any more, than this.
I kindly ask that you delete the “Top 10…ICRT” from the F-Forum. As it stands, alone in the F-Forum, it is less funny…and a little meaner.
The success of this joke hinged on the reader having first read the other “To 10…Taipei” which is in this Open Forum. However, it was one’s perception of ICRT that either caused a (but-gusting) laugh or groan.
Perhaps the people at ICRT (and its supporters) should learn to laugh a little at themselves, (i.e. except for Ron S.)…
What’s wrong with mean? ICRT sucks. It fully deserves the criticism. :raspberry:
Sorry, Ron. We didn’t mean to make fun of you.
Actually, we did. ICRT should change it’s call to TSRS (This Station Really Sucks). Or ICROINT (International Community Radio Only In Name Radio Taiwan). Or put itself on a channel that can only be picked up by high-powered receptions so they stop taking up space on the airwaves.
I haven’t listened to ICRT in a while, but you guys should be lucky there is any English radio at all in Taiwan. This is Taiwan not Kansas, people speak Taiwanese, Chinese and Hakka here and there are not enough westerners here to have a station here for them and still make money. You guys are pretty ungrateful and seem to expect things to be just like they were back home even though you are not in your country anymore.
I’m with Hobart in that they do their best.
In our home countries we can choose from hundreds of stations for classical, rock, bues, talk back radio etc. Here they can only have one go at it.
What really sucks to me are the newspapers. Surely they could do a deal with USA today or somebody and package the most relevant parts of that paper each day in the local edition. No excuse like radio. They can package the lot and let you choose.
I guess you Taipei dudes can find proper papers. Down here in the armpit we only have the wafer thin news and current affairs skimming things.
Because the government goes out of its way to make foreigners feel sooooooo welcome.
you got me, but that still doesn’t change the fact that it sucks.
I agree it sucks, but I don’t take it for granted. If it went off the air tomorrow, I actualy wold be disappointed. The only time I ever listen is when I am in my car, otherwise, I would listen to internet radio or watch Satellite TV.
Anyway, the channel is made for Taiwanese not for foreigners, it is nice to have though despite this.
it’s not that bad. I listen to it in the car when I go to work (for all those out there who say non-internet radio isn’t hip)
From a year ago, the music had really got a heap better. A lot less chinese, and the variety is pretty good these days (I heard ACDC, Stevie Ray Vaughn the other day)
IMHO, Kella should get a whole lot more time on the air, she’s a natural, and sounds sexy.
Is it true that J.J.'s mom owns ICRT?
If it went off the air tomorrow, I’d throw a party - that is, when I’d get around to noticing it’s gone. I downright detest ICRAP with every fiber of my being. 99% of the time, I just ignore it. But every once in a while someone at the gym “does me a favor” by switching it on – that’s the single most irritating thing anyone ever does there. I always get confrontational: “It’s fine if you want to listen to it by yourself, but don’t subject me to it and ruin my workout. Get some headphones.” Ditto for “helpful” taxi drivers: I always ask them to change the station – I’d rather listen to old dudes singing karaoke off-key. I don’t care if the station is in love with me or is radio life. To me, it’s just an audio version of YoYo TV – made by Taiwanese for Taiwanese, the difference being that all the idiocy is communicated in Chinglish.
You are too kind…I can’t say how bad ICRT sucks without being flamed…
[quote=“Hobart”]I haven’t listened to ICRT in a while, but you guys should be lucky there is any English radio at all in Taiwan. This is Taiwan not Kansas, people speak Taiwanese, Chinese and Hakka here and there are not enough westerners here to have a station here for them and still make money. You guys are pretty ungrateful and seem to expect things to be just like they were back home even though you are not in your country anymore.[/quote]Hobart -
Point made.
However - back home for me in so. cali There are radio station which claim to be for Koreans, Viet Namese, Chinese - Mando & Canto, Mexican and a few more nationalities/languiages which actually do broadcast in those languages and serve their targeted audience.
Dur to repeater broadcasts and other magical radio (satelite) contrivances, these targeted demo radio programs are widely available through-out the USA. And with the internet - its pretty much what-you-want-when-you-want-it.
Prior to moving to Taiwan, 2003-early 2004, I found out about ICRT and began to listen to it via the internet. I was amazed that this was actually passing for a resident engliah language ‘expat’ station. Not only was the programming mainly in Chinese - the music sucked, the news was ridiculous and all of the commercials were in Chinese. No "public affairs’ info which would be relevant to an non-Chinese speaking ex-pat populace and othing of a public service nature could I find.
Here it is 2006, I’ve lived on the island for 2+ years and have no immediate plans of leaving, and this station is still a joke.
What is their “target demographic”? Do they even know what that term means?
It sure as hell isn’t the non-Chinese speaking english speaking ex-pat residents.
I respectfully dis-agree that criticism of this radio station is “ungrateful”
As I understand it, there target demo is the non-Chinese speaking english speaking ex-pat residents.
With this market in mind…they suck.
Tainan Cowboy: their target audience hasn’t been foreigners since it was turned over from the US Armed forces many years ago. As mentioned above their target audience is Taiwanese, management could care less if they please one foreigner, cause their are not enough of them to attract any advertisers.
[quote=“Hobart”]Tainan Cowboy: their target audience hasn’t been foreigners since it was turned over from the US Armed forces many years ago. As mentioned above their target audience is Taiwanese, management could care less if they please one foreigner, cause their are not enough of them to attract any advertisers.[/quote]Hobart -
Thanks for the info.
In light of this…their sucking appears to be inline with their desired goals.
Right. The problem is that many Taiwanese think we actually like it, that it is somehow representative of us, and that it’s possible to learn English from it. I’ve been working hard to correct those misguided stereotypes for years.
Fortunately these days, many advanced students of English know the difference, as do students returning from abroad. As one returning student recently told me, “I used to listen to ICRT when I was a kid. Now I know it sucks shit!”
An English/foreign radio station should be a service to the foreign community without attracting much of advertisement. It should be public … sponsored by companies and governements. As it is now it’s mainly aimed at Taiwanese and has an American base it shouldn’t carry the ICRT name because it’s not what it claims … It could carry the name Chinglish Radio station Taiwan (CRT).
But nowadays internet radio is around and there isn’t much of real news to comment on in Taiwan, most of the international news comes from abroad anyway.
I don’t need to know that there has been another fight in the legislative yuan or an new mango ice parlor has succes … it’s boring news, irrelevant news, it just sucks
If you are not like Belgian Pie and you want to keep up with the news in Taiwan, not need to listen to ICRT, you can check out the English news on Formosa News channel 53. It plays I think at 6:00Am and 11PM each night.
I agree with everyone except Hobart. ICRT is poo poo.
In 1983 ICRT would play requests for cuts off obscure albums by the Kinks. There was no Chinese spoken. How is that targeting Taiwanese?