In order to show local TV audiences what actually goes on behind the screen, in February 1989 the China Television Company (CTV) opened a working museum of television called "TV City." Located on the third floor of their new production and broadcast complex in eastern Taipei, TV City uses a combination of wall charts, displays, working models, and TV sets to explain how television works.
Lang Yu-heng, deputy director of CTV's public relations department and designer of TV City, explains the idea behind the display: "We want our viewers to understand how programs are produced and broadcast, and also to give them an idea what changes they can expect in TV technology. For example, liquid crystal screens will make television sets of the near future thin enough to hang on the wall like a picture."
The Cheshire Chipmunk—thanks to TV technology, what viewers see (middle screen) may actually be deceptively contrived.
CTV spent about US$1.5 million to create TV City, and local and overseas manufacturers added an equivalent amount in contributions of equipment. A staff of thirty people at TV City uses seventy different displays to show visitors everything from program planning to the technological intricacies of broadcasting. Large windows in one display area show TV in action. They allow visitors to look down into CTV's No. 1 and No. 3 recording studios where they can see an actual production in progress without disturbing the performers or crew.
There are also mock studios for those who want to fulfill fantasies of being on-the-air. For a small fee, a visitor can sit at the nighttime news desk and have the TV cameraman transmit the image into a color photo-laser printer, providing a permanent memento of the occasion.
Computer dating of a different sort—with the help of a TV technician, a fan poses with a favorite star.
The latest developments in TV sets are on display, including liquid crystal, solar powered, 3-D, wall projection, and some potential future models still being perfected. Nearby, a line of sets are tuned in to broadcasts from various satellite services, illustrating the broad range of programming already available to people who own satellite dish receivers. One of the sets runs a videotaped explanation of satellite broadcast technology. Other technology-related displays cover special audio-visual effects and the use of computers in TV production.
Blowups of Taiwan's TV celebrities adorn another exhibit area. Their likenesses are stored in a computer, and the wonders of technology make it possible for visitors to call them up and have their picture taken "sitting next to their favorite star." Props from famous TV, shows are also on display, as is some of the equipment used in the early days of television in Taiwan.
For a small admission fee of US$2.75, a visitor can join the other 800,000 people who have already spent time immersed in the fascinating world of television.