1987年台灣結束戒嚴,緊接著報禁在1988年解除,唯獨電子媒體一直掌握在黨政軍手中,遲不見頻道開放,地下電臺運動趁勢而起,爭占社會中异議抗爭的正當位置。到了1993年地下電臺在臺灣的發展進入規模化,理想性與影響力隨著社會政治勢力的激烈角逐更加穩固,而政府缺乏正當性的電波頻道管制政策與選舉活動的保護傘效果,儼然成為推波助瀾的結構因素。 回顧過去地下電臺的成立固然是以突破媒體壟斷為目的,但卻因過分在意合法性之爭取,而忽略了電台的媒體本質。事實上,最重要的應是地下電臺本身不論處於何種情況,都應以實力爭取市場和聽眾支持,證明自己的存在價值,凸顯制度的不合理,發揮其另類媒體的功能。
After Martial Law was abolished in 1987 and the newspaper ban was rescinded a year later, the electronic media remained under military control with little public access. This prompted underground radio stations to position themselves as legitimate anti-establishment forces. By 1993, the scale of underground radio station operations had expanded considerably. The lack of proper governmental radio spectrum regulations and the underground radio stations’ role as an effective election campaign tool led to an increase in the stations’ influence on the public amid fierce socio-political power struggles. In retrospect, the establishment of underground radio stations was originally intended to break the government’s monopoly of the media. But an excessive desire for legitimacy ultimately caused the stations to compromise their essential function. However, regardless of circumstances, underground radio stations should prove their worth by gaining public support and a share of the communications market. In addition, they should maximize their influence as an alternative media by highlighting institutional shortcomings.