Media in Taiwan
Encyclopedia
The media in Taiwan is considered to be one of the freest and most competitive in Asia. Cable TV usage is high (around 80%) and there is also a wide selection of newspapers available covering most political viewpoints.
550, or USD$15 a month) and the paucity of free-to-air television, which comprises four channels. Programming is mostly in Mandarin
, Taiwanese and Japanese
, with some English
, Korean
and other foreign language channels. Miniseries
, called Taiwanese drama
, are popular. There is a dedicated station for Taiwan's Hakka
minority as well as the arrival in 2005 of an aboriginal
channel. There are around 100 channels with most stations being dedicated to a particular genre; such as game shows, news, anime, movies, sports and documentaries. Almost all programs are in the original language with traditional Chinese subtitles.
The cable television system comprises around one hundred different channels, ranging from news, sport, variety, game, music, children's, foreign, movie and documentary channels.
The Republic of China government is pushing for a switch to digital television services in the near future - this will be provided through a set-top box
and will increase the number of available channels.
Wikipedia's Taiwan Radio Station Table (in Chinese)
There are also three English language newspapers:
: wǎngkā), which are often 24-hour and sell a variety of food and drink so that the mainly teenage online gamers who inhabit them do not have to stray too far from their monitors. Taiwan websites use the .tw
domain.
Taiwan has some online resources available in English:
Cable television
Cable television is prevalent in Taiwan, as a result of cheap subscription rates (typically around NT$New Taiwan dollar
The New Taiwan dollar , or simply Taiwan dollar, is the official currency of the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar...
550, or USD$15 a month) and the paucity of free-to-air television, which comprises four channels. Programming is mostly in Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
, Taiwanese and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, with some English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
and other foreign language channels. Miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, called Taiwanese drama
Taiwanese drama
Taiwanese Drama refers to dramatic programming of television programming extended stories usually dramatizing relationships through the general range of ten to forty one-hour episodes. They are produced in Taiwan and have gained increasing popularity in the Mandarin-speaking community...
, are popular. There is a dedicated station for Taiwan's Hakka
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
minority as well as the arrival in 2005 of an aboriginal
Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
channel. There are around 100 channels with most stations being dedicated to a particular genre; such as game shows, news, anime, movies, sports and documentaries. Almost all programs are in the original language with traditional Chinese subtitles.
The cable television system comprises around one hundred different channels, ranging from news, sport, variety, game, music, children's, foreign, movie and documentary channels.
The Republic of China government is pushing for a switch to digital television services in the near future - this will be provided through a set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
and will increase the number of available channels.
Radio
There are many stations across the FM and AM spectrum broadcasting a wide variety of programming. Talk-shows, popular music and classic songs are some of the most frequently heard subjects. Exclusively Taiwanese-language stations have enjoyed a surge in popularity since the end of the martial law era and regulations restricting the use of languages other than Mandarin Chinese.- Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC)Broadcasting Corporation of ChinaThe Broadcasting Corporation of China , BCC, is a broadcasting company in the Republic of China. It was founded as the Central Broadcasting System in Nanjing in 1928.-History:...
- national and regional networks - CBS - Radio Taiwan InternationalRadio Taiwan InternationalRadio Taiwan International is the English name and call sign of the international radio service, the Central Broadcasting System of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan...
- national broadcaster; also beams services to mainland China and the rest of the world with programmes in various languages and Chinese dialects - ICRTInternational Community Radio TaipeiInternational Community Radio Taipei is Taiwan's only English-language radio station. Prior to 1979, the station served the U.S. military community in Taiwan as the United States Armed Forces Network Radio Taiwan...
- Taiwan's only national English-language station - Public Radio System (PRS) - government-run; travel, weather, social information
- Hit FmHit FmHit FM is a pop music radio station in Taiwan . It broadcasts in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. "Only want to listen to music" is the core value of Hit FM, which emphasizes that music is part of life. Hit FM is owned by Music of Taipei Communications . It is one of the radio stations under...
and Kiss Radio TaiwanKiss Radio TaiwanKiss Radio in Taiwan plays the latest Chinese music and some English top 40 songs. There is from their four stations in Tainan, Miaoli, Kaohsiung, and Taichung.-Programs:...
both play popular Chinese music. - UFO network- second largest station in Taiwan. Very popular. Plays all different kinds of music such as C-pop, J-pop, and American pop.
- Voice of HanVoice of HanVoice of Han Broadcasting Station also known as Voice of Han Chinese Broadcasting Station was founded in 1942 by the Ministry of National Defense. It is headquartered on Xinyi Road in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan...
- Military Radio Station. - Fuxing Radio- Military Radio Station.
- Taipei Broadcasting StationTaipei Broadcasting StationTaipei Broadcasting Station or Radio Taipei is a government owned radio station in the Republic of China. It has been in operation since July 7, 1961 under the direction of the Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government...
- National Education RadioNational Education RadioNational Education Radio is a government owned radio station in the Republic of China. It was founded in 1960 and is located in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei City, Taiwan next to the Taipei Botanical Garden and National Museum of History. The Headquarters building has been a registered...
Wikipedia's Taiwan Radio Station Table (in Chinese)
Newspapers
- Apple DailyApple Daily (Taiwan)The Apple Daily is a tabloid-style newspaper printed in Taiwan and owned by Hong Kong-based Next Media. Next Media is based in Hong Kong and also prints the Apple Daily . The publication is well known internationally for its animated news stories on pop culture outside Taiwan.-History:Apple Daily ...
