ICRT - is it serving you?

publish.pots.com.tw/english/Feat … index.html

You read this?

On one hand, it was established as a non-profit entity to serve the foreign community - which has for 25 years failed to pay the bills while harboring thankless peanut galleries, like Forumosa. (In a rare move of propriety, the site removed its petition’s “Comments” section after only a few days, as several of the comments were to the effect: “I couldn’t care less about the morons you employ as so-called “presenters” but let’s have some English news. Or else, change your name and stop cheating the public.”)

I thought Forumosa and Pots were on good terms. That

It’s also questionable why he included this sentence in the POTS article:

I’m just glad the girl was wearing heels. Imagine if she’d had on loafers – would have changed the entire thrust of the article.

To say nothing of how noting the width of her lapel gave the article a certain something.

[quote=“Chewycorns”]… thankless peanut galleries, like Forumosa. (In a rare move of propriety, the site removed its petition’s “Comments” section after only a few days…

I thought Forumosa and Pots were on good terms. That

I preferred this comment:

Now when you listen to ICRT, even native speakers can physically feel their own English standard dropping just listening. ICRT may’ve helped her pass TOEFL, but in its current state I doubt even its DJs could pass, let alone people trying to learn from it.

Oh, and this one:

Am I reading that right? Did she just imply that even the ECCT are American because Expat==American?

She used ICRT to help her English, Tetsuo, what do you expect?

Yes, ICRT used to be a great, unique, and loved station, and now it sucks. That’s why I never listen to it.

But, hey, what’s the beef? It’s a private station. It can do whatever it wants. I’m sorry that it decided to go from a world-class, multi-cultural, intelligent, informed and informative station, to shite radio, but it did. That’s ‘progress’, right?

Actually I think one of the big points made throughout this thread is that it’s technically not a private station.

is it just me, or is ICRT paying a GREAT deal more english music than a month or two ago? Alot of it cheesy, but english all the same.

To those who listen to ICRT, do you ever hear the Tavern-Premier Commercials? To refresh your memories, back in February when ICRT stated that funding was part of their problems, we agreed to sponsor a sports news show in the morning to have better sports coverage. The package deal came with commercials for which a Forumosan lent his voice (FOC). If you listen to the Tavern Premier Sports report (that is what it is called) at 7’10am on weekdays, what is your opinion of the coverage?

I heard one of the Tavern Commercials around 5pm tonight.

You know? I have heard the odd decent (Hall and Oats) song between 5 bad ones… The problem for me is that I can’t usually stomach the bad ones long enough to hear a decent one. Another thing I’m noticing is that most Taiwanese people think we like ICRT.

I think it would be nice if they taught us Taiwanese (not too interested in hakka) or even chinese… I bet a dumpload of people would tune in for that. I figure most Taiwanese people can learn English from that, too. They could call it “The Language Exchange”. The best thing would be a really stupid foreigner on there that learns really slow so we could tune in just to hear how stupid he/she is… ahahaha. Then we could go around and tell everyone how much smarter we are than everyone else.

by the way… I haven’t read the pages of posts so excuse me if I’m repeating someone’s idea.

The truth is we’d all be sad if it were gone. We have some foreigner based magazines like 24/7 (hat’s off to you them if they are reading) that get a bad rap… but it’s hard to start one and keep it going like that. I think it would be better if we could help improve ICRT by speaking up… that’s if anyone gives a rat’s ass about ICRT - and I think more of you do than you’d care to admit.

I actually brought that idea up on their forum once, back when I still cared and thought maybe they might give a shit too. The post was deleted within the day. I think that says a lot about what they think of their supposed target demographic right there.

I’ve given up on ICRT.

Change is not going to be happening there any time soon. After our petition emerged, and concurrent with some pushes from other ex-pat groups, ICRT immediately added several minutes of news to their daily coverage, and reduced Mando-pop to one song an hour. This was a good step. I was then asked if I would serve on an ICRT Advisory Board along with a handful of other expats active in the foreign community. I was happy to accept.

