Huang Mei-ying, the former head of the Academia Sinica's Institute of Ethnology, is also a listener. Though she only listens occasionally, she is very supportive of the station. She even has her son, a third-year student in primary school, listen, too. "It's an attitude," she says. Although her child won't necessarily learn to speak Hakka, she feels that he should at least be exposed to other languages and cultures.Empathy for other minorities
Those listening to the broadcasts aren't just listening to language; Formosa Hakka Radio produces a variety of programs, including programs covering news, politics and discussion such as "News Talk," "Hakka Forum" and "Town Hall," and shows on Hakka culture such as " Hakka Yodeling," "The Beauty of Hakka" and "Food Talk." In addition, there are also informative programs on the law, transportation, insurance, medicine, technology, health and music.
In looking at the station's programming, one is also becomes aware of its man-agement's respect for multiculturalism.
"The Sunrise Tribe" airs every Monday to Thursday evening from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. Hosting duties on the show rotate between members of Taiwan's Saisiyat, Atayal, Ami and Paiwan aboriginal tribes, who introduce aboriginal language and culture to their listeners.
Those at the station, themselves members of the Hakka minority, appreciate the predicament of even smaller minority groups. Liu Hui-chen says, "From the time we were an underground station, Formosa Hakka Radio has always set aside a time for aboriginal programming. Our objective is to increase understanding between different ethnic groups."
Huang Mei-ying strongly approves of this policy. She says that ethnic consciousness cuts both ways. Although it can strengthen an ethnic group's feeling of ethnic identity, if it is coupled with a rejection of "others," it is very definitely not a good thing. While Formosa Hakka Radio is bringing about a coalescence of ethnicity, it has not forgotten to be respectful of the cultures of other ethnic groups; it is very open-minded.No experience to build on
Somewhat surprising is that none of the founders of the station had any experience in the radio business.
"None of us were working in our own field," says Jerry Wu, the current director of the station. Wu says that he was a teacher of accounting at Tunghai University, but when he became involved in the Hakka movement, he unexpectedly ended up working in broadcasting.
The only people they had with anything like experience in the field worked in the hardware side of things. These were people such as Huang Yung-dar, a professor of electronic engineering at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and Chen Kuei-hsien, an associate research fellow in the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Sciences at the Academia Sinica, who knew a great deal about transmitting, data processing and electro-magnetic waves. They played a very important role in setting the station up.
But when the station made the transition from underground to legal status, from amateur to professional, personnel became an even greater headache.
Wu says, "People who have feelings for Hakka culture and have worked in the media are few and far between." According to Wu, of the 87 hosts currently employed by the station, fewer than 10 have previous media experience. Fewer still have experience and speak standard Hakka.
The non-standard Hakka of the program hosts is a source of distress to many older listeners.
Huang Yung-dar, who hosts " Hakka Yodeling," says that the Hakka of many young people has been heavily influenced by Mandarin, becoming a sort of "Hakkarin." For example, the first part of the word for "wedding invitation"-xitie in Mandarin-is pronounced something like the English word "he" in Hakka. Many young people, however, pronounce it like the Mandarin xi, making it sound as if it is a "death invitation" in Hakka. Another example is the word for "bathe"-literally, "wash-body" in Hakka. Again, the Mandarin xi sound has influenced the Hakka, making young people's pronunciation of the word sound like "dead body." Such non-standard pronunciations naturally sound terrible to elderly Hakka.
Nonetheless, the language difficulties are secondary. The station, which Chung Chao-cheng said "exerts a powerful centripetal force on the Hakka community and should have been able to do good things," now faces a crisis stemming from dissension among its own staff.
Chen Kuei-hsien, the station's chairman, says that problems which have long troubled the Hakka-including parochialism, resistance to change, the hegemony of the elderly over the young and, most particularly, rivalries between different political parties and differing views on the question of reunification with the mainland-have recurred at the station. "Wherever you have people, you have these kinds of problems. This just proves that Hakka are no different from other people," say Chen. He feels that these differences of opinion at the station are nothing much out of the ordinary.Making Hakka the issue
The founding and fund-raising for Formosa Hakka Radio were conducted under the auspices of "rescuing the Hakka." As a result, the emergence of various factions and the strong political stand of the station's programs have been greeted with suspicion by Hakka who espouse the principle of non-involvement in politics.
Jerry Wu admits that the station has made its views on political issues very clear. It has always retained the opposition character that was formed in its early days and has tended towards the stance of the island's largest opposition party, the DPP.