(Pingguo Ribao) - Tabloid - Central Daily NewsCentral Daily NewsThe Central Daily News was the official newspaper of the Kuomintang and is one of the world's oldest Chinese-language newspaper having been in circulation since 1928...
(Zhongyang Ribao) - Central News Agency (Republic of China)Central News Agency (Republic of China)The Central News Agency is the state news agency of the Republic of China. It was founded in Guangzhou, China on April 1, 1924 and was relocated to Taipei, Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War when the Republic of China government relocated to Taiwan....
(the official central news agency of the Republic of ChinaRepublic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
). - China TimesChina TimesThe China Times is a newspaper published in the Republic of China in Traditional Chinese. It is one of the four biggest newspapers in Taiwan, the other three being the Liberty Times, United Daily News, and Apple Daily ....
(Zhongguo Shibao) - China Times (Night) (Zhongshi Wanbao)
- Commercial TimesCommercial TimesCommercial Times is a Chinese Language Financial Newspaper published in Taiwan. It is currently the biggest financial paper on the island. Because of its location in Taiwan, it's often a source for breaking news about the electronics and high-tech manufacturing industry....
(Gongshang Ribao) - DigiTimesDigiTimesDigiTimes is a daily newspaper for semiconductor, electronics, computer and communications industries in Taiwan and the Greater China region. It was established in 1998...
(Dianzi Shibao) - IT industry news - Economic Daily News (Jingji Ribao)
- Independent Evening News (Zili Wanbao)
- Liberty TimesLiberty TimesThe Liberty Times is a newspaper published in Republic of China in Traditional Chinese. Founded by Lin Rong-San, it is published by the Liberty Times Group, which also publishes the English language newspaper the Taipei Times...
(Ziyou Shibao) - Mandarin Daily NewsMandarin Daily NewsThe Mandarin Daily News is a traditional Chinese children's newspaper published daily in Taiwan. The main text of the articles is accompanied by Zhuyin phonetic script to aid identification of difficult characters. The project was founded October 25th 1948....
(Guoyu Ribao) - Children's newspaper, written with Zhuyin accompanying the text - Min Sheng BaoMin Sheng BaoMin Sheng Bao is a tabloid newspaper based in Taiwan, and a sister publication of United Daily News, Taiwan's second biggest selling newspaper....
(Min Sheng Bao) - Taiwan DailyTaiwan DailyTaiwan Daily was a daily newspaper based in Taiwan that began circulation on October 25, 1964 and ended on June 6, 2006.- Features :The Taiwan Daily was usually published as broadsheet in full color, excepting classified ads and extended articles. It was divided into five sections, General News,...
(Taiwan Ribao) - Taiwan TimesTaiwan TimesThe Taiwan Times is a newspaper based in Taiwan.Wang Hsing-ching worked as one of its reporters.-External links :*...
(Taiwan Shibao) - United Daily NewsUnited Daily NewsThe United Daily News is a newspaper published in the Republic of China in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in Taiwan, the other two being the China Times and the Liberty Times.-History:...
(Lianhe Bao)
There are also three English language newspapers:
- The China PostThe China PostFor the article on the postal system based in the People's Republic of China, see China Post.The China Post is one of the three English-language newspapers published in Taiwan , the other two being Taiwan News and the Taipei Times. It was established by Mr. and Mrs. Y.P. Huang in 1952...
(Yingwen Zhongguo Youbao) - Taipei TimesTaipei TimesThe Taipei Times is one of the three major English-language newspapers in the Republic of China the other two being the Taiwan News and The China Post...
(Taibei Shibao) - Taiwan NewsTaiwan NewsTaiwan News is one of the three English language newspapers in Taiwan, the other two being the Taipei Times and The China Post...
Magazines and periodicals
In 1988, there were only about 3,400 magazine publishers in the country. Today, the number has been rapidly increasing to 4,827 (by August 2006). Magazines are various in different contents, including business, politics, entertainment, languages, lifestyle, technology, health, cooking, automobiles, women, education, traveling etc.Internet
Taiwan is one of the most wired places in the world - broadband or cable modem access is relatively cheap and fast. In 2005 there were 13.8 million internet users and 2.8 million webhosts in Taiwan (for a total population of 22.9 million). A popular feature of even small towns are internet cafes (Chinese: 網咖, PinyinPinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: wǎngkā), which are often 24-hour and sell a variety of food and drink so that the mainly teenage online gamers who inhabit them do not have to stray too far from their monitors. Taiwan websites use the .tw
.tw
.tw is the Internet country code top-level domain for the Republic of China . The domain name is based on the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code TW. The registry is maintained by TWNIC. Registrations are accepted by commercial registrars...
domain.
Media dispute
Due to the rapid change and quick development, the media in Taiwan have been in an acrimonious competition environment. In a population of 23-million market, the country has 7 twenty-four-hour news stations (compare to 3 in the US, 3 in UK, and 0 in Japan), more than 4,000 magazine publishers, and approximately 200 radio stations, and about 2,500 newspaper publishers; moreover, Taiwan also has the highest density of Satellite News Gathering (SNG) trucks, 23 million people share 82 trucks while 120 million/71 in Japan, 7 million/1 in Hong Kong, 48 million/40 in Korea, 1 billion/300 in India. However, in order to earn a higher Nielsen rating in such a competitive market, sometimes the shows tend to include sexual and violent contents. Sensational headlines are often picked up.Taiwan has some online resources available in English:
- China News Agency - Publicly owned news agency based in Taipei
- Forumosa - An online forum for all things Taiwan
- Government Information Office - News and announcements from the ROC government