「公共」與「商業」的兩難——華視新聞資訊台專業意理之研究

Abstract

中天新聞台於2020年底因換照失敗離開有線電視系統第52台，公廣集團成員「華視新聞資訊台」在產、官、學各界的支持下，順利從寰宇、台視等諸多商業新聞台的競爭之中脫穎而出，52頻道上架率達73.3%，這是台灣自1993年有線電視合法化30多年以來，第一個進駐第49至58台「黃金新聞頻段」的公共媒體，被寄予翻轉台灣媒體亂象、落實新聞專業價值、提供閱聽眾不同選擇的高度厚望。然而，名義上是公共媒體的華視，截至2024年底前卻仍留有16.76%的少數民股，導致其無法順利取得政府附負擔捐贈預算支持、本質上仍屬營利企業，和其他商業媒體一樣需要面對市場壓力、自負盈虧，呈現「不公不民」的弔詭局面。 在此背景下，本研究即希望探討華視新聞資訊台的新聞專業意理，究竟是較堅守公共價值？抑或仍屈從市場導向下的商業邏輯？具體而言，本研究先透過量化的內容分析法，檢視一週5天工作日晚間新聞1小時的新聞表現；同時以質性的案例分析法，分析其如何處理社會新聞「2024剴剴社工案」的報導，綜合評估華視新聞台的內容表現。不過，由於新聞專業性是種滿足程度，實難直接給予一間新聞媒體某個有意義的絕對分數，因此前述分析範疇除華視新聞台外，也會同時納入公共電視、台視新聞台、TVBS新聞台一同比較。另外，為了在評估表現後得以進一步探究箇中原因，於是本研究最終再藉由深度訪談華視新聞台共9位工作者，以深度詮釋其表現背後的新聞產製邏輯。 本研究在內容分析階段發現，華視新聞台的專業表現較偏向公視，尤其在「新聞類型」、「報導屬性」、「新聞排序」等指標上明顯與台視及TVBS此二商業新聞台有所差異；而在案例分析階段則發現，華視新聞台的專業表現卻較類同於台視及TVBS此二商業新聞台，特別是其仍出現有違無罪推定、淪於媒體審判的特徵。對此，本研究透過深度訪談發現，華視新聞台「在意收視率」的特徵並非阻礙其落實新聞專業的主因，反倒亦屬其中一項重要公共價值指標，甚至「具商業活力」的特質更是華視身處公廣集團之中，之於公視的關鍵定位區隔。雖然這無可避免地讓華視新聞台更容易出現商業媒體為人詬病的特徵，但是其卻正嘗試走出能同時相容「公共」與「商業」兩邏輯的另類道路，即格外要求報導應採取「向公共轉」的藍海策略，力求各式報導皆具含金量、知識性及教育性的嚴肅新聞特徵，以爭取既有小報新聞市場以外的觀眾支持。事實上，無論初步收視表現、理論推論或國外案例（如南韓MBC、英國ITV和Channel 4），都再再證明「內容上既公又民」的策略著實有可行之處，而「上架黃金新聞頻段第52台」便是有效開拓新收視觀眾群的一大關鍵。 回到本研究的核心關切，即「不公不民」的制度困境如何影響華視作為公共媒體的新聞專業實踐？本研究發現，定位不明對華視帶來最嚴重的困境是「長年無法取得公共預算」、「難以有效應用既有資產」，於是「加劇」因產業結構改變所導致的連年虧損問題，最終便限制了華視新聞台可運用的資源，進而威脅到其新聞品質。舉例來說，即便當前華視新聞台主打「國際新聞」，但是其卻毫無長期派駐外國的記者；又如，由於華視新聞台的地方記者規模相對不足，因而其出現比商業新聞台更嚴重的「台北看天下」問題。 最終，本研究共提出三大建議：第一，華視新聞台應持續強化對新聞專業的要求，尤其應明確與商業新聞台在新聞定位上的差異，以回應台灣社會對「不一樣的新聞選擇」之期待。循上，華視新聞台應格外重視並強化新聞自律規範，作為內部穩定且一致的新聞專業意理準繩，且規範應對外公開以昭社會問責。最後，公共媒體作為一種「殊價財」，亟需公共預算支持，因此假若台灣社會期待華視新聞台能好好扮演公共媒體角色、營造有別於商業媒體之新聞景觀，那麼公視基金會、主管機關文化部等各方皆應盡力推動買回剩餘民股，讓華視得以完全公共化、疏通政府附負擔捐贈的預算活水。

