The Next Media sale is finally complete. A consortium led by the Formosa Plastics Group will buy Taiwan’s Apple Daily, Next Magazine and Next TV, pending regulatory approval. Many academics and opposition lawmakers hope that approval never comes, because they worry Chinese money is backing the consortium. A KMT lawmaker calls that concern ungrounded.
After close to four months, a deal for Next Media was signed in Macau. Contrary to initial reports, it was finished early this morning and not Tuesday afternoon. After the deal was signed, Apple Daily made it headline news.
Previously there were three buyers for the print and TV units, but a fourth was added to each. Stakes bought by each party also changed.
Originally Tsai Eng-meng was to control 32 percent of Next TV. Instead his share will go to Lee Tai-hung, chairman of the Taiwan Fire and Marine Insurance Co. To comply with Financial Supervisory Commission regulations, Chinatrust Charity Foundation Chairman Jeffrey Koo Jr. will get only a 20 percent share in the TV and print media units.
The other change is who gets the remaining 14 percent share in the print and TV units: Lung Yen Group Chairman Li Shih-tsung. The five buyers are involved in the food, petrochemical, banking, insurance, mortuary and building industries. Each is highly influential. Opposition lawmakers wonder why they’re interested in media.
Gao Jyh-peng
DPP Legislator
Does it really have this big of a profit margin. Is it really worth NT$17.5 billion? You can see that the real benefits aren’t in Taiwan. They’re in China.
Academics are also concerned. The 82-year-old Yu Ying-shih is one of Taiwan’s leading historians and an Academia Sinica member. He said he worries that China is using Taiwanese businessmen to buy media so it can destroy Taiwan aspirations.
A KMT legislator said there’s no proof.
Wu Yu-sheng
KMT Legislator
You can’t assume that Taiwanese businessmen are taking Chinese money when they go to the mainland, earn money then come back here and buy media. I personally don’t support the opinion given by Mr. Yu Ying-shih. I feel it runs contrary to the basic principles of how an intellectual should speak.
The deal is signed, but regulators must give approval. Examining the sale will be the Investment Commission, the Fair Trade Commission and the National Communications Commission.
台灣壹傳媒交易案今天凌晨在澳門簽約完畢，另外還出現兩位新的買主，包括台灣產險公司董事長李泰宏，以及龍巖公司董事長李世聰，股權也出現大搬風，不過五家買主名單曝光後，中研院士余英時憂心忡忡，直批中共藉由台商買媒體，已經到了明目張膽的地步。
壹傳媒交易案歷經將近四個月，終於在28日凌晨在澳門完成簽約，而非先前謠傳的星期二下午，自家媒體以頭版頭方式大篇幅報導。
壹傳媒旗下電視和平面媒體的第四方買家也分別曝光，股權出現大風吹。
電視台，原本蔡衍明持有32%股權，改由台灣產物保險公司董事長李泰宏接下。中信辜仲諒為了符合金管會的要求，電視和平面媒體的持股都降到20%，兩邊剩下的14%都由龍嚴董事長李世聰接手。五大買家背後版圖橫跨食品、石化、銀行保險、殯葬和營造業，勢力相當龐大。
[[立委(民) 高志鵬]]
“(壹傳媒)真的有這麼高獲利率，真的值得用175億元來買嗎，就可以知道說它背後的利益，可能不是在台灣，而是在中國”
不只立委憂心，今年82歲，被譽為台灣最偉大史學家之一的中研院士余英時，也透過聲明擔心中共通過台商收購媒體，明目張膽的瓦解台灣人心。
國民黨立委立刻出來護航。
[[國民黨團書記長 吳育昇]]
“你不能夠說，台灣商人到大陸賺錢，有了錢回來台灣購買媒體，就是拿中國的資金，所以余英時先生這個講法，基本上我個人是不贊成，我認為有悖為一個知識份子講話的基礎點”
壹傳媒完成簽約後，儘管後續還得看投審會、公平會和NCC願不願意點頭，但在沒有違反任何法律規範的情況下，買賣幾乎已成定局。
文章出處 ：民視英語新聞
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