CTi TV chairman Liao Li-sheng (廖麗生) has pledged to recruit more personnel for the network’s CTi Variety channel if it is given permission to broadcast news on the channel, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
The network on Jan. 29 filed an application to change the business plan of its variety show channel, after the NCC rejected the license renewal application of CTi News on Nov. 18 last year.
However, NCC commissioners at the same meeting in November approved CTi Variety’s license renewal on condition that 75 percent of its programs be made in Taiwan.
The NCC yesterday began a preliminary review of CTi Variety’s proposed business plan changes, with Liao and other senior CTi News managers present to answer commissioners’ questions.
After hearing their statements, the commission decided it would continue the review of the application at another meeting.
NCC Vice Chairman and spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said CTi Variety has planned to have an hour of news in the morning, at midday and in the evening, as well as a one-hour political talk show in the evening.
“The NCC and CTi TV had agreed during the meeting on Nov. 18 that the programs on CTi Variety should primarily be TV series and entertainment shows, with 75 percent of its programs being produced in Taiwan,” Wong said.
Liao told the commissioners that the variety show channel has 16 full-time employees, Wong said, adding that it plans to recruit 84 more people just to produce news programs.
The case was seen by industry observers as the network’s attempt to regain a foothold in the cable news market.
CTi News currently broadcasts programs on YouTube.
Taiwan has 16 variety show channels that also have news hours, NCC data showed.
In other news, the NCC announced that 14 popular smartphones in Taiwan have passed its information security certification test for their built-in applications, which smartphone manufacturers participated in voluntarily.
Wong said the certification tests were conducted from July last year to April.
The commission tested the most popular smartphones in the first and second quarters of last year, he said, adding that they were the iPhone 11, Sony Xperia 5, Samsung Galaxy A20, HTC Desire 19S, Asus Zenfone Max M2, Taiwan Mobile A55 and A57, Sugar C13, Redmi Note 8T, Huawei Y9 Prime 2019, Oppo A9 2020, Koobee S16, Realme XT and Vivo Y12.
The iPhone 11 secured the certification on its first inspection, while the rest did not pass until the second inspection, the NCC said.
Specialists at certification agencies tested the smartphones based on 10 criteria published by the Taiwan Association of Information and Communication Standards, including that the device should secure users’ consent before accessing sensitive information from them, it said.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS