Taiwan Today

In the late 1960s, a squad of scruffy American soldiers was enthusiastically welcomed once a week to homes and street-side noodle stands throughout Taiwan. People converged on the lucky homes and shops that had one of the island's relatively few black-and-white TV sets in order to watch "Combat," the action series set in northern Europe during World War II.

The American soldiers had great appeal. They were courageous and compassionate freedom fighters, and after considerable suspense and subterfuge, always managed to beat the Nazis. Since "Combat" had proved to be such a big hit on American TV, the management of Taiwan Television Enterprise (TTV) selected it for telecast in Taiwan. Supported by Chinese subtitles, the program was a winner. Although the series has long disappeared from the screen, "Combat" still remains high on the list of all-time favorite TV shows in Taiwan and illustrates the kind of successful draw that foreign programs have always enjoyed.

In fact, when TTV became the island's first television station in 1962, it relied heavily on imported programs during its first decade. Before China Television Company (CTV) was established as the second station in 1969, approximately 50 percent of TTV's programs were imported, mostly from the U.S. According to data provided by TTV, the competition helped bring imports down to 32.9 percent by 1970. The following year, Chinese Television System (CTS) became Taiwan's third commercial TV station, and the last thus far.

Limited equipment, creativity, and technical expertise at first prevented all three TV companies from producing more than news and educational programs. And because of inexperience with presenting foreign TV programs, the stations also overlooked the need to translate nuances of language and culture for local audiences. The viewers had little choice except to be content with subtitles that were often confusing, if they were provided at all.

But by 1976, there were 2.6 million TV sets in Taiwan, one for every six persons (up from one and a half TV sets for every 100 households in 1964). By this time, competition for viewers had intensified, forcing the stations to become aware not only of what their viewers wanted to see, but also their role as producers rather than importers. The number of locally produced programs gradually increased, taking over broadcast time previously devoted to foreign programs.

One of the most successful of these early homegrown programs was "Ching-Ching," a CTV drama series that began in 1969. The daily thirty-minute serial drew on themes that had resonance with many residents: upheaval, dislocation, and separation because of World War II and the Communist domination of mainland China. The story focused on a young girl in search of her mother after the two were separated in transit to Taiwan. Lasting 102 episodes, and ending in the reunion of mother and child, the series was a runaway success. It also brought Chinese programming into the heavily foreign-dominated prime time slot (8:00 to 11:00 P.M), strong proof that viewers appreciated programs with a local flavor.

Despite accomplishments such as "Ching-Ching," the stations could not afford to discourage imports. During the past decade, they have used foreign programs to fill programming gaps and even prime time slots in their broadcasting schedules, which run from thirteen to eighteen hours a day. (Except for morning news shows, programming lasts roughly from noon to 1:00 or 2:00 the following morning.) Says James Jiang, chief of the film division at CTS: "Imported programs have that certain ability to retain their audiences."

All sorts of foreign programs, from action dramas and mysteries to sitcoms and science fiction, have attracted loyal fans. For example, the three gorgeous detectives in "Charlie's Angels," who were noted more for sex appeal than investigative skills, caused as much excitement in Taipei as they did in Chicago. And audiences in Taiwan are just as familiar with American classics such as "I Love Lucy," "Mission Impossible," "FBI," and "Star Trek," and with old hits such as "Six-Million-Dollar Man," "Bionic Woman," "Love Boat," and "Three's Company."

"We prefer to buy exciting programs with a fast tempo and lots of action," says Rex Liu, chief of the program department's film section at CTV. The station's list of successes includes "Hawaii Five-0," "Starsky and Hutch," and "FBI." Recent acquisitions "Knight Rider" and "Tour of Duty" took the fourth and the ninth slot in last year's top ten favorite programs, according to surveys by United Advertising Co. Although "Knight Rider" has already been cancelled by NBC in the U.S., CTV continues to air reruns and has shown some episodes more than three times. The action and fantasy series still maintains one-fourth of the viewers in its time slot. Why? Liu shrugs and says, "The young people just love it."

