Concentration of media ownership will be a key issue when the National Communications Commission deliberates on the application for management changes in Asia Digital Media Co, National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee on Thursday.
The cable network has applied for changes in chairperson, board members and a supervisor after 85 percent of its shares were acquired in April by JSL Group president Chu Wen-yu (祝文宇), who is also a large shareholder of Mirror News.
The network’s Web site says it has nine channels: three news channels, two variety show channels, one travel channel, one food channel, one children’s channel and one art channel.
Photo: CNA
At issue are reports that Chu received his funding from real-estate tycoon Chang Kao-shiang (張高祥), who owns Eastern Broadcasting Corp (EBC) and that he had secretly transferred his shares of Mirror News to Kao due to the news channel’s financial problems.
The NCC on Wednesday began reviewing Asia Digital Media’s ownership change application. The network’s new chairman, Joseph Fan (范瑞穎), along with four new board members and one new supervisor, were present to answer questions from the commissioners. Fan is also a board member of EBC.
The deal, if approved by the commission, would give Kao control over six cable news channels in Taiwan — two in EBC, three in Asia Digital Media and one in Mirror News.
At the legislative meeting on Thursday, New Power Party Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said that the NCC should revoke Mirror News’ broadcast license if Chu had indeed transferred his shares to Kao, which would be a major breach of one of the conditions laid out by the commission when it granted Mirror News a license in January.
Chu should be asked to sign an affidavit stating that he did not have financial dealings with Kao, she added.
The NCC chairman said that he could not comment on details of the case, but added that the commission would work to avoid concentration of power over news channels in a few people’s hands.
“Personally, I also find it appropriate for Chu to sign an affidavit,” Chen Yaw-shyang said.
“However, such a requirement would have to be discussed by NCC commissioners and cannot be decided by one person alone,” he said.
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