Hakka Radio obtained approval for its license to continue operations in June this year following the review of its application and proposed business plan regarding a change in management from the Hakka Affairs Council to the Hakka Public Communications Foundation. Hakka Radio, Taiwan’s first national Hakka-language radio station, launched by the Hakka Affairs Council, began its operation after its license was granted in June 2017, in line with government policy to revitalize the Hakka language and culture.
When the Hakka Affairs Council submitted its application for the establishment of Hakka Radio in 2016, its business plan stated that in addition to the construction of nationwide broadcasting relay stations to be carried out over several phases, the management of the radio station would eventually be handed over to a foundation in order to ensure independent operation and sustainable development. In light of this change, NCC suggested at the time that the council make the necessary plans in advance to facilitate smoother transition of personnel and its business.
The Hakka Public Communications Foundation was set up in 2019 for the purpose of managing Hakka-related communications and broadcasting media after the Act for the Establishment of the Hakka Public Communications Foundation was announced during the same year. Consequently, following the completion of the third phase of the construction of relay stations, the Hakka Affairs Council then submitted the application for change to private management of the Hakka Public Communications Foundation.
After undertaking a review of the said application, NCC ascertained it was in line with its original business plan. Furthermore, as the radio station has become a privately-operated business, it can now be considered as an independent operation. The decision of NCC to grant approval can protect the Hakka language and culture, promote access to media for the Hakka people, and facilitate dialogue between Hakka and non-Hakka listeners, and as such, is in line with one of the commission’s core objectives of ensuring cultural diversity .
