February 2013
The Current State of the “Comprehensive Programming TV Channels”
Norihiro Tanaka
In the Republic of Korea, media cross-ownership between broadcasting and newspaper has been legally banned or restricted nearly for 30 years since 1980, when the then Chun Doo-hwan administration pushed through the “Media Consolidation” policy. However, the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration eased the cross-ownership regulation on the pretext of revitalizing and stimulating the economy, and consequently the government granted permission to four major newspaper companies—all conservative—to start operating “comprehensive programming TV channels” that are allowed to broadcast via any CATV or satellite television system.
A year has passed since the launch of comprehensive programming TV channels. The author analyzed their programming charts. The result indicates how each channel is trying to survive with its own stance; one trying to differentiate itself by utilizing its past achievement when its predecessor offered all-news programming, another trying to draw viewers with popular topics such as exclusive broadcasts of international football matches and production of original dramas.
At the same time, problems are also highlighted—opacity of the government screening in the selection of operators and the future of each channel under excessive competition. Among them, the future of these channels is drawing much concern to the extent that one Korean media scholar points out that in some cases these channels should consider withdrawing from the comprehensive programming TV business as one strategic option, saying “They are trapped in a vicious circle, in which the lack of investment prevents the channels from producing quality programs, which lowers the rating and makes it difficult to attract sponsors.”
Whether to continue the operation in the future will certainly depend on each company’s efforts, but, most importantly, the Korean government, which granted permission for four companies at a same time despite the risk of excessive competition, need to review the policy in a responsible manner.