ICRT - is it serving you?

  1. Quite a few people who comment on ICRT rarely if ever listen to it.
  2. ICRT has always been pretty lame.
  3. A petition might persuade a management-type there to make a cosmetic change or two to placate the barbarians, but nothing substantial like…
  4. Changing the DJs is now out of the question since they were all nicely hired just a little while ago, while the Westerners were long ago either given the boot or read the writing on the wall.
  5. Helping fund ICRT, which has been mentioned elsewhere, is a curious idea. Who from Forumosa would sit on the board? What powers of decision-making would he/she or they have? Would Forumosa also start a fundraising drive to improve the Taipei Times, for example? Contribute for a full-time proofreader? What about the Taiwan News? Is it serving you, the English-language reader? Ready to pitch in?
  6. An observer stated that ICRT gets NT$72 million a year from some section of the government to operate. This is about NT$6 million a month or NT$200,000 a day. How much money do they need? More importantly, how much money does it take to stop Chinesizing the station and stop playing 25-year-old songs (bad ones at that) and introduce modern programing and format? It’s not a dollar issue, it is a “smarts” issue.
    Three people transmitting on Yangmingshan from their van could program a better show.

[quote]Bugsy, I think it is fair for me to say, we all understand the importance of students using ICRT to help them learn English. That’s a given.
[/quote]
Then perhaps they should call themselves a student radio station.

I admire you guys who still think change is possible at ICRT. After their latest change, I’ve given up on them.

When Doc Casey and his gang of Bob Seger-Journey-Poco fanatics were thrown out about two Christmases ago, I thought there was a lot of hope for a change for the better. In my book, that would’ve meant more contemporary music of all types - whether rock, dance, hiphop, blues etc - and still a strong emphasis on news.
I don’t know why, but when this local woman came in as general manager, they went completely the other direction.
I don’t think it matters whether listeners are foreigners or Taiwanese, I think they all want ICRT to be different from your average Taiwanese radio station. And that’s just not happening.
I hope your petition will change that, but I’m extremely pessimistic.

On an ICRT-related topic: somewhere in one of threads - and I don’t remember where or who - someone wrote that Jeff Locker had returned to the States. Well, that looked suspiciously like him dressed up like Santa hosting that French guy’s attempt to climb Taipei 101 this morning.

Maoman,

Just exactly how many foreigners is there in Taiwan? Can you please give us a ballpark figure?

BTW, Mira Cruz wants YOU to take her name off your post.

And, oh, merry Christmas everyone. :bouncy:

The only time I listen to ICRT is when I am in a store or taxi where it is on. The signal is weak (and I’m in Taipei) and the DJ (at least the one on at 10:00 pm) is terribly annoying. I’m quite particular about my music and thus don’t expect any station to play what I like. However, the DJ talks and laughs and sings and acts like an ass even through the songs. Who would listen to such crap of their own volition?

[quote=“Dave’s girl”]BTW, Mira Cruz wants YOU to take her name off your post.[/quote]On what grounds ? Maoman posted a link to a page critical of Forumosa, what does she have to be ashamed of ? Apart from her spelling ?
Why doesn’t ICRT start a petition about how Forumosa doesn’t serve its claimed audience ? Or how about one about Forumosa deletes any posts that criticize it ? :ponder:

[quote=“Big Fluffy Matthew”][quote=“Dave’s girl”]BTW, Mira Cruz wants YOU to take her name off your post.[/quote]On what grounds ? Maoman posted a link to a page critical of Forumosa, what does she have to be ashamed of ? Apart from her spelling ?
Why doesn’t ICRT start a petition about how Forumosa doesn’t serve its claimed audience ? Or how about one about Forumosa deletes any posts that criticize it ? :ponder:[/quote]

I don’t think it’s because Mira Cruz’s ashamed of anything, Big Fluffy. On the contrary, I think she’s resentful of forumosa. You obviously didn’t pay attention. Maoman posted a link to the topic/thread concerning the ICRT petition, which is no longer there now that they’ve closed the forums, along with her profile, which she’s just recently updated. Please go read it then you’ll know what I mean.

