(Ecns.cn)--The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) has issued an oral notice to restrict the excessive broadcasting of entertainment programs on local satellite television stations, the Guangzhou based New Express Daily reported Tuesday.
Cai Fuchao, director of SARFT, said in May that the SARFT will adopt several measures to control the amount of entertainment programs in order to curb local satellite television stations that have been increasing such programs because of the successes of other stations. But he did not unveil any details of the measures or when they will be carried out.
Most local satellite television stations across the country have reduced the number news programs and increased the broadcast of variety shows and entertainment programs in order to attract larger audiences. However, some of these programs have been criticized as poorly produced and misleading public opinion.
With its high audience ratings, Fei Cheng Wu Rao, a popular dating show on Jiangsu TV, has been highly criticized by some in the public and media for its bad influence on young people's view of marriage and love. A man in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province slashed his aunt to death in July 2010 because he became excited after watching beautiful women on the TV dating show.
Cai also urged local television stations to improve their management of audience ratings. "We should not only focus on the audience ratings," he said, according to the Legal Evening News.
Rumors have been circulating that the SARFT has already required provincial satellite stations to cut down their broadcasts of entertainment programs between 5 pm and 10 pm to less than three times each week. However, the New Express Daily has confirmed by several local television stations that only an oral notice has been issued so far.
The restriction has received different reactions from the country's local satellite television stations. Some TV channels, including Hunan, Zhejiang, and Shanghai Satellite TV, whose focus on entertainment programs has brought them increased ratings, will suffer a lot from this proposed restriction. Other local channels supported the policy as they have few entertainment programs that would be influenced.
TV channels' methods for dealing with restrictions
While waiting for a formal notice, some local satellite television stations have already figured out several methods to deal with the authority's clampdown, including implementing large scale adjustments to their entertainment programs.
Take Hunan Satellite TV, one of the country's most popular entertainment television channels, for example. It changed the broadcast time of several popular entertainment programs a month ago. The broadcasting of Fei Chang Kao Pu, a program that explores the history and culture of Chinese surnames, was moved to midnight. Another two pure entertainment programs have also been removed and replaced by public benefit programs.
In addition, some satellite television stations have also tried to evade the restriction as there is still a dispute on how to define the so-called "entertainment programs." Whether those talk shows, whose guests include celebrities and entertainment stars, such as A Date with Luyu, a popular Chinese talk show on Phoenix Television, will be defined as "entertainment" is still up for debate. The SARFT has not yet given a specific explanation.
"A lot of TV programs focused on culture and society are also packaged with some entertainment elements, such as Fei Cheng Wu Rao. It would be reasonable to say it is not fully an entertainment show," said Zhang Zhibin, director of Guangdong Satellite TV.
Restrictions may trigger industry shuffle
Moreover, the new restrictions may trigger a new round of shuffling in local satellite television channels due to the fact that second and third tier channels will gain more opportunities for launching their brand of programs while some popular entertainment programs produced by the country's first tier channels will be restricted in the "golden timeslot," some experts have said.
For example, when planning the launch of their programs, almost all local satellite televisions try to avoid the same timeslot as Kuai Le Da Ben Ying and Tian Tian Xiang Shang, both the country's most popular entertainment shows produced by Hunan Satellite TV, and Fei Cheng Wu Rao. These shows already have fixed audiences.
Once the restriction is announced, the "golden timeslot" emptied by these influential programs will become the main battlefields for some entertainment programs produced by the second and third tier channels, said the New Express Daily.
"However, the first tier stations have excellent production abilities and should be able to seamlessly transform these shows," Zhang told the newspaper.
