Taipei  - Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, after successfully launching a newspaper and a magazine in Taiwan, will soon launch his television channel in Taiwan, Jimmy Lai's Apple Daily said Tuesday.

The Apple Daily said Jimmy Lai has appointed King Pu-tsung, a former Taiwan journalism professor and former deputy Taipei mayor, as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the TV channel.

In an interview with the Apple Daily, King, 56, said Lai has called him back from Hong Kong, where he was a visiting scholar at the Chinese University, to go back into the media business, and be the CEO in charge of preparing to launch the TV channel.

"I accepted the offer because Mr Lai gave me the impression that he would give me a free hand to do things," King told the paper.

King said the name and launch date of the TV channel have not been decided yet, but everyone hopes it would be popular and make profits.

King's interview with the Apple Daily reflects that Jimmy Lai is closing the deal to buy a Taiwan TV channel.

In November last year, Lai lost to Taiwan's Want Want food group in seeking to buy the cash-strapped China Times Group which has two daily papers, one magazine and one TV station.

In recent weeks, Taiwan media has been saying that Lai has been contacting several local TV stations hoping to buy one, but Lai has not confirmed the reports.

Lai moved from Hong Kong to Taiwan in 2003 to launch the Taiwan versions of his Apple Daily and Next Magazine, now the most popular paper and weekly in Taiwan.

The Apple Daily's daily circulation has reached 526,000 and is sold out before noon while most of the other papers are still lying on the newsstand.

The Next Magazine, issued every Wednesday, has become the source of news for Taiwan reporters because it has a scoop in every issue.

In several interviews, Lai said he wants to build his media empire in Taiwan because Taiwan has democracy and innovation, and will play a vital role in China's political and economic reforms. (dpa)