However, it quickly became clear that ICRT would not change their programming style unless they received money from sources outside of advertisers targetting Taiwanese listeners. Since ICRT has never surveyed foreign listeners, advertisers weren’t interested in catering to our listening preferences. We tried approaching legislators, but were kept at arm’s length. Nobody with any power wants to touch an issue like this. We foreigners don’t vote, so there’s no point in addressing our needs - there’s no political capital to be earned. At the same time, ICRT has stubbornly refused to consider a morning show format, there is no community bulletin board, more and more interviews are being conducted entirely in Chinese, and more and more entirely-Chinese commercials are being broadcast. Even some of ICRT’s own commercials are broadcast entirely in Mandarin. There seems to be a revolving door of staff there right now also, and none of them seem to have any experience in radio. And they’re still stubbornly sticking to their broken-English slogan “We radio life.” :unamused:

I understand they’re trying to make a buck in the only way they know how, but I think they need to stop the sham of pretending that we’re their primary mandate. No actions they have taken in the last 6 months have convinced me of that.

On Friday, I resigned from the ICRT Advisory Board and told them that I would not be wasting my efforts with ICRT any longer.

I never listen to it. In fact I don’t even know what station it is on.

Maoman, I think you were foolish to think ICRT would make any changes. It has always sucked and always will and all of your time, effort, blood, sweat and tears would have been better wasted/invested in DIY.

Fuck ICRT. :raspberry: They suck. Always have and always will.

I’m glad you moved on, man. I hope you will direct your energies to something worthwhile and free of Taiwanese tinkering (not free of Taiwanese, but free of Taiwanese management- i. e. mismanagement).

[quote=“Maoman”]I’ve given up on ICRT.

Change is not going to be happening there any time soon. After our petition emerged, and concurrent with some pushes from other ex-pat groups, ICRT immediately added several minutes of news to their daily coverage, and reduced Mando-pop to one song an hour. This was a good step. I was then asked if I would serve on an ICRT Advisory Board along with a handful of other expats active in the foreign community. I was happy to accept.

However, it quickly became clear that ICRT would not change their programming style unless they received money from sources outside of advertisers targetting Taiwanese listeners. Since ICRT has never surveyed foreign listeners, advertisers weren’t interested in catering to our listening preferences. We tried approaching legislators, but were kept at arm’s length. Nobody with any power wants to touch an issue like this. We foreigners don’t vote, so there’s no point in addressing our needs - there’s no political capital to be earned. At the same time, ICRT has stubbornly refused to consider a morning show format, there is no community bulletin board, more and more interviews are being conducted entirely in Chinese, and more and more entirely-Chinese commercials are being broadcast. Even some of ICRT’s own commercials are broadcast entirely in Mandarin. There seems to be a revolving door of staff there right now also, and none of them seem to have any experience in radio. And they’re still stubbornly sticking to their broken-English slogan “We radio life.” :unamused:

I understand they’re trying to make a buck in the only way they know how, but I think they need to stop the sham of pretending that we’re their primary mandate. No actions they have taken in the last 6 months have convinced me of that.[/quote]

[quote=“Ric Flair”]Maoman, I think you were foolish to think ICRT would make any changes. It has always sucked and always will and all of your time, effort, blood, sweat and tears would have been better wasted/invested in DIY.

Fuck ICRT. :raspberry: They suck. Always have and always will.

I’m glad you moved on, man. I hope you will direct your energies to something worthwhile and free of Taiwanese tinkering (not free of Taiwanese, but free of Taiwanese management- i. e. mismanagement).[/quote]
I know, but I had to try. And after the petition, ICRT did add more news, and reduce the Mando-pop, so I was initally encouraged. I was also surprised when they asked me to be apart of their advisory board, but I couldn’t really say no - I mean, you can’t criticize an organization for failing to perform, and then turn your back when they ask for your help, right? I think it’s unfortunate that nothing got accomplished.

WWRN could always try to aquire ICRT … :wink:

I actually wish ICRT would play more mando pop.
When I hear the western music they play, I get depressed all day.
They play the crap that reminds me of a soccer mom with too much hairspray and and a smelly yeast infection: that’s right, songs like:

Sarah… Sarah… No time is a good time for goodbye! Oh, Sarah! :taz:

or everybody’s favorite: Phil Collins! Yay! :grrr:

and don’t forget… JOURNEY! :bluemad:

That’s right, all those tragic love songs that remind you of being depressed in America… Ah… Thankyou ICRT. Thank you for screwing up my day. And thanks to the cab driver for being so considerate and brightening my day with the really weird voice of Joseph Lin, who pronounces genre “gen-ray”. But the best part is the old tragic love songs that make everybody depressed! :bravo: