TAIPEI - HONG Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai is to launch a cable news channel in Taiwan to further expand his operations on the island, his company said on Wednesday.

Mr Lai has hired the former campaign manager of Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou to be chief executive of the new channel, executives at his Hong Kong-listed Next Media Ltd said.

'I want to build a critically and commercially acclaimed station,' new chief executive King Pu-tsung told the Apple Daily newspaper, which is part of Mr Lai's media empire.

The announcement follows speculation Mr Lai has held takeover talks with local stations. But Mr King did not say whether the media mogul would set up a new channel or acquire an existing one.

The new station's name and launch date have also yet to be decided, he said.

There are more than 100 cable TV channels in Taiwan, including seven news stations.

Mr Lai has expanded his media empire on the island since 2001, with the launch of the Taiwanese editions of the weekly Next magazine and the Apple Daily newspaper. Both have been commercial successful.

But the two publications have at times drawn criticism from Taiwan's media watchdog and the public for their muck-raking style and for running graphic photographs.

Mr Lai is said to be keen to branch out into television in Taiwan. He last year reportedly went after the cash-strapped China Times group, which also has a cable news channel.

But Taiwanese tycoon Tsai Eng-meng of food giant Want Want eventually closed the deal for some NT20 billion (S$903 million). -- AFP

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