The Taipei City Government yesterday declared it will cut the rental fee at the Taipei Arena and pledged to follow the timetable for shows that were already scheduled to protect the interests of both companies and audiences.
The new rental fee for preparation prior to the performance is between NT$90,000 (US$2,722) and NT$300,000 per day according to different time slots, compared with a NT$500,000 flat rate per day under the management of the Eastern Multimedia Group (EMG,
"The Taipei Arena is the property of all residents. We will end the EMG's monopolized management, set reasonable prices and make the scheduling process transparent," Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lee Yong-ping (
The city government took over the arena from scandal-ridden EMG last month and formed a special team led by Taipei City Secretariat Deputy Director Yang Hsi-an (楊錫安) to run the arena for one year before finding a new operator through a new public tender.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (
Attending the negotiation meeting, Yu Kung (余光), publisher of Yu Kung Music Magazine and organizer of many music events, including a Kenny G performance in March, supported the city government's proposed rates, and said the ticket price can be cut 10 percent to 15 percent thanks to the reduced fee.
"The rental fee is reasonable, and although the price is still higher compared to many other auditoriums, I prefer to organize my events at the arena because of its great location," Yu said.
Another pioneering promoter of music, Hsu Po-yun (
Former Taipei Arena general manager Lin Ker-mo (
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Chuang Rei-hsiung (
"The TRTC messed up the management of the Maokong gondola system. How will Tan be able to take care of the management of the arena?" he said.
Lee said the city government will hold public hearings to discuss the rental fee policy and scheduling details with companies.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) yesterday authorized the execution of convicted murderer Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), the first death row prisoner to be put to death since President William Lai (賴清德) took office. Huang was to be executed via a firing squad yesterday evening, which would leave Taiwan with 36 convicts on death row. Huang on Oct. 1, 2013, broke into his ex-girlfriend Wang Ping-chih’s (王品智) residence in New Taipei City, where he raped and murdered Wang. He also killed Wang’s mother. Huang was bitter over the breakup and her accusation that he had stolen NT$200,000 (US$6,074) from her bank account, prosecutors said
RSS