GTV Entertainment Channel (八大娛樂台) has expressed an interest in broadcasting legislative sessions, the National Communications Commission said yesterday.
The commission received an application from the channel to change its name to GTV Taiwan channel, NCC Spokesperson Yu Hsiao-cheng (虞孝成) said, adding that the channel also seeks to change its business plan so that it can offer live broadcasts of legislative sessions.
Yu said the channel plans to offer live broadcasts of the Legislative Yuan when it is in session, from 9am to 12pm and from 2:30pm to 6pm. Between 12pm and 2:30pm, the channel plans to air news and replay important or interesting video footage from the session.
The channel would also have pundits explaining legislative proceedings during live broadcasts, which would include plenary sessions and committee meetings, Yu said.
“The Legislative Yuan has yet to assign the rights to any broadcaster. Therefore, we think that the channel can simply apply for a program lineup, without having to change its business plan,” Yu said.
The commission promised that it would approve the change to its program lineup as soon as possible after the channel submits the application, Yu said.
The channel’s proposal was unveiled after Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and cross-party caucuses reached a consensus earlier this month on launching a trial broadcast of legislative sessions.
The rules of the program stipulate that the channel must not have commercials, news commentaries or reporters covering the news during the live broadcasts to maintain the objectivity and integrity of the program.
The Legislative Yuan is to assess the results of the trial program and consider if it should allocate a government budget to subsidize the channel.
Apart from GTV, Formosa TV is also reportedly vying for the right to broadcast sessions.
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