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ROCK STAR ASHIN NOMINATED TO PUBLIC TELEVISION BOARD

  • Date:2012-08-07
ROCK STAR ASHIN NOMINATED TO PUBLIC TELEVISION BOARD

Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai broke with tradition Tuesday by nominating the lead singer of local rock band Mayday as one of the new Public Television Service (PTS) board members.



In the past, PTS has focused on telecommunications experts as board members, so Ashin's nomination represents a new tack, Lung said.



Lung said she has high expectations for Ashin, and added that his nomination can help broaden the board's diversity.



'Pop music artists are not just entertainers, they also represent the history of contemporary culture and thinking,' said Lung.



The rock star is one of 19 new PTS board member nominees who include music producer Jerry Huang, telecommunications academic Lo Shih-hung and Pegatron Corp. Chairman Tung Tsu-hsien.



Lung said she consulted 100 people before coming up with the 19 nominees.



New board members have not been elected since December 2010, and the television station had been facing long term operating problems because of board member issues.



An earlier list of nominees failed to receive approval from PTS directors in a review committee on June 29, whereas a review committee on July 11 was canceled because 10 board members quit.



The Ministry of Culture, which supervises the state-run television station, said it will send the list of nominees to the review committee on Aug.20.



At the end of October, the council will submit a policy recommendation report on how to improve and restructure the entire Taiwan Broadcasting System under which several television stations, including PTS, Hakka TV and Chinese Television Station operate.



In addition, Lung said she will meet with legislators to promote amendments to the Public Television Act to assure a better development environment for the Taiwan Broadcasting System.