The surface area of the island of Taiwan is extremely small and, being situated close to the center of East Asia, it is surrounded by countries like Japan, Korea, mainland China and those of Southeast Asia; with all Asia striving hard to develop satellite broadcasting over recent years, it is very hard for Taiwan not to come within the sweep of their television waves.

According to statistics from the Radio and Television Affairs Department of the Government Information Office, small satellite dishes are mainly used for receiving three channels broadcast from Japan's BS; medium dishes can receive a total of twenty stations from DFH2-A1 and Japan's Superbird-2: large receivers can pick up a total of 15 more stations from PALAPA-2, INTELSATVF8 and the Russian GORIZONT-8-A3: a veritable multitude that in numbers has already passed 40.

Add to all this the advent of South Korea's coming satellite information broadcasts and mainland China's launch of Asiasat 2, scheduled for 1994, and the skies over Taiwan can truly be said to hold quite a constellation.

Wind and clouds in the broadcast market:

The television waves flying in from space have not been invited, however. It might be fun to make waves, but it is also giving a lot of people headaches at the moment.

"This is the kind of challenge we have not experienced for 30 years!" is how Lee Sheng-wen, vice president of Taiwan Television Enterprise, describes the situation. With satellites broadcasting their television direct from space complemented by terrestrial cable television, compounded by the clamor that has gone up for the establishment of a public television station, broadcasting in the ROC has been plunged into a period something like the Warring States.

Apart from market competition, the impact and influence on domestic broadcasting regulations that stations such as Hongkong's Chinese-language service can have, along with programs of mixed quality that are not always in tune with national sentiments, has given rise to a degree of concern. Such is the case with one Japanese station's "Playboy" channel, devoted to broadcasts for adult-only viewing. Then there is mainland China's China Central Television l, which is basically a channel for spreading united-front propaganda to the outside world. So are there any means of defense?

In fact, the problem is not only Taiwan's. Since the appearance of the frontierless electronic medium of satellite broadcasting, the problem of how sending programs across borders can erode national interests and sovereignty has come to the attention of many countries. It is a constant topic of discussion at the United Nations and other international organizations.

Agreements and self-regulation:

A report from the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications points out that the general attitude held by such international organizations tends towards being one of reaching mutual agreements, restrictions and self-regulation between broadcasting and receiving nations.

For example, in 1982 the International Telecommunications Union of the United Nations passed regulations governing the principles of direct satellite broadcasting across borders. These stipulate that countries wanting to engage in direct international satellite broadcasting must notify those countries in the agreement who are to be the receiving countries. If the receivers require negotiations to be held, then this must be complied with. It is only in this way that direct-broadcast international television stations can be established.

The problem for the ROC is that when it pulled out of the UN in 1971, it also withdrew from this broadcasting organization and was left with no way to put its view across or make demands.

A European organization for borderless telecommunications, encourages broadcasting nations to take their own initiatives in understanding the different legal and cultural backgrounds of receiving nations when making television programs and advertising. At the same time, they should shoulder the responsibilities for any conflict that may result at a later date.

Apart from the above, building links among audiences of other countries that fall within the same footprint of a certain satellite is a method of enhancing one's bargaining power that is worthy of mention.

Other issues, such as asking broadcasters to protect copyrights and consumers to pay subscriptions, can be used as kinds of controls over satellite programs that can be managed by the receiving country.

Negotiations and self-regulation are actually comparatively moderate and ideal methods of control. Yet in reality, apart from subscription paying channels, the great majority of countries maintain certain broadcasting objectives and a mentality that the more influence they can have, the better. This makes asking them to regulate themselves very difficult. Moreover, just as with most other kinds of international agreements and laws, organizations basically lack the power to impose sanctions, so their binding powers are weak.

Laying down a satellite broadcasting law:

It is thus that countries bent on regaining control can only really look to their own domestic means.

Controlling reception equipment is the most usual method used, although it is not a universal panacea. At first the ROC tried to prohibit the use of small dish receivers but was overtaken by the demand for information. As antennas continued to spring up everywhere, they were legalized. The liberalization of the use of medium and large dish antennas was much the same story.

Because most satellite television programs rely on cable television for transmission, last year the Government Information Office commissioned a number of academics to carry out special research into satellite television which resulted in recommendations for the drawing up of a satellite broadcast law to regulate the content of satellite programs relayed by cable. This was widely acknowledged to be the most feasible method to proceed with, although enacting a law is rather like locking the gate after the horse has bolted. Furthermore, the government must first wait until the draft law on cable broadcasting has been passed and put into effect before any real powers of control can be exercised.

"The final solution is to use missiles to shoot down the satellites!" jests Yen Jung-chang, director of the Radio and Television Affairs Department of the Government Information Office.

Hot competition in television:

Fortunately satellite television has also brought with it much good stimulation. Wang Hsiao-hsiang, general secretary of a committee to prepare for public broad-casting, is of the opinion that the arrival of Japan's NHK public broadcasting through small dish receivers has allowed the public to get to know a model of high-quality public service television. "Our establishment of a public television station owes much to their stimulation, making them the level we have to compete with and hurry to catch up."

Cheng Shu-min, manager of program planning at Chinese Television System, also says that when you look at examples from overseas, audiences tend to identify with their native culture and we have yet to see terrestrial television stations closing down due to competition from satellite. Yet the rise of new electronic media technology has still made the networks aware of a change in the domestic market, a change which has seen a breaking up of the tripartite world of the three television channels and a movement towards audience fragmentation.

"In the past one blast of grapeshot could deliver you a whole lot of birds, now you must take aim and pick them off a shot at a time," is the metaphor Cheng Shu-min uses to explain the adjustments being made in marketing strategy. As for considerations of culture coming in from outside, especially the united-front propaganda of the Chinese Communists, the contents of programs and audience ratings indicate that there is not a great deal to worry about (at present the still illegal cable television network has not brought China Central Television on line due to considerations based on commercial values). "If the domestic television stations can just be more competitive and strengthen their products, they can still hang on to their audiences," says Feng Chien-san, associate professor of National Chengchi University's department of journalism.

The give-and-take of cultural exchange:

Equal cultural exchange is built on a two-directional flow of communication--you come and I go. Broadcasting your own voice outwards also helps you break out of the difficult and uninfluential position of being only able to receive while being unable to reach out.

For example, the three ROC television stations broadcast 40 minutes of news by satellite to the North American region every day as a service for the overseas Chinese community there. The year before last, China Television Company began cooperation with Japan's OWT network using satellite and cable television for daily 90-minute broadcasts of their programs.

The private broadcasting companies ERA and Fulon are also looking at the commercial future for satellite and cooperating to establish a satellite broadcasting company with plans for a channel using the Indonesian PALAPA satellite. They are not about to let the benefits of satellite television be monopolized as before.

Adapting away from being moved, to a position where you initiate movement yourself, is the only way to change the situation and the best strategy for turning the tables.

[Picture Caption]

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In the circumstances, how we guide the endless waves of information coming from abroad via satellite television will depend on whether we use them properly. (drawing by Tsai Chih-pen)