May 2015
Interviewing the Key Player for the Revival of a Terrestrial TV Station “Taiwan Television (TTV)”
Ken-ichi Yamada
Taiwan Television (TTV), a terrestrial TV station in Taiwan, which had been eclipsed by satellite channels for cable televisions and been on the red for a while, has made a dramatic comeback. TTV was originally founded as a government-affiliated television. As the progress of democratization prompted more and more cable televisions to enter into the market, TTV’s conservative corporate structure led to a sharp decline in its advertising revenue share, and the station was privatized by auction in 2007, with huge accumulated debt. The auction was won by Unique Satellite TV (USTV)—a CATV channel operator versed in economic information. USTV Owner Huang Song, who also assumed the office of Chairman of TTV, has been making various management reform efforts such as large-scale corporate downsizing, introducing the principle of “rewarding good work and punishing bad work,” and intensifying drama production. As a result, TTV turned a good profit and steadily remains in the black; the broadcaster is now regarded as one of the “big three” televisions in Taiwan along with Formosa Television and Sanlih TV. Mr. Huang’s reform is basically a classic corporate rehabilitation plan, but, given that Taiwanese TV industry has not a few owners whose aim is to make a connection with political circles or to make quick money or who interferes in program production as autocratic corporate manager, Chairman Huang’s method rather stands out as brilliance. The author interviewed Mr. Huang when he visited Japan in December 2014. Centering on the interview, this article introduces and examines TTV’s management reform as well as its future planning to confront the age of digitalization.