他們為什麼總在流浪? －－新聞頻道記者的理想與追尋

Abstract

1993年，台灣開放有線電視市場，頻道百家爭鳴，媒體一片榮景。在24小時新聞頻道出現後，改變了台灣電視新聞的市場面貌，更掀起一場人力爭奪戰。 新聞頻道的崛起之初，創造許多新聞工作的職缺，急需電視新聞人才穩固江山，於是大舉向三台挖角，同時延攬平面、廣播電台的人才。然而數年之後，產業市場從三家變成數十家，甚至上百家，過度競爭之下，廣告收益無法負荷高薪挖角的支出，進而轉向以招募新兵、培訓自家記者的方式填補龐大人力缺口。 有線電視發展十五年間，產業市場經過不少次階段性的重組，結構的變化直接影響了新聞從業人員。隨著產業市場的興起與沒落，新聞工作的人力市場也跟著擴充與萎縮，歷經一波波的挖角、跳槽、出走，「人力流動」現象從未間斷。 本次研究報導採訪了12位具有流動經歷的新聞頻道工作者，筆者依據他們的流動故事與其對於流動問題的觀察，整理出這十五年間，新聞頻道記者流動的主要成因及其影響。 經過深度訪談，筆者從產業市場、媒體組織與個人發展等三個面向，歸納出影響電視新聞界人力流動的幾個主因。尤其在2000年的政黨輪替之後，台灣特有的政治文化，亦是影響產業市場與媒體組織的一大因素，它不但改變了電視新聞媒體的文化現象，也牽動各電視媒體組織結構與人事脈動。同時產業市場也在政治力、經濟力與社會力的交互影響下，電視新聞工作環境大不如前，以致許多受訪者始終抱持騎驢找馬的心態，將希望放在一次又一次的跳槽機會上。 歸納所有受訪者的流動經驗後，筆者發現：橫隔一條2000年的分水嶺，就個人流動因素而言，前期記者與後期記者的流動原因相差不大，皆是以薪資與職務因素為多；但是「時間因素」對於產業市場與組織文化，則造成了差異性極大的變化。另外，24小時新聞播報的頻道特性，使得新聞需求量不斷增加，這種壓力不但犧牲了新聞的品質，也使得嚴格把關的守門人理論徹底崩毀。惡性循環的結果：記者失去了原來的工作尊嚴與角色功能，淪為生產線上的作業員；新聞內容也充斥著各種公關、廣告資訊，而成了濫竽充數的報導。這些都是造成台灣新聞媒體亂象的厲階，也是此次研究發現中，筆者所最深以為憂的問題。

With the restrictions on cable television lifted in 1993, the media industry saw a time of prosperity as hundreds of channels clamoured for attention. The advent of the 24 hour news channel not only changed the structure of the Taiwan television news industry, but also introduced a war for talent. In the beginning, news channels had many job openings that needed to be filled, experienced television news reporters were urgently needed to solidify their foundation, leading to recruitment of personnel in the national channels, along with the recruitment of press and radio broadcast personnel. Years later under extreme competition after cable television channels grew from three to several dozen, or more than a hundred, the advertisement income from news channels could not withstand the high salary recruitments from the past, which is why they turned to recruiting new personnel or training reporters to fill the needs in employment. In the evolution of cable television throughout the last 15 years, there had been many levels of restructuring. In terms of the television news industry, the most directly affected aspect of structure are personnel working in news. With the rise and fall of the television news industry, the labour market also expanded and contracted as waves of poaching and transfers made the flow of labour within the industry never ceased. Why do news reporters wander around? This is the main problem the author wishes to solve within this case study. This case study interviews 12 television news reporters who experienced job-hopping within the industry. Based on their personal stories, this case study is able to organize the various societal changes, media organizational evolutions in the last 15 years of Taiwan's television news industry, and to extract the main reasons for job-hopping.