At 9 AM on January 16, 2009, a total of 16 of us took 3 cars and traveled to theNational Radio Museum at Minhsiung, Chiayi. We thought it was quite appropriate for the antiques in broadcasting to be placed in the old and impressive Japanese style building. Ms. Chen kindly introduced the antiques in the museum. The most important piece was the 60-year-old MB-15A medium-sized transmitter manufactured by NEC Japan.

      During the Japanese occupation era, in order to prevent people inTaiwan listen to programs from Nanjing Central Broadcasting, the Japanese government decided to build a broadcasting station in Minhsiung in 1938. Its name was Minhsiung Transmitter Station. The Japanese built two T-shaped towers, each was 206 meters (about 70 floors) in height; the towers became local landmark.

 In 1945, the government won the War against Japanese occupation and BCC took over Minhsiung transmitter station and renamed it “Taiwan Broadcasting Station Minhsiung Transmitter Room”. Its role change from performing propaganda for the Japanese to broadcasting to the people inChina. After much reorganization, in 1998, Radio Taiwan International and the overseas division of BCC integrated and became national station, andNational Radio Museum was opened in January 1999 for tourist visits.

 The museum helps people to learn about the evolution of broadcasting as well as the evolution of equipment. We saw some rare and precious old machines inside such as the cooling system for large vacuum tube, short wave transmitter, medium wave transmitter, long wave transmitter, shotgun microphone, Dynamic Microphone, and carbon crystal microphone.

      Improvements have been made and new equipment comes out every so often.Visiting National Radio Museum helped us to learn about the evolution of the broadcasting system and by observing the history, I learned that the broadcasting business has influenced my life quite a bit!

Report of Visiting the broadcasting museum