A decision not to renew CTi News’ broadcasting license was in accordance with the law, a lawyer who has previously represented the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said on Friday, the last day of the channel’s TV broadcast.
It is not a press freedom issue and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) should not spin it that way, lawyer Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said in a statement.
Citing “repeated violations of regulations and the failure of its internal discipline and control mechanisms,” the National Communications Commission (NCC) on Nov. 18 said that it would not renew CTi News’ broadcast license, which expired at 12am yesterday.
Photo: CNA
CTi has said that the decision was politically motivated, as the channel is known for being critical of the DPP government.
Huang said that the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法) stipulates clear requirements to be fulfilled by media outlets before broadcast licenses can be granted or renewed.
The NCC review board found that CTi News repeatedly contravened the act and failed to establish internal control mechanisms.
“Therefore the decision had nothing to do with freedom of the press,” Huang said.
Certain politicians are decrying press freedom infringements on the part of the government, but this only shows that they lack understanding of democracy and the rule of law, he said.
The NCC acted in accordance with the law, Huang said, referring to appeals against the decision filed by CTi that were turned down by the Taipei High Administrative Court on Monday and the Supreme Administrative Court on Friday.
In the the final hours of CTi News’ television broadcast, Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), founder of Want Want China Times Media Group, the channel’s largest shareholder, joined CTi News’ more than 400 employees for a live broadcast.
“CTi News got shut down because all of our anchors have done their duties as part of the fourth estate,” Tsai said during the broadcast. “I am proud of CTi.”
“I am not just a righteous Chinese, but also a righteous Taiwanese,” Tsai said, adding that the channel would be “reborn” as an online media outlet and continue broadcasting.
He called on supporters to follow the channel on YouTube, where it has 1.83 million subscribers, adding that CTi News aims to reach 2 million subscribers by the end of the year.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
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