The Chinese government is acutely aware that TV is the most effective medium for delivering key cultural and political messages. China Central Television (CCTV), the state-run national station, operates a range of channels, which, in the main part, are barefaced propaganda and state trumpet blowing. Their large scale, televised music galas showcase traditional and government approved music forms and are regularly watched by audiences in the hundreds of millions. These are the kind of viewing figures that excite people about China but in reality the shows are impregnable fortresses of glittery, spandex-clad state guff.
When Pop Idol imitator ‘SuperGirl’ hit China in 2004, the final was watched by 400 million people. The rush of mobile votes sent the government into a panic and severe restrictions were implemented, preventing the show ever happening in the same format again – The idea of a democratically decided pop show proving too much for a one-party state.
Further down the pecking order, regional TV is a bit more conversational about the idea of coverage but the act really has to be sizeable due to the broad audience – Mass appeal rules. You have to go to the foreign owned stations to find recognisable music programming. MTV has a minute presence in China and has only been granted ‘landing rights’ (access to broadcasting through terrestrial cabling, thereby becoming available to everyone) in Guangdong Province. The most successful foreign-owned music channel in China is a subsidiary of News Corp’s Asia flagship station, Star TV – Channel V. Channel V doesn’t have any landing rights in China, so both it and MTV are essentially satellite stations, available only in foreign designated compounds and three star or above hotels. Their main methods for broadening exposure is through syndication of content and large scale events, such as Channel V’s Summer Shake and the Channel V Chinese Music Awards, the longest running music awards show in China, now in it’s 13th year.
Reliable viewing figures are almost impossible to come by as there is no transparency when it comes to data gathering. The stations themselves are mildly embarrassed about their lack of reach. Excellent brands with poor penetration.
Major labels regularly buy their way into programming for these channels. As with all media, quality is not the deciding factor for coverage. Programme packages have to be paid for to get on air, in most cases by a third party sponsor, so you might have the best half-hour tour documentary in the world but the response from the channels will probably be along the lines of ‘what’s in it for us if we broadcast it?’ Content is not king. Money is.
Radio reads in a similar way. The government is very protective of its airwaves and rules its network of regional licensee stations with a rod of iron, both in broadcast policy and physical presence – The live studios are frequently under armed guard for fear of them being stormed by subversives. Radio’s potential potency is well highlighted when you consider the millions of new cars pouring on to China’s roads every year, with a thousand new cars a day on Beijing’s roads alone.
Despite the increasing importance of radio as a medium, the country’s radio programming remains in the stone age with very little choice available to the listener. Western music, in the few places it is played, is almost entirely restricted to UK and US Top 40 acts. There have been attempts by foreign companies to come in and shake things up a little. In 2003 Virgin Radio made a pioneering half million USD deal with China Radio International (CRI) to re-launch it’s Beijing western music station, HitFM. After a year of excellent programming, CRI decided to increase its asking price eightfold. Virgin obviously pulled out immediately.
Stations like HitFM (which remains the only real western music station in Beijing) are open to the idea of a few spins and an interview around a tour but this requires good connections within the station. Unsolicited contact is fairly futile.
© Ed Peto 2007
NOTE: This is an extract from the ‘Access China’ report commissioned by UK Trade and Industry Department and British Underground.
I love Genesis. Phil Collins is a latter day Shakespeare with a synthesizer. What I also love about Genesis is that they rose from the artsy underground and bloomed into international stars who inspired a generation.
Are there any stories of a Chinese band coming up through the ranks from the underground to achieve commercial success?
How do college kids in China discover new music? Do they know/like Genesis? R.E.M.? Death Cab for Cutie?
Posted by paul on January 2nd, 2008.
@paul
They don’t. Well, I guess there are bound to be some people who do, but non-mainstream music is far from their minds, at least with the people I know. They don’t care further from the daily dose of Jolin Tsai and Jay Chou.
Oh, and internet is censored in China, and thus a lot of sites are blocked, like Wikipedia. And looking at Bjork’s recent run in with the government, all sites directed at her must be blocked too, which is a shame, because she should be one of the artists college kids in China deserve to discover.
Posted by angela on August 3rd, 2008.
[...] I have moved my music industry blog to my new site OUTdustry. Follow this link to my article on TV and radio in China. [...]
Posted by ed peto — China Indie Music Report : TV & Radio on October 23rd, 2008.