The decision from Taiwan regulators was unanimous.
Taiwan’s television regulators unanimously rejected this Wednesday’s renewal of the license for the pro-China television station Chung T’ien (CTiTV) which expires on December 11.
The decision was announced by the chairman of the National Communications Commission (NCC), Chen Yaw-shyang, during a press conference called for this purpose.
CTiTV, which has been broadcasting for six years, is part of the Want Want China Times Group, which has repeatedly clashed with the authorities due to its pro-China stance, having been fined for 21 violations in the past six years, ranging from disclosure from misinformation to biased reporting.
Chen said that after a serious and thoughtful discussion, the renewal of the license was rejected due to the serious history of violations of the TV station and the failure to implement an internal control mechanism. The official also said that the evidence was very clear, with the number of complaints from the public increasing sharply since 2017 and more than 30% related to CTiTV reports.
Two of the decision makers, Lin Lihyun and Wang Wei-ching – journalism professors -, emphasized that the “CTiTV self-discipline problem is very serious” and that the TV station had not carried out requested corrections after repeated offenses. Still, teachers argue that the NCC should exercise its powers independently and not be affected by political forces.
