Media must stop trying to beguile audiences

By Chen Ping-hung 陳炳宏

Friday, Jan 28, 2005 Taipei Times

Since the Government Information Office on Jan. 1 rearranged all the cable TV channels into several categories in accordance with program characteristics, tune-in ratings for news networks declined by 24 percent. Consequently, broadcast news media have been racking their brains trying to figure out a way to win back viewers.

As a result of fierce competition, that networks sensationalize the content of their news reports is nothing new. Over the past two years, news networks have developed three methods to attract higher ratings. First, news channels have indulged in covering stories about betel nut girls, exotic dancers and scantily clad ladies, and give extended coverage of young ladies wearing skimpy costumes or swimwear.

According to the management of one news channel, the strategy of selling sex is effective in boosting the ratings, and is now being used by various news networks. No wonder the news coverage of computer exhibitions held in Taiwan have focused on the sexy models posing coquettishly next to new products rather than the products themselves.

Second, now that the sexy bandwagon has swept across the nation, viewers will sooner or later find it tedious. The quick-witted news channels, therefore, have switched the direction of their reporting and appealed to viewers by producing so-called "exclusive" news reports. The idea may tempt the viewer flipping through the channels to pause and view the "exclusive" coverage -- filled with distorted or exaggerated content -- and with the word "exclusive" appearing prominently on the screen. These are little more than gimmicks used to lure viewers.

No matter how "exclusive" the news report is, many viewers are attracted simply because of the word "exclusive," so the strategy is successful in nudging up ratings.

Naive viewers seemingly still cannot see through the "exclusive" gimmick, and thus, the ruse is still being used by the majority of news networks.

Third, the news channels have recently started employing fear as a strategy to attract viewers. For instance, during the nation's typhoon season, news channels would repeatedly stress that an approaching typhoon was the strongest ever to hit the nation, and the anchorperson would remind viewers to stay tuned for the latest updates.

Furthermore, news channels would either interview astrologers or fortune tellers and ask them to give apocalyptic and catastrophic predictions that would frighten people.

Although these scare tactics are still in what appears to be a trial period, news networks have found it even more useful than the "exclusive" gimmick, especially after torrential rains hit the nation and the tsunami devastated much of Southeast Asia on Dec. 26. It is likely to be widely adopted by most of the news networks.

Commercial new networks pursuing ratings is unavoidable, and it is not practical to demand that they stop this practice. To win favor with viewers, news channels should enrich the content and enhance the quality of their reporting rather than continue to adopt more outrageous ways to deceive viewers in an attempt to boost ratings.

The public will eventually see through their tricks, so this strategy will not work in the long term. Time will tell if the proprietors of media outlets will realize the importance of this issue and stop duping their viewers.

TRANSLATED BY DANIEL CHENG

The media watchdog is not a toy for politicians

By Chen Ping-hung 陳炳宏

Friday, Aug 05, 2005 Taipei Times

In the recent spate of reports and commentary on the media, the general conclusion is that the government should push ahead with the formation of a national communications commission, and this will somehow make the chaos that afflicts the media disappear.

This is a failure to see the forest for the trees. In the current confrontational political environment, whether the pan-blue camp or the pan-green camp's version of the necessary legislation to set up a commission is passed, it will still be a disaster for the future of the media. If the two political camps do not abandon their confrontational policies and start laying out long-term plans for the media, even 10 commissions wouldn't make a difference.

The fact that the bill to set up the commission is currently languishing in the legislature cannot be solely attributed to the government's ineptitude or the blue-camp's stubborn and unreasonable opposition. Both are responsible, despite the buck-passing and hypocritical attempts to appeal to the voters.

The government's proposal is modeled on the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but downgrades its status. FCC commissioners are appointed by the US president and confirmed by the senate. Members of Taiwan's proposed commission would be appointed by the premier and there would be no ratification process, by-passing the legislature and any elective procedure.

The reason given for this is to avoid the snake pit of the legislature, which can be counted on to interfere with the operation of the new commission. But this explanation is not convincing. If the commission is directly under the Executive Yuan, then how is it any different from the Government Information Office (GIO)? Wouldn't it be in the same position that the GIO has recently found itself in over the non-renewal of cable television licenses for seven stations?

The current proposal for the commission might be a quick fix for ruling party legislators, but it is unlikely to do them any good.

In theory, the opposition should serve to monitor the government for the benefit of the people, but the pan-blue camp does not seem to understand the role an opposition party plays, and is only able to see itself as the "former ruling party."

Its only purpose is to fight for political advantage, and it cannot be counted on to stand on the side of the people. For that reason, its proposal for the commission is simply anti-government rhetoric. Instead of arguing for elected positions and insisting on greater supervisory authority to allow the commission to better perform its functions, it has simply opposed the commission on the grounds that it wants the membership to be based on party quotas.

To put the best possible spin on it, the pan-blue camp proposal could be called creative, but it is simply not practical. Party quotas for the staffing of administrative organizations are little different from having the parties divide the presidential term between them depending on their proportion of the vote. This is absurd.

And if the commission's members are nominated by parties, then the commission will become a battleground for political capital. Commissioners would only have to fulfill their political responsibilities, and the rights of consumers and television audiences would fall by the wayside.

We cannot expect the commission to serve as a panacea for the nation's media, for whether the green or the blue version is implemented, both spell disaster.

I believe the public should demand its own commission, and not let the politicians get away with their shenanigans.

Translated by Ian Bartholomew