The Government Information Office (GIO) yesterday said that a government takeover of television channel operator Public Television Service (PTS) was unnecessary, downplaying scenarios floated by media reports and the opposition party.
Speculation has increased that the television channel could be taken over by the government agency after a power struggle over the chairmanship of the former state broadcaster resulted in only five of the 21-member board of directors being able to legally execute their positions.
GIO Minister Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) told the Central News Agency yesterday that the channel would still be able to function normally despite its legal issues.
When asked about the possibility of the GIO taking over the PTS, Chiang said that the PTS is an asset that belongs to the people and it should be operated in accordance with the principle of independence and without interference.
The board ran into legal problems early this year after a controversial plan to increase the number of seats on the channel’s board of directors was opposed by then-acting chairman Cheng Tung-liao (鄭同僚).
Opposition parties have criticized the plan, saying that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was trying to place some of its backers on the board and effectively give it control over the public broadcaster.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) says the incident was another example of the KMT trying to exert influence on the media, citing an earlier revision to the Broadcasting and Television Act (廣電法) proposed by the National Communications Commission that would allow political parties to hold a 10 percent stake in broadcasting companies.
The DPP alleges that a government takeover of the public broadcaster would be illegal as Article 11 of the Public Television Act (公共電視法) states that “the public television service belongs to all citizens and should be operated independently and without interference.”
These claims have been denied by the GIO. Media reports yesterday quoted officials as saying that PTS could function with just five directors, but the five directors have reportedly said that they are unwilling to make any important decisions.
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