新竹市有線電視發展史之研究（1971-1995）

Abstract

我國的有線電視系統，從社區共同天線到第四合，乃至於目前仍在籌設階段的有線播送系統，歷經數十年的發展，早已在民間社會形成一龐大的傳播體系，隨著有線電視法的通過，更是為國內的有線電視時代揭開序幕。可惜的是，過去國內關於有線電視之研究，多半集中於有線電視未來發展政策性或建議性之討論，對於長期存在於民間社會第四台之研究卻寥寥可數，而僅有的少數幾篇論述亦大多是專家學者意見的彙整，對於第四台大都是定位在「非法」之地下媒體。然而，第四台過去或許於法不合，但其在官方多方打壓下仍能蓬勃發展，必然有其存在之社會意義與價值。因此本文試圖從系統業者的角度出發，來探究整個有線電視之發展歷程，一方面提供社會了解國內早期有線電視發展，彌補文獻資料之不足，同時也賦予第四台在有線電視發展史上應有之定位。 在研究方法上，本研究試圖透過與業者訪談互動，彙集整理業者經營的記憶，以建構台灣第四台發展歷程（含有第四台及社區共同天線），彌補文獻不足的缺憾，同時也豐富傳播史內涵。限於人力、物力、本研究以新竹市為研究範圍，時間點從1970年代起新竹市首次出現電器行架設共同天線起至目前有線電視籌設階段，這25年來有線電視在新竹市的發展歷描述，以期了解相關業者25年來經營概況。 新竹市有線電視發展自1970年代電器行業者自行加設小型轉播站揭開序幕起，大致可以分為五個階段。第一個階段僅有少數電器行業者已自行裝設小型轉播站以改善電視收視不良的情形，由於收費不貴，普遍受到市民的歡迎。第二個階段時，行政院新聞局已開放民間申請設立社區共同天線設備，於是社區共同天線進入合法階段。新竹市於1979、1980年間先後有兩家前往登記。到了第三個階段，除了原有的社區天線業者，更加入以播放錄影帶節目的第四台，這些第四台經營規模大小不等，最盛期曾達十八家。階段後期更因系統數量增多，而有惡性競爭的情況。第四個階段正值我國有線電視準備開放，「有線播送系統既暫行管理辦法」頒發後，新竹市共有18家提出登記，16家取得暫時許執照。一年後開放有線電視申請，共間新竹市的系統在種種經營壓力下彼此整合，整合之後，新竹市共有7家提出申請，其中不乏財團與政治團體的介入。1995年9月提出申請的7家系統僅有四家取得籌設許可，到此，新竹市有線電視的發展已大致抵定。籌設許可頒佈後，新竹市的有線電視發展邁入第五個階段，取得籌設執照的四家系統之間的整合仍不斷進行，截至1996年中旬，新竹市僅剩新竹振道、竹和、竹視等三家系統。 綜觀整個新竹市有線電視的發展歷程，從最早期的社區共同天線、中期第四台的崛起，到後期播送系統的成立，再到有線電視的申請、審議、核發籌設許可，乃至目前僅剩三家繼續爭食新竹市十萬多戶的收視人口，其間的興衰變化可以說是「所有權集中」的整合過程，而整合過程中的經營權移轉，亦彰顯出有線電視生態中「弱肉強食」的悲哀，即使是地方系統業者意識到唯有結合其它系統，「化零為整」以對抗覦新竹市有線電視市場的財團方是生存之道，無奈在財力、資源各方面均無法與財團匹敵情況下，終究難逃被財團併購的宿命。此外，在整個有線電視發展歷程的「新竹經驗」中，新竹市的地方特性似乎並未對整個發展趨勢有任何決定性的影響。

"The fourth station" is the nick name of the cable systems in Taiwan. Despite the repression from government, the unlawful"fourth station" still could develop igorously This thesis explores the development of the cable television in Hsin-chu city,a city in the northern part of Taiwan. Due to insufficient literature, the researcher collected data based on the personal interviews to the then cable operators. The time at issue begins with the building of antenna television in1970s. The development can be divided into five phases. In the first phase, a few appliance dealers building small relay station to improve the weak reception of the television signals. Due to the fair fee, the subscribers increased. In the second phase, The Government Information Office of Administration Yuan lifted the ban on non-governmental application for equipments of community antenna television. Since then, community antenna television moved to the legal phase. Two systems is Hsin-Chu city registered in 1979-80. When it came to the third phase, "the fourth station" that played the videio programs joined the market. These "fourth station"varied in scale, but there had been eighteen, systems, operating in its heyday, Later, the number of systems increased and, therefore, brought about pernicious competitions. In the fourth phase, the government then planned to open the cable television. After the promulgation of the "Provisional Regulation on Cable Television, "in total, eighteen systems proposed their registration and sixteen of them received the temporary license. One year later, the cable television would open up for application. During the year, the cable operators seeked to integrate with one another under various managerial pressure. In 1992-94, there were seven systems in Hsin-chu. These systems applied for preparation license and only of them received it. With the release of the preparation licenses, the 制development of cable television in Hsin-Chu city stepped forward the phase five. The integration never stopped. By the middle of 1996, only three systems left. In the history of cable television in Hsin-Chu city, we witness an sorrowful transfer of media ownership from small businessmen to media tycoon. The transfers of business in the integration process also reveal the nature of "competition"in capitalist society. Although local cable operators realized that they could survive only by integrating with other systems, they were still merged by consortia because of the weakness of finanical and material resources. Besides, from the"experience of Hsin-Chu"in the history of cable television, it seems that the local characteristics of Hsin-Chu didn't have any determinant influence on the whole developemental history.