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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Economy & Trade

Taiwan public broadcaster faces severe impact from budget cuts

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Taiwan's Public Television Service (PTS) faces a severe operational impact due to a legislative cut and freeze of NT$1.02 billion in its budget.
  • PTS Chairman Hu Yuan-hui offered to work without pay until the board is reorganized if the budget is unfrozen, highlighting the critical funding shortfall.
  • The proposed budget cuts have drawn widespread criticism from PTS producers and the public, with over 50 producers and 110,000 people signing petitions urging lawmakers to protect public media funding.

Taiwan's Public Television Service (PTS) is facing a significant operational crisis after lawmakers cut and froze NT$1.02 billion (approximately $31 million USD) from its budget for the upcoming fiscal year. This amount represents nearly half of the government subsidies typically allocated to the non-commercial broadcaster.

PTS Chairman Hu Yuan-hui stated that the budget reduction will severely impact the station's operations. In a striking offer to resolve the impasse, Hu pledged to work without salary from September until the board of directors is reorganized if the legislature ultimately unfreezes the disputed funds. He noted that his own term as chairman expired last year, but he remained in his post out of a sense of responsibility to maintain board operations and advance key policies, including securing the station's budget.

If the Legislative Yuan finally lifts this budget cut and freeze, I am willing to not receive a salary starting from September until the board completes its reorganization and I step down.

— Hu Yuan-huiPTS Chairman offers to work without pay if the budget is unfrozen.

The proposed cuts have sparked strong opposition. Over 50 PTS producers have signed a joint statement defending the public broadcaster, and a petition supporting PTS has garnered over 110,000 signatures. Senior media personality Huang Wei-han highlighted that PTS relies heavily on government subsidies for its programming, making the budget cut particularly damaging. He also noted that PTS's annual budget request to the legislature has become a routine challenge.

To ensure financial independence, Hu Yuan-hui suggested that PTS could adopt a model similar to Japan's NHK, which collects a fixed broadcasting fee from citizens. Such a system would insulate PTS funding from political shifts and party changes, providing a more stable financial foundation. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers have questioned the delay in the selection of PTS board members, a process Hu described as lacking consensus.

Protecting public media and not freezing or cutting the budget.

— Producers' statementThe core message of a petition signed by over 50 PTS producers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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