Audiences in Taiwan prefer love stories, soap operas, dramas, and slapstick comedies. But popular American shows in these categories do not necessarily make it in Taiwan. For example, "Dallas" (TTV) and "Dynasty" (CTV) did win a small devoted audience, but the flamboyant lifestyles of the main characters and their sophisticated maneuvering for money and power proved too unreal for the average viewer. Likewise, the slick packaging of the American evening soaps bombed on the Chinese screen.

CTS has had better luck with "The Mount Royal," a Canadian drama series, because its orientation fits better with the ideals of traditional Chinese ethics. "The emphasis is less on greed and power struggles, and more on social obligations and strength of convictions," Jiang says. CTS has also been successful with the American drama and fantasy show "The Beauty and the Beast." It especially won the hearts of well-educated women.

Just as the highly commercialized and lightweight U.S. soaps fell by the wayside, thoughtful American-produced miniseries also failed to translate well. "We try to introduce high-quality programs and 'The Lonesome Dove' was undoubtedly a very good miniseries," Jiang says. But audience response was disappointing. "The Lonesome Dove," a 1989-90 Emmy Award winner for best miniseries, was hard for viewers in Taiwan to accept because it did not have the usual ingredients of a Western—guns, outlaws, and an honest sheriff. And if that was not disheartening enough, when CTS ran the critically acclaimed "War and Remembrance," it also attracted very few viewers.

Lessons in poor ratings for miniseries go back to 1986 and include "North and South" and "Winds of War." But if it was any comfort to the programmers who selected them, the small group of viewers who stayed through all the episodes of these miniseries was the original target audience: they were highly educated English speakers, most of whom were women. TV industry pundits were puzzled that these American miniseries were ignored by local viewers, given their popularity in many parts of the world.

"According to some data we obtained, both miniseries had a very narrow appeal, accounting for only 7 percent of our viewers," Jiang says. But it was also difficult for the station to gather detailed audience response because the telephone was the only survey instrument used. Since the program began just before midnight, a telephone survey was not practicable.

There have been some success stories, however, and the American blockbuster series "Roots" was perhaps most instrumental in building confidence in American miniseries. Imported by CTV, viewer response to "Roots" mirrored its huge success on American TV, even though the story line focused on problems that were remote from Chinese experience. The popularity of the series locally was attributed to its fame in the U.S., the high-quality production techniques, and the story itself. The fact that the show was aired without being cut or otherwise edited also added to its appeal.

"Teleplays with universal themes are more appealing to our viewers," Liu says. But the type and range of programming are in the hands of the suppliers. Although the U.S. networks are the larg­est exporters of TV programs, they have a vast and self-contained market at home. And since the primary aim of American TV is to entertain and educate American audiences, programming mirrors current issues, concerns, and fads in the U.S.

Through the years, situation comedies have been the mainstay of U.S. programming, occupying about 40 percent of the prime time slots (which in the U.S. is from 7:00 to 11:00 P.M). Game shows, variety shows, news, movies, talk shows, sports, and serials make up the other 60 percent. In Taiwan, reruns of sitcoms such as "Three's Company," "The Ropers," and "Love Boat" still play to an enthusiastic crowd of young people, particularly university students and English speakers. But the heavy use of American expressions in these shows is a drawback in attracting more viewers. Chinese subtitles are unable to eliminate all the language and cultural barriers.

Some imported sitcoms have had wider popular appeal. CTS has had especially good luck with one of America's favorites, "The Cosby Show." It ranked sixth on the top ten favorite foreign programs for 1989. CTS's broadcast of "Who's the Boss?" is doing even better ranking fifth. When the first few episode of both shows were aired in English with Chinese subtitles, the two sitcoms immediately won many viewers. But CTS then dubbed the shows in Mandarin and the ratings climbed even higher. With Bill Cosby and the rest of the cast speaking Chinese, viewers found it much easier to identify with the sitcom family. The show has even inspired a local spin-off featuring a similarly constituted ideal Chinese family.

