Taiwan: Pirate Radio Challenge Regulators

18 Jan 2010

Medicine men who used to hawke their questionable cures in street corners have now taken to the airwaves in Taiwan, using a string of unlicensed radio stations, throwing a challenge to the regulators.

Known for peddling dubious drugs and extreme political views, these underground radio stations have recently come under the spotlight again.  Premier Wu Den-yih has called for a crackdown on these stations, saying that many people, including dialysis patients, buy pills from them.

This type of pirate stations sprang up in the 1990s when Taiwan liberalized its media environment. There are an estimated 100-200 such stations across the country. Most of them are found in the central and southern parts of the island, where the Minnan tongue is used, instead of Mandarin.

The number of licensed radio stations in Taiwan has risen from 33 before liberalization started in 1993 to 174 today. But these stations usually don’t cater to dialect-speaking middle-aged and elderly listeners, as they seem to have little purchasing power.

Most of the pirate stations are small outfits run by 3 to 5 people who do everything from hosting the programmes  to taking orders and delivering the goods advertised on the radio. They have located the stations in secluded spots or hidden in the mountains or tall buildings.

The National Communications Commission  is planning to revise the broadcasting law and offer up to 155 radio licenses to underground radio stations. But, many stations are reluctant to give up their freedom – and pay tax.

Source: Straits Times