And about the spelling…you have got to be joking! :loco: So, you’ve been a long-time lurker there now, is that it? Then why is it you haven’t been a member there even before all these stupid changes were made? I think one of the points that Mira Cruz made or was trying to make was and I quote: “If you didn’t support ICRT, then why should ICRT support you now?” cut to the the heart of the matter. How many of you here have been active members or at least have registered to be memebers at the ICRT before? Not that many I don’t think. Now you wonder why the stations had made changes to better serve their local audience?! Which brings me to the ICRT mandate. If you have read it carefully, which I’m not sure any of you have, you would have noticed that there is an AND in between.

“Our primary mandate is to serve the expatriate community in Taiwan, which constitutes about 5% of our audience, and to act as a cultural bridge to our local audience, which makes up the other 95%.”

I just thought I’d mention it. Doesn’t it mean foreigners are only one of the two groups of people ICRT is trying to serve–one consititues 95% while the other consititues onlyabout 5%?

P.S. Her spelling is way superior then yours. No personal attacks please. That only makes you come off as a jerk rather someone who’s got something intelligent to say.

[color=red]‘Than’[/color] appears not to have enjoyed Word of the Day status at ICRT yet.

Dave’s girl wrote:

Registering for something has nothing to do with listening to the radio.
If you want to point a fine point on it, ICRT has never catered to the international community. It has catered to the pan-American community. Ever heard any Thai songs? Malaysian? Indian? Indonesian? Filipino? Vietnamese? There are more of these people than all the Caucasians in Taiwan put together by far.

Actually they did play quite a lot of Filipino songs, but they were just consigned to their one little ghetto slot, for a few hours once a week.

So its back to work and that would also mean back to business, everyone.

Things are still rather heated about whether the only English radio station in Taiwan -gone mish mash has ever served the imperial likes of the very vocal audience that is the wits who offer more problems rather than solutions to improving the station’s performance.

The problems with ICRT have all been reiterated ad nauseam throughout the threads and it seem the most rational response has come from Rantheman, in all fairness.

“Okay I want to be fair to ICRT. Here’s what I propose:
Go back to mostly English programming.
Make a playlist based on customer demand.
Have a smash or trash hour once a week for songs by either signed or unsigned artists. Yes, play anybody’s record especially those phoney pop stars, so they can lose against bedroom studio warriors who actually have talent. Are you listening ICRT?”

That and the petition itself.

If you are no longer interested in listening to radio for various reasons of your own, then it is your own business. Your putting down of others who do not endorse your opinions only goes to show your narrow-mindedness to the other posters. Carry on if that is your purpose in joining forums.

“The only time I listen to ICRT is when I am in a store or taxi where it is on. The signal is weak (and I’m in Taipei) and the DJ (at least the one on at 10:00 pm) is terribly annoying. I’m quite particular about my music and thus don’t expect any station to play what I like. However, the DJ talks and laughs and sings and acts like an ass even through the songs. Who would listen to such crap of their own volition?”

There’s a DJ search going on. If you think your talent is as sharp as the wit displayed here, you could give it a go. You’d be surprised that the said asses might just pick you to be one of them!

Though I do not disagree with 4nr - It wouldn’t be fair if I did not add some things too.

"Bugsy, I think it is fair for me to say, we all understand the importance of students using ICRT to help them learn English. That’s a given.

For me, as I stated on an earlier post, it was the decision they made to drop the morning news hour that compels me to post a few comments here. For many foreigners this was the time they listened to ICRT, especially the people that have a regular job and like to listen to the news when they get up. For the music playlist, which is the other reason why people feel the need to make a comment, you seem to agree that the playlist can be improved. (basically, mandopop has its place, as long as it is not overplayed).

I think what the authors of the petition are trying to do is simply have ICRT management live up to their stated charter. If they receive any funding from the government because they claim to offer a special service, then they have to offer that special service. (if they don’t, then of course, biz is biz).

If they don

To what wit are you referring? I made no attempt at being witty in my remark above. I simply stated an opinion. If you don’t agree with my opinion, that’s just too fucking bad, isn’t it?

In any event, I made no comment or remark indicating that I thought I could do better than the ICRT DJs. I simply opined that I think the ICRT DJs are annoying and I explained why I think that.

No, I think the asses would pick you. Or, are you already one of the asses?

BTW, it doesn’t take an ounce of wit to shut up while a song is playing. And if you think the antics of the DJ to whom I referred are witty, well, let’s just say that you and I have vastly different tastes in humor. :unamused:

BTW, its either “the” or “said”. It is not “the said”. :unamused:

Why should we offer solutions to ICRT? We are merely the listeners (well, OK, hardly any of us can actually stand to listen to ICRT). We are not the customers, either. And, we are not ICRT management.

