From: ychen@sp1.csrd.uiuc.edu (Yung-Chin Chen)
Subject: Re: Complains about media from TIers <was: World Journal>
Organization: /homes/ychen/.organization
	<2B367D00.10894@news.service.uci.edu>
Date: 22 Dec 92 13:07:04

In article <2B367D00.10894@news.service.uci.edu> tao@balboa.eng.uci.edu (Eric Yihching Tao) writes:

   I heard a lot of complains from TIers that all the media was biased. Besides
   arguing that no media can be *completely neutral*, I have to raised the 
   following points for you guys to ponder (or to flame :))

   1. Why do most people from Taiwan and came to US subscribe World Daily instead 
   of any other newspaper, the Pacific Times ( the TI newspaper) is read by almost 
   none except TIers, why?


I am not a TIer but I will try to answer your questions. First, the
main purpose of a newspaper is not for politics, but for information
and entertainment. I never read the Pacific Times; I do not know what
its content is and how its quality is. Most people will prefer a more
general-purposed newspaper which is good for the entire family. I know
that World Journal is popular. One particular reason is that their
major competor Chung(1)-Bao(4) (Center Report) was forced to closed
due to 6/4. WJ is anti-TI but, IMHO, not pro-KMT. It is much better
than the KMT's Central Daily. On the other hand, Independence Weekly
(a Taiwanese newspaper, IMHO) is getting popular; maybe you want to
check it out.


   2. When Taiwan lift the newspaper regulation, how come most of the TIer or even
   the DPP's newpaper were bankrupted so fast that I don't even have chance to 
   read them?

If you know how the newspaper runs, you will know that it is difficult
to earn money from newspaper unless you have a lots of subscribers and
ads (and bank is willing to give you a long-term low-interest loan).
A lot of newspapers can survive because of political reasons.  Central
Daily is one example. Goverment units and military will subcribe it
anyway, which is a huge number. Most families usually subscibe
something else. 

Also, DPP's newspaper lacks of ads and loan partly due to political
reasons.  A lot of businesses do not want to connect with DPP so
obviously that it may bring diaster (you can guess what it is). DPP
does earn money from some of its magazines. In fact, DPP would prefer
to open other medias, especially radio and TV, because they are much
cheaper than newspaper and more effective. However, ...., you know the
story.

   the last but not the least, why most (I think all, but not absolutely sure)
   Chinese TV station use manderin when the majority of the chinese immegrants are
   from Taiwan who according to TIer's expection will hate to speak or listen 
   manderin?

One reason that I can think of is that these TV stations are not owned
by TIers. If there is one, you bet that they will speak Min-Nan.
Second, KMT has surpressed Min-Nan lanuage for so many years that a
lot of people, especially the new generation, cannot speak or even
understand it. In addition, people from mainland China understand
Manderin. Therefore, to use Manderin should be a good call.  TV
stations are business. They need to earn money from ads. If they speak
some local languages, they may lose a lot of ads because of a limited
number of viewers.

My answers may not satisfy all of you. Just some points that I can think of.

ychen