A large part of the appeal of both "The Cosby Show" and "Who's the Boss?" is the result of creative dubbing which includes lively Mandarin equivalents for American expressions. This attention to translation is also found in "Alf," brought to Taiwan by TTV. While the antics of the furry alien adapt­ing to an American home is dubbed in Mandarin, there is another major and winning difference. Whereas Alf's voice in the original soundtrack is deep and warbled, in the Taiwan version the voice is still masculine, but is lighthearted and naughty and more suited to Alf's endearing character.

Surprisingly enough, the three TV stations did not begin dubbing regular features until the late 1980s. The process requires translations that are at once precise and imaginative, and it is tedious work. But the dubbing has done much to increase the number of viewers. "Most of the imported TV programs are dubbed because we want to reach every viewer," says Michael C.S. Hsiang, international section chief in TTV's business department. "And this way we can reach people who may not have a high level of education."

Hsiang adds that TTV seldom imports the two or three top-rated pro­ grams on American TV. These programs are often sitcoms and they have such an American flavor that even people who can speak English cannot grasp the dialogue. "These shows have to be telecast with the original soundtrack because a lot would be lost in translation," he says. "Moonlighting," an earlier effort, also failed to draw a large audience. It was dubbed in Mandarin, but the translation did not render the true character of the show. TTV has had somewhat better results from "L.A. Law," which is telecast in English with Chinese subtitles. The series has attracted a small but loyal following of English-speaking, upmarket professionals.

Every year, representatives of the three TV companies attend the Cannes Film Festival and the Los Angeles TV Program Auditions to shop for programs. Since marketability is the major criterion, the buyers are not particularly adventurous in their selection. They limit their choices to programs that have already achieved popularity in the U.S. market.

"We seldom buy programs in advance because we require guarantees of good viewer response," Jiang says. "Sometimes there are shows that we think will have special appeal to our viewers. But if the three major U.S. networks reject them, we have to forget them. We can't afford to shoulder the production costs." But Jiang also insists that there is no hard-and-fast rule that determines selection. "Sometimes risk and luck count more," he says.

Even then, some of American TV's overwhelming successes flopped in Taiwan. CTV recently picked the top hits "Cheers" and "Golden Girls," but neither made it over the cultural hurdle. There are no friendly neighborhood bars like Cheers in Taiwan, and elderly ladies on local TV are accorded sage wisdom, respectability, and honor, not the sensual joie de vivre of the golden girls. Nevertheless, expectations were high. "Golden Girls" was initially placed in the weekday prime time slot, but it was soon moved to Sunday midnight, then to Saturday midnight, and finally put to rest on Wednesday midnight. "Cheers" was cancelled after the first episode.

Among the three stations, TTV's choices have proven to be most often on the mark. The Canadian series "My Secret Identity," "MacGyver," and "Head of the Class" are aired consecutively from 8:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. on Saturday night, when TV viewing is at a peak. At first, the shows were considered risky selections because in the U.S. they either ranked low in popularity or were slipping in ratings. For example, "MacGyver," primarily aimed at American teen and female audiences, barely made it to the top 50 in the Nielsen ratings. But its performance in Taiwan is nothing short of spectacular. No other show has been able to challenge its number-one position in popularity.

The success of the series, which is dubbed in Mandarin, has made its star, Richard Dean Anderson, the hero of teens and university students. Students have the utmost respect for MacGyver, according to a recent survey by a high g school concerning the most respected figures from the past and present. (Sun Yat-sen was named most respected figure from the past.) Adolescents see MacGyver as witty, chivalrous, and brave in the face of new challenges. He opposes violence, believes in the law, and is charmingly funny. He also has the uncanny ability to get out of every fix by fashioning escape tools with whatever is at hand.

MacGyver is also a campus fashion leader, and has done much to increase the sales of Nike hi-tops, the athletic shoes the lean defender wears even when not chasing the bad guys. Other promoters have jumped on the bandwag­on, selling jeeps (MacGyver drives one) and a sports drink called Su Pau, which could be translated as "easy running." The sports drink promoters are banking on the popularity of MacGyver to boost its image and stimulate sales. The company shelled out US$350,000 in Los Angeles to shoot a commercial with Anderson as the star. He comes to the rescue of two lovely young women whose car has stalled. After assessing the situation, MacGyver takes a can of Su Pau, flips the tab, and uses it to solve the mechanical problem. The ad is well-liked in Taiwan, and indicates a growing awareness of the profitable spin-offs possible from popular TV programs.

