The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it has invited Mirror TV’s management to a meeting next month to answer questions about its plan to set up a cable news channel.
Mirror Media submitted an application to set up a Mirror TV news channel in December 2019, but the commission did not begin reviewing the application until January this year.
NCC commissioners yesterday resumed the review after the news channel in May submitted a new list of board directors and other supplementary materials. They ruled that the review be continued, and invited Mirror TV’s management to a meeting at the NCC on Dec. 1 to answer questions from commissioners.
“We hope to communicate directly with the news channel’s management about our concerns over its shareholding structure, as well as its business plan, once it is allowed to broadcast on cable,” NCC Chief Secretary Chen Chung-shu (陳崇樹) said.
NCC Department of Broadcasting and Content specialist Chen Shu-ming (陳書銘) said that none of the directors serving on the board holds any share in the news channel, which is very different from other TV networks in Taiwan.
Commissioners want Mirror TV’s management to explain how the news channel would operate having zero-shareholding board directors and shareholders, Chen Shu-ming said.
Commissioners would also inquire about the source of the channel’s funding, given its pledge to dedicate resources to the production of international news and investigative reports, he said.
Public records showed that the channel’s chairman is former Ta Chong Bank chairman Chen Chien-ping (陳建平). The other five board directors are Taiwanese film and television director Yang Ya-che (楊雅?;), former Paper Windmill Cultural Foundation CEO Lee Yung-feng (李永豐), former Formosa News political news director Lu Yu-lin (盧宥伶) and former Accton Technology chairman Huang An-jie (黃安捷). Its supervisor is Liu Chih-peng (劉志鵬).
In other news, Eastern Broadcasting Co’s (EBC) management is to meet with NCC commissioners next week to explain why it needs more time to fulfill its pledges, which it made in 2018 to secure approval for its ownership change.
EBC’s current owner had made 14 pledges, but later said it was having difficulty meeting two of them, NCC officials said.
One was increasing the budget by NT$900 million (US$32.36 million) over six years to fund the production of international news, children’s programs, entertainment shows, TV series and TV movies on the network’s channels.
The network asked to extend the deadline for this pledge from 2023 to 2025, as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted its production schedule, leaving it with only five years to fulfill the commitment, the commission said.
The other pledge was to spend NT$42 million annually from 2018 to this year to produce 4K high-definition programs, it said.
EBC asked for an extension of the deadline to next year, as its financial statement this year would not be audited by accountants until March next year, it said.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
RSS