TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The National Communications Commission failed to approve applications from Next Media Interactive Limited for three television channels Wednesday, just a week after the media group caused an uproar with its violent animated news service.
The NCC would review the applications for general information and news channels next week, but unexpectedly failed to approve applications for a sports, entertainment and movie channel, reports said.
Next needed to come up with more details about its plans because the information it had provided so far was extremely simple, NCC Vice Chairman Chen Cheng-tsang told a news conference.
The media group, headed by flamboyant Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai, faced a wave of criticism last week when it was found its animated news could easily be viewed on computers and cell phones.
The group vehemently denied that the animated news was a harbinger of things to come on its TV channels. Next claimed the animation was purely a project by its Apple Daily newspaper and was completely separate from its TV plans.
Women’s rights, media and education activists protested against the service for what they described as explicit violence and graphic images of sexual crimes. The Taipei City Government fined Next and demanded a ratings system to prevent children from gaining access to the images.
The NCC also reworked its package of punitive measures against media groups found to be violating laws and regulations Wednesday. The body could order a stop to broadcasting for a terrestrial TV station which had accumulated NT$6 million in fines within two years, reports said. The sums stood at NT$3 million for terrestrial radio stations and NT$10 million for satellite stations.
The new package would take effect next July 1, the NCC said, but the measure would be retroactive for two years. The punitive measures would be divided into three steps, a warning, fines, and a broadcasting ban or cancellation of the broadcasting license, the NCC said.
Source: etaiwannews.com/
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