Although it costs considerably less to purchase a foreign program than to produce a local show, all three stations have begun to limit their dependence on imported programs. They currently follow a similar format in their weekly telecasts of foreign programs: two movies; five serials, including one action series and one miniseries; and five to seven cartoons.

Popular local shows are already taking time away from foreign programs, and government regulations also restrict imports to 30 percent of total broadcasting time. But the three TV stations actually use imports to fill an average of only 12 to 20 percent of broadcasting time. CTS, for example, has almost filled its schedule with local shows in the last three years. Imports occupy only 10 to 15 percent of airtime and account for less than 8 percent of the station's income. Foreign programs may be here to stay, but they are not as critical to programming schedules—or to the success of the stations. Although the few big hits are allotted prime time status, most are scheduled to fill the fringe viewing hours after 11:00 P.M.

But cartoons are a different story. Each station shows an average of one hour and a half of cartoons per day, and Taiwan is dependent on imports for all its cartoon programming. "Animation requires great technical skills," Jiang says, "and production costs are remarkably high. Because of the steep cost, CTS abandoned its plans to produce cartoons."

Cartoons shown on Taiwan TV come from the U.S., Japan, and several European countries. And since kids are the targeted viewers, the government has placed restrictions on the types of cartoons the stations can air. Fifty percent of the cartoons are supposed to be soft features such as "Smurfs," "The Muppet Babies," "Little Rascals," and Walt Disney productions. The other half can be action features and science fiction such as "The Mighty Robots," "Ironman 28, " and "The Lone Ranger."

Although the U.S. is the major source of cartoons, local children have somewhat different tastes from American kids. For example, "Peanuts," which CBS airs in the U.S. during prime time, did not draw many young viewers in Taiwan. But cartoon classics such as "Popeye," "Dennis the Menace," "Mickey Mouse," and "Superman" have become big favorites. More recent winners include "She-ra," "He-Man," "Rambo," and "Super Seven."

In the past, Japan was the source of an overwhelming number of cartoons. The door was opened to Japanese cartoons after the TV stations had exhausted the American supply. "We were running short," says Liu, "so the government allowed the import of Japanese cartoons, but only if they did not exalt Japanese culture." Nevertheless, the animations were controversial because of the predominance of violence and explosions. "If there isn't very much choice in the market," says Liu, "CTV prefers to rerun good cartoons such as those produced by Walt Disney."

To prevent the heavy influx of Japanese cartoons, in 1984 the government ruled that no more than 50 percent of imported cartoons could come from Japan. In the meantime, programmers were exploring new suppliers of cartoons that were at once marketable and acceptable for kids. CTS made one of the best buys when it introduced the famous cartoon character Smurf and the rest of his village to local kids. The adventures of the Smurfs have met success with children everywhere, beginning from Belgium, across Europe and the United States, and now Taiwan.

Stations are diversifying their sources for both foreign cartoons and other TV programming. Even though homegrown programs demonstrate a growing level of sophistication, station programmers still keep their eyes open for shows that have made it big elsewhere. Like other aspects of the Taiwan economy, diversification of markets is the order of the day. Stations are looking beyond the U.S. to Canada and Europe, and south to Australia for hit shows. For example, one of TTV's biggest hits, "My Secret Identity," is from Canada, as is CTS's "The Mount Royal." And unlike the feeble response they gave to other miniseries, viewers raved about "Return to Eden," which TTV brought to Taiwan from Australia.

Viewer surveys indicate that foreign programs play an important role, and that they are in Taiwan to stay. They fill gaps in broadcasting schedules, add different perspectives and dimensions to the programming day, and help create a more internationalized audience—attractive returns for only a few hours each week.