At the end of 2020, CTI News left channel 52 on Taiwan's cable TV system due to a failed license renewal. Supported by various sectors, including industry, government, and academia, CTS News Information Channel (commonly referred to as CTS News), a member of the Taiwan Broadcasting System, successfully stood out from competitors like Global News and TTV News, achieving a 73.3% cable penetration rate on channel 52. This marked the first time in over 30 years that a public media outlet entered the so-called “prime news channel spectrum” (channels 49-58) since cable TV was legalized in Taiwan in 1993. There are high hopes that CTS News can reshape Taiwan’s chaotic media landscape, uphold journalistic professionalism, and offer audiences alternative news options. However, despite being nominally a public media outlet, CTS still retains 16.76% of its shares as privately held until the end of 2024. This prevents it from receiving government donations tied to public accountability budgets and, in essence, classifies it as a profit-oriented entity. Consequently, like other commercial media outlets, it faces market pressures and financial self-sufficiency challenges, resulting in a paradoxical “neither entirely public nor private” status. Hence, this study explores whether CTS News follows public value ideals more closely or leans towards market-driven commercial logic. First, the study employs both content analysis and case study (through narrative analysis) to evaluate CTS News’ reports in comparison with those of PTS, TTV News, and TVBS News. To further explore the reasons behind the findings, the study also conducts in-depth interviews with nine CTS News staff members to uncover the production logic behind their performance. During the content analysis phase, the study found that CTS News' professional ideology leaned more towards PTS, particularly in metrics such as “news type,” “hard/soft news,” and “news prioritization,” which differed significantly from the commercial TTV News and TVBS News. However, in the case analysis phase, CTS News’ professional performance resembled that of TTV News and TVBS News, especially in instances of presumption-of-innocence violations and media trials. In-depth interviews revealed that CTS News’ focus on ratings is not the primary barrier to its professional ideology; rather, ratings serve as an important public value indicator. Furthermore, CTS News’ “commercial viability” is seen as a distinguishing feature within the Taiwan Broadcasting System, differentiating it from PTS itself. Although this inevitably exposes CTS News to criticism often leveled at commercial media, the channel is attempting to chart a path that integrates “public” and “commercial” logic. This is evident in its “blue ocean strategy” of shifting to public value, aiming to ensure that all reports exhibit the characteristics of serious news—rich in value, knowledge, and educational qualities—while striving to attract audience support beyond the existing market-driven news landscape. In fact, preliminary ratings, theoretical analyses, and international cases (such as South Korea's MBC, and the UK's ITV and Channel 4) all consistently demonstrate the feasibility of a “content strategy that balances public and private interests.” Moreover, entering the prime news channel spectrum (Channel 52) is a key factor in effectively attracting a new audience. The core concern of this study—how the “neither public nor private” systemic dilemma affects CTS News’ professional ideology—revealed that ambiguous positioning has long hindered CTS’s ability to secure public funding and effectively utilize existing assets. This exacerbates annual losses stemming from structural changes in the industry, ultimately limiting CTS News' available resources and threatening its news quality. For example, while CTS News emphasizes “international news,” it lacks long-term foreign correspondents. Similarly, its relatively small number of local reporters exacerbates a more pronounced “Taipei-centric” problem compared to commercial news outlets. Based on these findings, this study proposes three recommendations: First, CTS News should keep strengthening its commitment to professional ideology, particularly by clarifying its differentiation from commercial news channels to meet Taiwanese society’s demand for a “a different kind of news option.” Building on this, CTS News should emphasize and enhance internal self-regulation as a stable and consistent guideline for professional ideology. Moreover, this self-regulation must be made public to ensure accountability. Lastly, and most importantly, as public media is considered a “merit goods” requiring public funding, if Taiwanese society expects CTS News to fulfill its role as a public media outlet and create a news landscape distinct from commercial media, efforts must be made—especially by the PTS Foundation and the Ministry of Culture—to acquire the remaining private shares. Only under this condition can CTS totally become a public media and receive public funding streams provided through government donations tied to accountability.