ICRT can do as it pleases. And if it pleases ICRT to broadcast inane crap, that is ICRT’s privilege. And its our privilege to criticize the inane crap broadcast by ICRT.

I’ve been here for 20 years and IMO, ICRT has always been terrible, except for the news at the top of the hour. However, once I could get my news on-line, I stopped listening to the poor excuse for a radio station that is ICRT.

The other night I was in a store and thus unfortunately subjecte to listening to ICRT and the 10:00 pm DJ. He had as a guest a guy who I suppose was a previous ICRT DJ now working elsewhere. I was amazed that these two were talking on air about how great ICRT is and how Americans in Taiwan do not know how lucky we are to have ICRT.

What a load of trash. Absolute rubbish… and these guys are on air patting themselves on the back… what a joke. :unamused:

[quote=“wolf_reinhold”]Dave’s girl wrote:

Registering for something has nothing to do with listening to the radio.
If you want to point a fine point on it, ICRT has never catered to the international community. It has catered to the pan-American community. Ever heard any Thai songs? Malaysian? Indian? Indonesian? Filipino? Vietnamese? There are more of these people than all the Caucasians in Taiwan put together by far.[/quote]

Tito’s AsiaNations! Hello?

[color=red]‘Than’[/color] appears not to have enjoyed Word of the Day status at ICRT yet.[/quote]

If you have nothing better to do than picking on my typos, then perhaps you should just head over to the ICRT website because there’s a lot of the ESL students can use your help there. Have a nice day. :loco:

To what wit are you referring? I made no attempt at being witty in my remark above. I simply stated an opinion. If you don’t agree with my opinion, that’s just too f***ing bad, isn’t it?

In any event, I made no comment or remark indicating that I thought I could do better than the ICRT DJs. I simply opined that I think the ICRT DJs are annoying and I explained why I think that.

No, I think the asses would pick you. Or, are you already one of the asses?

BTW, it doesn’t take an ounce of wit to shut up while a song is playing. And if you think the antics of the DJ to whom I referred are witty, well, let’s just say that you and I have vastly different tastes in humor. :unamused:

BTW, its either “the” or “said”. It is not “the said”. :unamused:[/quote]

Right. Instead of mouthing off behind Forumosa’s generosity, why not actually talk the talk and register with ICRT’s forum?
Calling others names on some other forum is pointless.

[quote=“Bugsy”]Right. Instead of mouthing off behind Forumosa’s generosity, why not actually talk the talk and register with ICRT’s forum?
Calling others names on some other forum is pointless.[/quote]

I’m not trying to make a point. I just stated my opinion.

Who did I call names and what names did I call him/her?

The truth is, I don’t care if ICRT goes off the air forever. I’ve never liked it and I don’t need it.

That doesn’t stop me from having an opinion regarding ICRT. I’m an opinionated fellow.

IMO, ICRT is a terrible radio station.

If the poor quality of ICRT matters so much to you, then you do something about it. I don’t care enough.

[quote=“Tigerman”][quote=“Bugsy”]Right. Instead of mouthing off behind Forumosa’s generosity, why not actually talk the talk and register with ICRT’s forum?
Calling others names on some other forum is pointless.[/quote]

I’m not trying to make a point. I just stated my opinion.

Who did I call names and what names did I call him/her?

The truth is, I don’t care if ICRT goes off the air forever. I’ve never liked it and I don’t need it.

That doesn’t stop me from having an opinion regarding ICRT. I’m an opinionated fellow.

IMO, ICRT is a terrible radio station.

If the poor quality of ICRT matters so much to you, then you do something about it. I don’t care enough.[/quote]
Very well-put, Tigerman. I care enough to sign a petition saying that I don’t feel served by ICRT. That’s as far as it goes.
The ideal solution for me would be for ICRT to disappear from the ether forever, with the news guys picked up by BCC to do their thing on 99.7 for an hour or two a day.

[quote=“wolf_reinhold”]6. An observer stated that ICRT gets NT$72 million a year from some section of the government to operate.[/quote]First I’ve heard of it. Considering that the BBC Asian Network, a national station by and for the asian communities (and created by the government, the one here couldn’t give a monkeys) has a buget of