In fact, this is not the first instance among Hakka media in which the waving of a political banner has led to internal conflicts. Huang Tzu-yao, editor-in-chief at Hakka Magazine, says that the magazine's predecessor, Hakka Affairs, was also harmed by such conflicts.
Huang says that after the success of the "Give Back Our Mother Tongue" movement, which Hakka Affairs promoted, the magazine's circulation went through the roof. Later, when the magazine became too political in tone, subscriptions plummeted and it was unable to continue publishing. Fortunately, the Paochung Yimin Temple in Fangliao contributed a large sum of money which allowed the magazine to go on under the name of Hakka Magazine. The new magazine changed its tone, putting Hakka issues at the center and relegating party politics to the sidelines.
In spite the lesson of Hakka Magazine, Formosa Hakka Radio has been unable to avoid the same trap. Fortunately, some of its more reform-minded staff have become aware of the danger.
In moving from underground to legal status, most stations pass through a transition period. Formosa Hakka Radio is no different. "It's a different environment. The opposition character of the early days is no longer appropriate. The station needs to transform itself," says Liu Hui-chen.
Jerry Wu also believes that as the media is a public service, its political character should be moderated. He says that in the future, Formosa Hakka Radio will also move in this direction.A "culture gap"
In addition to factional struggles, Formosa Hakka Radio is also facing the problem of market segmentation.
The proclaimed goals of the station include "the preservation of the Hakka tongue and promotion of Hakka culture." However, the station has largely failed to attract younger listeners.
Looking at the demographics of the donors to the station, those who call in to its shows and participants in the events its promotes, it is obvious that its listeners and supporters come from among the older segment of the population.
Jerry Wu says that there is a positive correlation between the age of donors to the station and the size of their donation. "The older a Hakka is, the deeper his feelings about his ethnic identity and the more supportive of the station he is."
Chung Chao-cheng says that in the past the station's programs tended to be talk shows which discussed current events and the station's current difficulties. They were aired without any thought of their design. Now, however, shows are planned and evaluated. They are "younger" and more sophisticated.
According to Liu Hui-chen, in order to attract younger listeners the station has turned over some of its evening timeslots to on-campus Hakka clubs. The clubs participate in and host shows, including "Music Buffet," "Internet Live Music," "Jazz Mood" and "Studio Study Club." These are not the sort of programs that the older generation is interested in. "Older listeners have fled, and we haven't built up a younger audience."
Ada Im, head of Crystal Records and former manager of Taiwan FM Radio, makes a keen observation on how a small station must make a living in the Taipei area where it is surrounded by several large stations. "Market segmentation is critical." Im points out that although Formosa Hakka Radio's audience is clearly Hakka, they must use age and other factors break it down further. She says this is necessary because it is impossible to satisfy all groups simultaneously, and if they attempt to, they will "lose focus."Whither Hakka radio?
Still more worrisome are the station's source of financing and the prospect of its being unable to continue its operations. Because Formosa Hakka Radio was established as a foundation-backed public-service radio station, all profits must be used for public service activities. Moreover, in order to preserve its status as an instrument for the transmission of Hakka language and culture, station policy dictates that it will not stoop to broadcasting any programs on fortune telling or accepting advertisements for medications.
But internal struggles over the station's direction have led to a shrinking audience and a continuing decline in donations. Worse still, the economy has weakened and advertising has dropped off. In short, Formosa Hakka Radio is facing operational difficulties.
"My plan has always been for a change of format," says Chen Kuei-hsien. He says that if a media outlet wants to remain viable over the long haul, it cannot continue to hold out its hand to the public; it must become self-sufficient.
However, becoming self-sufficient in the commercial radio environment is easier said than done. Cheng Sheng Broadcasting's Hao Shih-ying says that in recent years most ads have gone to stations which employ pop idols and follow fashions-stations such as the Voice of Taipei and UFO, which have larger audiences. There's no way that smaller stations can get their hands on these large ad accounts.
"There is already less enthusiasm," admits Huang. Not only are the events the station sponsors losing money, people even turn up at them to protest.
But if the station doesn't survive, establishing another Hakka station will be very difficult. Li Chiao says, "Starting another station will be impossible." Wu concurs, stating, "There won't be another one." Wu believes that if Formosa Hakka Radio fails, those who have worked so enthusiastically and so hard to promote Hakka issues will be devastated. "That would be an unforgivable mistake," he says emphatically.
As Chen says, "Everybody is learning." This includes the board, the station director, the hosts and even the listeners. Everyone is reflecting on what they have learned from these trials.
Starting a business is difficult. Keeping it going is more difficult still. Finding a way to pull Formosa Hakka Radio through its ordeals will be a test of the wisdom of the Hakka people.