ICRT - is it serving you?

I thought the playlist was supplied ready-made by marketing execs at BMG Records etc. to tie in with whatever dross they were plugging.

I think that’s my point. I’d like them to address that issue. If they did, the quality might get better. (I remember 1989 as being a better time for ICRT as well.) In the next couple of days, I’m going to visit the GIO and ICRT. I’ve got some time in the next couple of weeks so I think I’ll muck around a bit and see if I can stir things up. :wink:

Saw an ICRT TV commercial the other day. No foreigners in it.

Just like their audience.

Originally, ICRT was a service to expats by default. Even though it was really cheesy and the DJs were dips, it was something to clutch on to if you knew nobody here and could not speak the lingo. I mean 15 to 20 years ago there was still only one bookstore, two poor excuses for a newspaper and three TV channels which once in a while would show an English movie before signing off with the Guo Ge.

Once technical progress, economic development and social reform changed that, ICRT lost its appeal because basically their ace up the sleeve and bread and butter so to speak was being the only place in Taiwan to hear English. No longer being the only medium to hear English or get news, what do they decide to do? they “sell out” and look for a way to gradually sound more and more local and at the same time pretend to be the place that “serves” expats. ICRT has been retarded for at least the past 12 years. If they can’t bring in new brass, I say let it rot.

What the hell is up with ICRT these days? All day thanks to my secretaries listening to the radio, I hear “We Radio Live!” I suppose that catchphrase is being used because “We So Radio” and “We Play Hits Longtime” were already taken…

So, I’m listening and this complete dork comes on talking all robotic English: “In-OTHER-news-there-was-a-car-accident-in-Taipaayyyyy.” It was effin’ painful because the emphasis words were all in the wrong places. It was like listening to the phone-answering system at my credit-card company.

Where have all the broadcasters gone?

I think it’s meant to be “Real Radio Life” or some shit. But really, “What’s wrong with ICRT” is a question with a pretty long list of answers.

It’s “Real Radio Lie.”
Mofangongren, you can DOWNLOAD the jingle in any of its formats: Ballad, Pop, Jazz, Hip Hop, R&B, Rock or Jazz.
They have a new logo:
Incredibly Crappy Radio Tedium logo

The jocks are mostly all some flavor of Chinese

[quote]My give name is Echo Wang
When I am on the air, they call me Echo [/quote]
You kungfu no good, Echo!

Wendy Wu:

I go shine shoe now, Joe. Me likee eat flied lice!

Eric Tu:

Is this some illusion to having oral sex?

I think they have interpreted the “international community” part as being ABCs.

folks,

Maoman and I are wondering if this is a good time for us to make our voices heard at ICRT. We’re planning to launch a petition to ask the friendly people over there to re-evaluate their programming choices of late.

I’m hoping someone can translate the petition text we plan to use into Mandarin (pls click HERE to see) so we can launch this puppy later this month.

In '02, '03 and prior to my coming here in '04 I tried to listen to ICRT via the internet. My wife mentioned that she turned it on in the morning as she & the boy were preparing for their day. So I tuned in to see what it was all about.
My honest opinion was that it sucked…and not in a good way.
Since their re-vamp, they seem to suck the swamp even deeper.
A question - is it unreasonable for ‘foreigners’ to expect this station to do programming that we think acceptable or even ‘good’ or enjoyable?
I know that originally this was their mandate; however those days are long gone.
The short answer looks to be that they don’t think this is applicable any longer.
Should we (foreigners - even if we do live here on a permanent basis) think and expect otherwise?

I think it is reasonable to expect them to fulfill their mandate as a resource to the foreign community, especially if they wish to retain their special “non-profit” status with the GIO. If they don’t want to serve the foreign community, fine, but then the GIO should take away any special economic privileges that come with “serving” us.

ICRT will never be able to compete with the best of the radio experiences we grew up with in our own countries - how could it? And by catering to a broad demographic (the international community), there is no way they will be able to please everyone music-wise. We’re not that ambitious, however. Look at what the petition actually aims to accomplish:

  1. English radio programming. If the primary audience targetted is foreigners (as they proclaim in their mandate), then it makes sense to use English, the international language.
    2)More news. This would be easy to implement.
    3)Bring back the community message board, a free resource to advertise events of interest to the international community. Also easy to implement.
    4)Seek gov’t funding. Formosa TV has done it, why can’t ICRT?
    5)Reach out to the online foreign community. Also easy to implement.
    6)Regularly survey the target market. How can they even begin to know if they’re accomplishing their stated goals if they don’t ask the people they are ostensibly serving?

My signal is just terrible for icrt anyway in the car and at home. I guess we are a bit south. The 10 coat hangers were removed by my tidy wife so I am look

I only listened for the morning bbc news then cut straight to my 10gig of mp3’s when the Chinese teenybopper stuff came on.

I was also really annoyed as someone else mentioned here by the news announcer trying to ennunciate every word in a proper way.

I didn’t have any CDs in the car and had to listen to ICRT on my commute from work. Last week Emily David did remotes from Hsinchu, to promote Hsinchu to the foreign community, but almost all of the interviews were in Chinese, except for Tuesday, which highlighted the Hsnichu International Community Association and foreigners living in Hsinchu.

One thing that annoyed me. Within that week I heard different songs from Johnny Hates Jazz at least three times. What is this, the 80s

Personally speaking, I think that ever since ICRT changed their broadband, their format has changed. With so much good music in the world, why do they now play every single bad English love song ever written. As for Chinese songs, I don’t mind them as we are in Taiwan. But ICRT does not carter to foriegners anymore. I very seldom listen to it anymore. And yes their signal is very poor. ICRT, please stop the sloppy love songs and play some rock and roll.

Mao - I am in complete agreement with the aims stated in your petition. How does this jibe with this post?

I don’t know Eric Lier or his sources. He can provide them, if he’s interested. I do know that our information is coming from numerous sources, including many individuals involved in different international community organizations.

But really, all of this is beside the point. If they want to become a Taiwanese radio station, fine. But they can’t have it both ways. They’re either International Community Radio Taipei or they’re not.

So what is it going to cost to stick up a radio mast and start broadcasting.

This is the second time that this question has been asked a no response either time.
I agree with Maoman et al, that ICRT sucks, and really was never much cop, so what happens if you get your chance to sit down with the management and the net result is sweet FA.

OK, so maybe you get their non profit status removed, but it does not help the International Community, which is the gist of what this thread is really all about.

So, how much would it cost to set up and start a rival station ?

If nothing happens? Well, at least we tried… :idunno: If they decide to stay “local”, we argue for the need for a new station - one that serves the international community. We can’t really lobby for a new station now when there’s already one whose job is purportedly to serve us. One step at a time, one step at a time… :wink:

You did sign the petition, right? :whistle:

Oops, i hadn’t signed it, but that situation is now rectified.