet with commissioners after he returns from his trip to provide details on how the network plans to resolve the issue,” Wong said, adding that the NCC is taking the matter seriously.
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