A recent survey indicates that prime time TV news programs are the most popular among those broadcast in the morning, afternoon and late evening, and that more and more people are switching their loyalties from the three major terrestrial TV stations to cable TV.
In addition to finding that terrestrial TV stations attract more female viewers and pro-KMT viewers, the poll also indicates that heavy media coverage of crimes and violence is having a negative influence on society and giving viewers a sense that Taiwan is becoming an unsafe country.
According to the survey, conducted by the Broadcasting Development Fund (
There are currently four terrestrial TV stations in Taiwan: CTC (
The survey shows that about 56 percent of those interviewed favor three major terrestrial stations' prime time news programs, while about 38 percent have switch loyalties to cable channels.
The most popular news programs among the cable stations are TVBS, CTC and TTE.
Unlike cable stations, terrestrial stations attract more women, pro-KMT viewers, and those who have lower incomes and educational background, according to the survey.
The survey also indicates that "news quality" is more important than "news reporting angles," the quality of anchors or reporters, visual effects or the public responsibility of the media.
Chung Chi-hui (
"Our television news programs should be called infotainment. They are more entertaining than variety shows and more theatrical than soap operas," Chung said. "News is treated as a commodity rather than as information; journalists are more like corporate employees than independent professionals and viewers have become consumers."
Chung said the reason why more people are turning to cable TV is because of their growing dissatisfaction with terrestrial stations. But even though cable stations are gaining market share, they still have a long way long to go, Chung said.
"It's a good example of the `bad coins replacing good coins' theory. Cable stations are not professional enough, but they are well accepted by the public, so the terrestrial stations try to look up to them and thought that was the right way to go," she said.
The survey was conducted by telephone in late October and early November, with 2,980 adults participating. People between the ages of 35 and 50 were interviewed in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung. Interviews had a minimum of an undergraduate degree and said they watch prime time and late evening news at least four days a week for at least 10 minutes a day.
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