01.13.06
Pasuya Yao vs the NCC
Pasuya Yao, the head of the Government Information Office, just can’t keep out of the news - and it’s never in a good way. This week, his plans to regulate the amount of Korean and Japanese TV shows that can be shown in Taiwan have already been ridiculed from all quarters. Taiwanese TV already suffers from a severe case of “quantity not quality”, so the idea that space has to be made for even more low-quality local shows is just bizarre.
For me, however, the interesting thing about this story is how Pasuya thinks he can implement his latest insane idea. Taiwan is in the process of setting up a new media watchdog, the ‘National Communications Commission’, which will take over most of the responsibility from the GIO. The Legislative Yuan confirmed the members yesterday, and it is expected to start work shortly after Chinese New Year - which means that any regulation restricting foreign TV dramas would be the remit of this new body:
Receiving supporters for his plan to restrict airing imported programs, Yao said the National Communications Commission, which will take over supervisory authority over electronic media in two weeks, should ensure domestic productions account for 70 percent or more of the prime time broadcast.
So, Pasuya Yao is trying to set policy for a body in which he has no involvement. Anyone who thought that the arrival of the NCC would mean the end of Yao’s incompetent meddling will have to think again:
The GIO will still be in charge of media guidance, incentives and planning, while the NCC will take charge of media law enforcement, Yao told reporters after attending a news conference held by a Taiwan delegation that is to take part in a record exhibition in Cannes, France.
Noting that several of the GIO’s Department of Broadcasting staffers will be transferred to the NCC to help the commission deal with related affairs, Yao said he is hopeful that the division of labor will enable both sides to handle their business more smoothly.
To help the relationship between the GIO and the NCC run smoothly, the GIO is currently lobbying for a ruling on whether the NCC is unconstitutional or not. Anyway, I look forward to watching how Pasuya’s ‘guidance’ will be received by the NCC - it will certainly be more entertaining viewing that your average home-grown Taiwanese TV drama!
James said,
January 13, 2006 at 11:32 pm
The intent is actually good, but the implementation, I agree, is asinine.
Taiwanese drama and Taiwanese cultural production in general is of very poor quality. If the KMT stays its momentum and continues to gain ground, then I can only see the situation getting worse. In my view, the so-called internationalization of pan-Blue Taipei means something more like Americanization and bland, cookie-cutter modernization. Taipei City is clean and convenient, but even if you go a short distance to Taipei County you can feel how sterile Taipei City is in some ways.
The problem with Taiwanese drama is, like Taiwanese film, a problem of market size. But the market (audience) may also be small because the drama is of poor quality. Japan is much larger, while Korea is relatively about Taiwan’s size, but the difference is that the Korean government has given large subsidies to the television industry. It has resulted in better scripts, better sets, better actors, and a better overall product. It has also been purposefully driven by the government with the aim of exporting Korean culture–with the benefits of raising the image of Korean made products and increasing tourism.
The analysis is correct–creating barriers for Taiwanese dramas will not encourage an increase in quality at all, and in fact may very well cause the opposite (increase in time slots, already many dramas). What’s needed is a sensible policy for encouraging the growth of a high-quality native film and television industry.
James said,
January 13, 2006 at 11:42 pm
I need to say something addtional about Taiwanese film. Besides being smaller in number, the audience in Taiwan is generally much less nationalistic than that of South Korea or Japan. Thus, Taiwanese film is actually of extremely high quality, but Taiwanese mainly prefer Hollywood commercial films. I do admit Taiwanese films are more intellectual and harder to understand, but if you want films that speak to Taiwanese culture and contain lots of local references, they’re out there. It would be good for Taiwanese film to find a way to both have popular appeal and maintain some semblance of authenticity and relevance (though I certainly don’t mean that they HAVE to speak Taiwanese or they HAVE to talk about 228 or something extreme like that), but without a reliable local market, it is, without large government subsidies, difficult for someone to make that risky first investment.
David said,
January 14, 2006 at 4:13 pm
James - thanks for the comments. I have no problem with the GIO trying to promote Taiwanese TV & Film - in fact that’s probably the only thing left for it to do after the NCC takes over. But it seems obvious to me that stopping people watching what they actually want to watch isn’t the way to go.
Incidentally, I have heard that all the GIOs efforts to promote the film industry are focused on intellectual/arty films rather than more popular stuff - which is fine as long as it’s a deliberate policy
Wandering to Tamshui said,
January 22, 2006 at 10:45 pm
Nov. 26, 2005: “Ruffians and heroes need not apply” Jan. 10, 2006: “Putting the ‘pro’ back in ‘protectionism’” Jan. 10, 2006: “Save us from the foreigners!” (The View From Taiwan) Jan. 12, 2006:”Pasuya Yao vs. the NCC” (Jujuflop) Goodbye, Pasuya. May the Farce be with you… always.