Sign in or 
Share this
Taiwan: Traditional Media
History
Taiwan’s democratization in 1987 had a huge effect on the liberalization of traditional news media. While the Taiwanese press did not become completely free overnight, extraordinary changes occurred at an incredible pace in 1987 when then-President lifted martial law and began the process of democratization. At the time, there were mainly four restricted areas in Taiwan’s press: blunt criticism of the government and government officials, the independence government, Mainland relations, and the military (Kuo, 1993). Today, almost nothing is off limits in Taiwan’s traditional media, particularly newspapers. In fact, the Taiwanese mass media has played a significant role in knocking down old censorship rules and achieving practically complete freedom of the press, thus moving the country towards full-fledged democracy. Criticism of the government, once unheard of in newspapers, is a common editorial topic. Coverage of the communist Mainland is extensive, and there is even legal permission to advocate for Taiwan’s independence in newspaper columns.
The Current Landscape
Today, the media landscape in Taiwan is considered to be one of the freest and most competitive in Asia. It didn’t always used to be this way, however. From 1955 to 1988, Taiwan experienced a “newspaper ban” that restricted the number of pages and publications that could be published. During this era, there were only 2 major newspapers, 3 evening newspapers, and 3 national television stations. Since the lift of the ban in 1988, the market has changed significantly.
There are now 5 major newspapers competing for the morning market, one evening newspaper, dozens of cable channels plus 2 new networks competing for viewing time. There are more players in a flat market; as such, media in Taiwan is facing tougher competition than ever. Competition has been intensified by the rise of the Internet and digital media. Content digitization has changed the way traditional print and broadcast media operate.
Overall, the atmosphere of democratization has created a much more aggressive media and society. The government is unlikely to censor, often uncertain where to draw the limits. Though the market is undoubtedly free, there is still concern over the media’s increasingly sensationalized portrayal of “news”. Since the election of President Chen Shui-Ban in 2000, the heightened competition in Taiwan’s political environment has led to criticism of a more “tabloid-like” news environment. In a 2006 survey, the Asia-Pacific Stakeholder Study found that the trust rating of the mainstream media in Taiwan is lower than foreign mainstream media, Web-based media and even bloggers. According to the study, only 3 percent of the respondents in Taiwan believe what the media prints about corporations. Among the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Taiwan's media credibility was ranked last.
Despite these weaknesses and rising competition, media outlets in Taiwan still garner a large influence.
Statistics
In a market of 23 million, Taiwan’s media landscape is bustling. It houses seven 24-hour news stations, more than 4,000 magazine publishers, approximately 200 radio stations, and about 2,500 newspaper publishers. Additionally, it houses 21 AM radio stations, 143 FM stations, and 76 television broadcast stations (5 television networks with 46 digital and 30 analog stations). Taiwan also has the highest density of Satellite News Gathering (SNG) trucks in the world.
Cable TV usage stands around 80% in Taiwan. The majority of the population still receives their news from cable TV because of cheap subscription rates, though the Internet is beginning to take over. Programming is mostly in Mandarin and Taiwanese, with some foreign language channels in Korean and English.
Main Traditional Media Outlets:
Newspapers:
The main Chinese Language newspapers are:
China Times (Zhongguo Shibao)
Independent Evening News (Zili Wanbao)
Taiwan Daily (Taiwan Ribao)
Taiwan Times (Taiwan Shibao)
There are also three English language newspapers:
The China Post (Yingwen Zhongguo Youbao, )
Taipei Times (Taibei Shibao, )
Taiwan News
Radio:
Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC) - national and regional networks
CBS - Radio Taiwan International - national broadcaster; also beams services to mainland China and the rest of the world with programmes in various languages and Chinese dialects
Public Radio System (PRS) - government-run; travel, weather, social information
UFO network- second largest station in Taiwan. Very popular. Plays all different kinds of music such as C-pop, J-pop, and American pop.
Miscellaneous:
Forumosa - An online forum for all things Taiwan
China News Agency - Publicly owned news agency based in TaipeiThe fall of the newspaper.
Previously Taiwan's largest daily newspaper with a
circulation of 300,000, the Taiwan Daily was transferred
to aLos Angeles-based newspaper in late 2006.
lynneguey |
Latest page update: made by lynneguey
, Nov 8 2009, 11:12 PM EST
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by lynneguey
6 words added 3 words deleted view changes - complete history) |
|
Keyword tags:
None
More Info: links to this page
|
There are no threads for this page.
Be the first to start a new thread.
