Homeplus Digital and three other cable operators have obtained approval to broadcast the CTS News and Info channel on Channel 52, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday, after Chinese Television System (CTS) pledged to increase its news department to 400 employees over three years, among other commitments.
Nothing had been broadcast on Channel 52 since Dec. 11 last year, after CTi News’ license expired and the commission on Nov. 18 decided not to renew it.
“We will finalize the wording of the ruling next week at the weekly commissioners’ meeting before sending cable operators an official notice,” NCC Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.
After receiving the notice, operators must run a news ticker announcing the update to the channel lineup for at least five days before they can air CTS News and Info on Channel 52, which is part of the cable news block (channels 49 to 58), he said.
The ruling would make CTS News and Info available to 1.25 million subscribers over 15 cable systems across the nation.
The figure includes the 12 systems run by Homeplus Digital and the other three operators approved yesterday, which collectively account for about 25 percent of the cable TV market, the NCC said.
Prior to the ruling, NCC Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) had urged operators to “give CTS a chance.”
The ruling came after the commission heard a proposal on March 10 from the management of Homeplus Digital, CTS and the Public Television Service (PTS) to have CTS News and Info fill the vacancy, Wong said.
CTS told commissioners at the meeting that it aimed to increase the news channel’s advertising revenue and to generate additional income by using new media.
As part of Taiwan Broadcasting System — the nation’s public broadcasting group — the network would also receive government funding, CTS added.
The network said it would break even within four years, despite having accumulated outstanding debt over the years, Wong said, without disclosing details, on the grounds that they were “CTS’ business secrets.”
National Chung Cheng University communications professor Lo Shih-hung (羅世宏), National Taiwan University journalism professor Wang Tai-li (王泰俐) and National Taipei University of Technology intellectual property institute associate professor Christy Chiang (江雅綺) are to serve as the news channel’s supervisory body, Wong said, adding that network employees would sign a media ethics agreement.
“The network has promised to raise the number of employees in the news department from 160 to 400 within three years, with 197 employees being added to the department in the first year that it airs on Channel 52,” Wong said.
The commission asked CTS to incorporate the pledges into its business plan, which would be reviewed, along with the network’s performance, at its three-year evaluation and license renewal.
“We thank the commissioners for their support and recognition of CTS New and Info. The decision gives viewers a better choice on the cable news block,” CTS general manager Leon Chuang (莊豐嘉) said.
However, the commission has yet to rule on a proposal from 14 other cable operators that TTV News be broadcast on Channel 52, even though nine had submitted their applications about one-and-a-half months ago.
The commission approved Homeplus Digital’s application in one month, TTV News said.
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