Representatives of the Sanlih Media Group yesterday told the National Communications Commission (NCC) that the conglomerate would make changes after allegations that Sanlih shareholders had contravened NCC policies to keep system operators and TV networks separate.
New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) in September said that Sanlih and Wan Hai Lines Ltd indirectly own shares of Homeplus Digital Co, with Sanlih owning several channels and Wan Hai heir Chen Chih-yuan (陳致遠) also a shareholder of Mirror TV.
NPP Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) on Monday said that Hong Shun Investments Co, which wholly owns Homeplus, had on its board of directors Joseph Fan (范瑞穎), who is also on the board of Eastern Broadcasting Co, as well as serving as chairman of the board at Global News, an alleged breach of the NCC policy.
Photo: Ting Yi, Taipei Times
The “shadow puppeteer” behind Fan was Mao Te Group chairman Chang Kao-hsiang (張高祥), who would have had permits for six news channels, Chiu said.
Fan was appointed to the board of Eastern Broadcasting following its acquisition in 2019 by Mao Te.
Fan’s position as a board member of Hong Shun contravenes the NCC’s rules regarding separation of system operators and TV networks, Chiu said.
During Da-fu Media’s 2010 acquisition of Kbro Co, then the nation’s largest cable TV operator, the NCC had agreed on the condition that the acquisition would not include channels owned by Eastern Broadcasting Co and that it would have to approve any move to establish a news channel, he said.
The policy mandated that operators must choose between running a news channel or running a broader platform service, he said.
NCC officials speaking on condition of anonymity said that its approval of the Homeplus Digital investment included the clause “shareholders of participating investing assignees’ businesses, affiliated businesses or natural persons may not directly or indirectly invest or control a news channel.”
Asked about the absence of Homeplus representatives at the meeting, NCC Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said that Homeplus Digital representatives had attended two previous sessions, adding that the NCC would reach out to company chairman Gary Kuo (郭冠群) about the matter.
The NCC would investigate allegations that Wan Hai Lines and Fan contravened the NCC investment clause, Wong said.
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