Thirteen satellite television channels were yesterday fined NT$200,000 each for failing to reach the percentages required for Taiwan-produced programming and for reruns during prime-time hours, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said.
The amendment to the Regulations on Satellite Broadcasting Program Supplier Broadcasting Domestically Produced Program (衛星頻道節目供應事業播送本國節目管理辦法), which was passed at the end of last year, took effect in January.
The amendment targets TV series and variety shows aired between 8pm and 10pm, movies broadcast between 9pm and 11pm and children’s programming broadcast between 5pm and 7pm.
During these time slots, locally produced programs must account for no less than a quarter of the content. Reruns may only account for 60 percent of programming, while movie channels’ content can only run old programs 80 percent of the time.
The commission between January and June evaluated programs aired on 134 cable and multimedia-on-demand satellite channels, NCC spokesperson Weng Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said, adding that it found that Eastern Super TV (東森超視) and 12 other channels had failed to meet the criteria.
San Da Cable TV Channel (三大一台) and documentary film station CNEX Channel (視納華仁) were given warnings.
The commission has tried to be lenient in issuing penalties to channels that fail to meet the regulations, as they only took effect this year, Weng said.
“We have considered the severity of each case and if the channel has taken actions to address the situation. We have also considered that it could take a year to plan the production of new series,” he said, adding that the commission would conduct a comprehensive evaluation after the regulations have been enforced for one year.
In related news, Weng said that the commission has launched an investigation into whether Sanlih TV News produced a fake story when it reported that former Democratic Progressive Party secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) frequented a private club in Taipei.
The station allegedly interviewed one of its own reporters as a source and reprimanded a news anchor for refusing to report the story.
The station admitted violating the journalistic code of ethics in an interview with the NCC on Tuesday, Weng said, adding that the commission has requested that the station’s own ethic committee first deliberate the case.
“The station must send a report to the NCC on the committee’s conclusion, which will then be reviewed by the commissioners,” he said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS