As Taiwan prepares to phase out dolphin performances by 2026, a TaiwanPlus report examines what happens to captive dolphins after the shows end. The discussion explores animal welfare, captivity limits, conservation education, and the emotional challenges of reporting on animals that cannot return to the wild. Watch Sandy’s report: Taiwan's Dolphin Performances To End in 2026 -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Joey Chou speaks with TaiwanPlus Tech and Business Desk reporter Ai Chi about a new World Inequality Report that places Taiwan among the world’s most unequal developed economies. Watch Ai’s report: Taiwan’s Top 10% Earn Nearly 50% of Income, Hold 60% of Wealth -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Reporter Sandie Chi tells us about an unlikely culinary success story: a small gelato workshop in Changhua whose creators went on to win the world’s top gelato prize in Italy. Watch Sandy Chi’s report: Team Taiwan Creates World's Best Gelato -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Bryn Thomas talks about the Qingshan King Festival, one of Taipei’s oldest and most distinctive religious traditions. Centered in the Wanhua district—Taipei’s earliest urban settlement—the festival honors the Qingshan King, a tutelary deity believed to protect the neighborhood from illness and misfortune. Watch Bryn Thomas and Zalán Sata’s report: Qingshan King: Centuries-Old Festival Kept Alive in Modern Taipei -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Joey speaks with TaiwanPlus business and tech reporter Ai Chi about Taiwan’s first hydrogen refueling station in Kaohsiung. They explain why the rollout targets buses and heavy trucks, how “blue hydrogen” is produced from natural gas, and why cost, safety, and logistics will determine whether hydrogen can help Taiwan meet its 2050 net-zero goals. Watch Ai’s report: Taiwan's First Hydrogen Refueling Station Opens in Kaohsiung -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Joey sits down with TaiwanPlus local politics and sports reporter Leslie Liao to unpack the “Shanghai Brothers” controversy in China’s new baseball league. They explore fan backlash, plagiarism suspicions, CTBC Brothers’ response and why cross-strait politics inevitably seep into Taiwan’s pro baseball. The conversation ends on Leslie’s own favorite CPBL teams. Watch Leslie Liao’s baseball reports: Shanghai Baseball Team Accused of Plagiarizing Taiwan Ball Club Logo Taiwanese Baseball Players Commit to New Chinese League -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

This episode visits the life and legacy of Peng Wan-ru, the DPP’s first Women’s Affairs director, whose 1996 murder galvanized Taiwan’s modern feminist movement. Joey Chou sits down with reporter Tiffany Wong to trace the events that led to landmark domestic violence and sexual assault laws, examining how advocacy, tragedy and social change reshaped Taiwan’s path toward gender equality. Watch Tiffany Wong’s report: Remembering Peng Wan-ru  -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In this episode of Reporter’s Notebook, Joey Chou talks with TaiwanPlus tech and economics reporter Chris Gorin about one of Taiwan’s biggest policy debates of the year: tariffs and the emerging “Taiwan model” for US trade negotiations. Chris breaks down what the government actually means by this new term — from private-sector–led projects to industrial clusters and talent training — and why Taiwan’s science-park ecosystem is so hard to replicate abroad. The two also unpack how to communicate complex economic ideas to a general audience, and where AI and semiconductor coverage is headed next. Watch Chris’s pieces about the ‘Taiwan Model’: Taiwan Offers ‘Taiwan Model’ to US for Lower Tariffs Analysis: The 'Taiwan Model' for US Trade Negotiations -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

TaiwanPlus reporter Lery Hiciano takes us behind the scenes of an early-morning trip to the northeast coast to cover President Lai Ching-te overseeing reservist drone training. The program is part of a broader push to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses as pressure from China grows. Lery walks us through why drones are becoming central to Taiwan’s plans, what it means to train reservists to operate them, and what he saw (and learned) while reporting on the ground. WATCH: Reservists Undergo Drone Training Exercise -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

There’s less than a year to go before Taiwan holds its next local elections on Nov. 28, 2026, and campaigns are already starting to take shape. In today’s Reporter’s Notebook, local politics desk lead Tiffany Wong breaks down what’s at stake—and how both ruling and opposition parties are talking about making it easier for voters to cast ballots. Watch Tiffany’s report: Lawmakers Propose Absentee Voting Amendments Ahead of 2026 Local Elections  -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Host Joey Chou kicks off his first episode of Reporter’s Notebook with TaiwanPlus reporter Leslie Liao, diving into one of Taiwan’s biggest tech stories of the year — a former TSMC executive accused of taking company secrets to Intel. They unpack what the case reveals about Taiwan’s semiconductor “brain drain,” the limits of non-compete clauses, and why shrinking workforces and stronger foreign currencies could tempt top engineers abroad. Watch Leslie Liao’s report: “TSMC Intellectual Property Case Exposes Brain Drain Risks” -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Social Media News Editor Sara Conway walks us through the top-performing Instagram reels from the past two months, and one moment stood out. In eastern Taiwan, our crew captured a man being pulled from deep mud after flooding — a reel that drew nearly two million views. Sara shares the back story behind the shoot and how our crew called for help. Here are the top performing Instagram reels (and one carousel) from the past three months on TaiwanPlus News: 1. Hualien Floods Again as Tropical Storm Fung Wong Heads For Taiwan >) 2. Hualien Flooded After Typhoon Ragasa Brings Heavy Rain 3. Taiwan Welcomes One of Its Biggest K-pop Stars Back Home 4. Volunteers Rally to Help Hualien Recovery Efforts 5. Taiwan's Newest Tanks Enter Service -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Reporter John Van Trieste looks at why accidents on Taiwan’s fishing boats remain so common, with nearly half of recent marine incidents involving the fleet and most deaths tied to fishing vessels. For World Fisheries Day, he speaks with survivors, advocates, and safety inspectors about the biggest risks on board — from dangerous wiring to missing life jackets — and what authorities say they’re doing to make these boats safer. Watch: Preventing Accidents in Taiwan’s Fishing Fleet  -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Tech reporter Chris Gorin brings us inside Google’s launch of its new Taipei R&D office — now the company’s largest AI infrastructure engineering hub outside the U.S. The move marks a major investment and underscores a growing trend of American tech giants expanding in Taiwan as its central role in the global AI supply chain becomes increasingly clear. Chris also talks about some of the trends he’s witnessed in Taiwan’s tech sector. Watch: Chris Gorin’s report -- Google Expands With New R&D Center in Taipei. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Reporter Sandy Chi sits down with Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who made history by winning Taiwan’s first Olympic boxing gold at the 2024 Paris Games. Sandy first met her during pre-Olympics athlete profiles and quickly saw the qualities that define her: stubbornness, bravery and open-mindedness. They talk about Lin’s new book, “Dreams Weigh More Than Pain,” which traces her journey from training with boys as a child — when girls weren’t encouraged to box — to becoming a champion. Sandy reflects on interviewing a personal role model in Mandarin for an English audience, and the pivotal moment in Lin’s career that continues to inspire her. Watch Sandy’s interview with Olympian Lin Yu-ting: The Untold Story of Lin Yu-ting's Boxing Journey -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Reporter Alan Lu examines Taiwan’s growing concerns over the security risks posed by Chinese-made AI models like DeepSeek. Analysts warn these tools can harvest far more than search queries—potentially collecting data that reveals political leanings or even biometric identifiers such as fingerprints and facial features. Testing the model himself, Alan found it echoed Beijing’s stance on Taiwan’s status and refused to give accurate information on events like the Tiananmen Square massacre. Watch Alan’s full report: Chinese AI Models Present Security Concerns, Say Taiwan Authorities. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In today’s Reporter’s Notebook, producer Alec MacDonald shares highlights from two recent field episodes of Zoom In Zoom Out: Taiwan’s move to end dolphin performances and an exclusive sit-down with Olympic boxer Lin Yu-ting. He also talks about future plans which will take the program back to Hualien to investigate the plight of farmers affected by recent flooding and year-plans to bring the production team to an undisclosed European country at Christmastime. The End of Dolphin Shows in Taiwan Interview with Olympic Boxing Champion Lin Yu-ting  -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Alec MacDonald, producer and occasional host of Zoom In Zoom Out, reflects on how he built the show’s network of expert voices — and why thoughtful interviews deepen our understanding of Taiwan’s interconnected stories. Alec also looks back on his first on-location interview, a return to his National Dong Hwa University campus where he once witnessed a building burn after the 2024 earthquake. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Reporter Tiffany Wong discusses her takeaways from a visit to Malaysia covering Taipei’s New Southbound policy to strengthen ties with partners in South and Southeast Asia. Her series of reports included historical connections, food and travel, agricultural cooperation, education links and of course the world of tech. Watch Tiffany’s reports from Malaysia: Taiwanese Businesses Enter the Halal Market Via Malaysia Taiwan Agricultural Machinery, Techniques Sow Seeds of Friendship in Malaysia  Sun Yat-sen's Legacy in George Town, Penang  Taiwan Invests in Penang as Semiconductor Supply Chain Shifts \ >) Malaysian Chinese Students Look Forward to a Future in Taiwan -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

TaiwanPlus reporter Bryn Thomas steps into the world of NTW — Taiwan’s up-and-coming professional wrestling league — where athleticism meets theater. Drawing on his own background in Greco-Roman and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Bryn explores how local wrestlers bring storytelling and character work to the ring. He talks about a rare opportunity to interview Japanese wrestling legend Jaguar Yokota, once hailed as one of the best in the world, during her trip to Taiwan. Tune in to hear Bryn’s thoughts on why fans are drawn to the drama, choreography, and heart behind Taiwan’s uniquely homegrown scene. Watch two of Bryn’s wrestling pieces: Taiwan Enters the Ring: NTW Brings Unique Local Flavor to Pro Wrestling  Japan's World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana and Jaguar Yokota Debut in Taiwan  -- Hosting provided by SoundOn