Little Ears Will Continue Informing Audiences in Mainland China
'LITTLE EAR': A satellite dish out of the box and ready to be installed. "Little Ears" satellite dishes are used to receive the signal of independent TV station New Tang Dynasty TV inside China. (Minghui.org) Without fuss or ceremony representatives of New Tang Dynasty Asia Pacific and Taiwans Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) inked a new contract on June 27, assuring that NTD AP will continue broadcasting via satellite to Asia, including mainland China. Backers of the station say the new deal closes one chapter on the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) ongoing attempts to cut off NTD APs influence on the Chinese people.
The contract signing ended a controversy that began in early April when CHT abruptly informed NTD AP it would not renew the stations contract to broadcast on CHTs satellitea refusal that NTD AP characterized as illegal under Taiwan telecommunications law. NTD, the global network to which NTD AP belongs, is a media partner of The Epoch Times.
Before CHT would relent, Taiwans premier, the head of its Legislature, and the leaders of both political parties spoke out supporting NTD AP, along with U.S. congressmen, a vice president of the European Parliament, and international human rights and media watchdog groups.
Theresa Chu, spokesperson for NTD AP, said in an e-mail that a massive, grass-roots call from all walks of life in Taiwan helped move the executive and legislature to support NTD APs contract renewal. Ms. Chu cited thousands of letters sent from Taiwanese citizens to the offices of the president, the premier, and legislators around the island.
Taiwans people may have felt that the battle to renew NTD APs contract was not only about that independent TV stations rights, but also about their own rights.
Chuang Feng-chia, deputy editor-in-chief of the Taiwan-based Ce! ntral N ews Agency, was quoted by the Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) website Clearwisdom.net as saying that if CHT did not renew NTD APs contract, that refusal would have a chilling effect on the media, which would try not to cover negative news on China or news related to Falun Gong. According to Clearwisdom, Chuang stressed that the possibility of not renewing NTD APs contract was a crisis for all the media and people in Taiwan.
Although the Taiwan government holds a controlling interest in CHT and governmental leaders had backed NTD APs demand for a new contract, the company resisted pressure to make a deal for weeks.
CHT tried to frame its decision as an issue of technological capability. It insisted to the end that its refusal was simply due to a lack of bandwidth on its new satellite, which goes into service on Aug. 9.
NTD AP and many of its backers said CHTs refusal had nothing to do with bandwidth and everything to do with the wishes of the CCP.
The caller said, "If NTD TV can broadcast freely into China, the CCP will be out of power."
The format of Focus Talk is for viewers, including viewers from mainland China, to call live to the station and discuss their concerns with an expert panel.
People in China have no place to express themselves, said the shows host, Anna Chang. As an independent media we deeply look at all the information and its background and explain it to peoplethis is what we do.
Viewers from inside China tell NTD they love what it is doing.
Another recent caller to Focus Talk, said, I thought I knew a lot about China, but after watching NTD I realized I did not really know China. Now NTD is the source for me to know what is going on in China.
A viewer with the surname Zhang e-mailed NTD from the ma! inland t o say, I have finally heard a different voice. I now want my brain back from its having been washed.
Someone with the pen name common person from Shanghai, e-mailed, I write to convey my highest respects to the stations staff. You are not buying rope and being lassoed by the communists.Continued on the next page ... Seeking to Close Little Ears
The contract signing ended a controversy that began in early April when CHT abruptly informed NTD AP it would not renew the stations contract to broadcast on CHTs satellitea refusal that NTD AP characterized as illegal under Taiwan telecommunications law. NTD, the global network to which NTD AP belongs, is a media partner of The Epoch Times.
Before CHT would relent, Taiwans premier, the head of its Legislature, and the leaders of both political parties spoke out supporting NTD AP, along with U.S. congressmen, a vice president of the European Parliament, and international human rights and media watchdog groups.
Theresa Chu, spokesperson for NTD AP, said in an e-mail that a massive, grass-roots call from all walks of life in Taiwan helped move the executive and legislature to support NTD APs contract renewal. Ms. Chu cited thousands of letters sent from Taiwanese citizens to the offices of the president, the premier, and legislators around the island.
Taiwans people may have felt that the battle to renew NTD APs contract was not only about that independent TV stations rights, but also about their own rights.
Chuang Feng-chia, deputy editor-in-chief of the Taiwan-based Ce! ntral N ews Agency, was quoted by the Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) website Clearwisdom.net as saying that if CHT did not renew NTD APs contract, that refusal would have a chilling effect on the media, which would try not to cover negative news on China or news related to Falun Gong. According to Clearwisdom, Chuang stressed that the possibility of not renewing NTD APs contract was a crisis for all the media and people in Taiwan.
Although the Taiwan government holds a controlling interest in CHT and governmental leaders had backed NTD APs demand for a new contract, the company resisted pressure to make a deal for weeks.
CHT tried to frame its decision as an issue of technological capability. It insisted to the end that its refusal was simply due to a lack of bandwidth on its new satellite, which goes into service on Aug. 9.
NTD AP and many of its backers said CHTs refusal had nothing to do with bandwidth and everything to do with the wishes of the CCP.
NTDs Viewers
A recent viewer of NTDs call-in show Focus Talk, showed why the CCP has focused so strongly on stopping the stations broadcasts.The caller said, "If NTD TV can broadcast freely into China, the CCP will be out of power."
The format of Focus Talk is for viewers, including viewers from mainland China, to call live to the station and discuss their concerns with an expert panel.
People in China have no place to express themselves, said the shows host, Anna Chang. As an independent media we deeply look at all the information and its background and explain it to peoplethis is what we do.
Viewers from inside China tell NTD they love what it is doing.
Another recent caller to Focus Talk, said, I thought I knew a lot about China, but after watching NTD I realized I did not really know China. Now NTD is the source for me to know what is going on in China.
A viewer with the surname Zhang e-mailed NTD from the ma! inland t o say, I have finally heard a different voice. I now want my brain back from its having been washed.
Someone with the pen name common person from Shanghai, e-mailed, I write to convey my highest respects to the stations staff. You are not buying rope and being lassoed by the communists.Continued on the next page ... Seeking to Close Little Ears
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