International researchers concerned over Taiwan public broadcaster's budget cuts

An international body of public media experts has voiced strong concerns regarding recent budget reductions for Taiwan's Public Television Service (PTS). The International Association of Public Media Researchers (IAPMR) warned that the cuts and freezes, approved by the Legislative Yuan, could significantly impair PTS's ability to fulfill its public service mandate.

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Any resource reduction that may affect PTS's stable fulfillment of its public service mission could affect the continuity of content production, public services, and social functions, thereby affecting the sound development of Taiwan's democratic society.

The IAPMR acknowledged the need for budget adjustments amid broader financial conditions but expressed deep worry about the long-term consequences for PTS. The association highlighted that any resource reduction could affect content production, public services, and societal functions, ultimately impacting Taiwan's democratic society. They emphasized PTS's irreplaceable role in fostering public discourse, cultural exchange, disaster communication, professional media production, and international cooperation.

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PTS provides many media services with high social value that commercial media, influenced by market factors, find difficult to invest in long-term, playing an important supplementary and balancing role in Taiwan's media ecosystem.

In a statement, the IAPMR underscored PTS's crucial function in Taiwan's media landscape, providing valuable content often overlooked by commercial outlets due to market pressures. The service plays a vital role in nurturing local culture, strengthening democratic values, and asserting Taiwan's media identity. The association called on Taiwanese decision-makers to recognize PTS's public service responsibilities and ensure it retains the necessary stable resources and organizational capacity to continue offering trustworthy, diverse, and publicly valuable content.

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Taiwan's Public Television Service is already seen as an important case study in the development of public media in the 21st century in the field of international public media research.