January 4, 2008
Editor Profiled By World Journal （世界日報）
I am honored to have been profiled by World Journal （世界日報）, a newspaper with the largest circulation among Chinese readers in North America, in their Sunday magazine section article on the teaching of Chinese in the U.S （《美國現象》中文課走紅美國大學 written by Jeff Han 韓傑 ）.
The interest, I think, and the reason for my inclusion in the article was, perhaps, the everyday usage of Chinese by a caucasian based in the U.S. in his legal practice, but also the value of learning to speak the language over and above the merely practical aspects.
The article begins here, and you are welcome read the interview with me here. [In Chinese.}.
Posted by Richard at 11:16 AM | Comments (0)January 25, 2007
Money-making Schemes in Chinese Journalism
Somewhat off topic today, but this is a worthwhile story on corruption affecting business interests, especially during a public relations crisis.
UPDATE: Read this translated article , entitled "The Chaotic Phenomenon of Fake Reporters in Datong, Shanxi."
Posted by Richard at 1:03 PM | Comments (0)April 14, 2006
Further Restrictions on Media
One can only approach the idea of investment in China's media industry with a healthy skepticism. A recent regulation, while not directly dealing with inbound investment, reminds us a good deal of the atmosphere permeating the Chinese media.
This notice, 《广电总局关于重申电视国际新闻管理规定的通知》, issued by the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), on April 11, reaffirms a strict ban international news footage for use by television stations at all levels, local and provincial. According to this article, the relevant provisions state that all television broadcasts must use the international news provided by Central Television and China International Broadcasting. In addition, news directors are strictly forbidden to use footage obtained from international news by means of satellite feeds or "other methods."
Since this is a reaffirmation of a prior stricture, one can only imagine the difficulty the propaganda departments are having keeping inbound information under control nationwide. Clearly, media rank and file, while appearing to copy down with eagerness the droning oratory of an adminstrative leader at a political training session, have not really been paying attention.
Mainichi runs with a worthwhile summation of the situation from Interfax China. Chinese TV insiders are unabashedly voicing their unhappiness. As if you didn't already know it, you readers who are intellectual property counsel for media interests may wish to take note of a Chinese news editor's complaint: "Firstly and economically, TV stations need not pay for the pictures they get from programs of foreign TV stations."
Interestingly, as of today, the SARFT website does not carry the regulation. However, a Google search for the regulation shows that it was once carried on the SARFT website.
国家广播电影电视总局 - [ Translate this page ]
广电总局关于重申电视国际新闻管理规定的通知(2006-04-11). ·, 广电总局关于印发《 电视剧拍摄制作备案公示管理暂行办法》的通知(2006-04-10). ·, 广电总局关于福建教育 ...
www.sarft.gov.cn/downstage/page_35_1.jsp - 13k - 12 Apr 2006 - Cached - Similar pages
One can only guess when and why SARFT removed it. I reproduce the regulation in full below with the caveat that it may be incomplete. If you have the full and complete current text, please email me.
《广电总局关于重申电视国际新闻管理规定的通知》
《通知》指出，近来，一些国外通讯社和媒体通过多种渠道向国内地方电视台推销国际新闻素材，带有明显政治意图。
为保证电视国际新闻报道健康有序发展，确保正确舆论导向，切实加强电视国际新闻管理，重申如下规定：
一、各级广播电视行政管理部门必须牢固树立政治意识、大局意识和责任意识，进一步增强政治敏锐性和政治鉴别力，把加强对电视国际新闻的管理纳入到宣传工作的管理中来，严把导向关，切实负起管理责任。
二、要充分发挥系统优势，充分利用中央电视台、中国国际广播电台现有国际新闻资源。
三、各级电视台播出的国际新闻必须统一使用由中央电视台、中国国际广播电台提供的电视国际新闻。
四、严禁擅自使用从境外卫星电视收录或从其他渠道获得的国际新闻素材制作、播出广播电视国际新闻节目和国际时事政治专题节目。
五、不得将境外卫星电视图像配以新华社文字稿进行播出。
六、各省级广播电视行政管理部门接到本通知后，要立即按照通知要求，对所属播出机构进行一次检查，对违反规定的要坚决纠正。
七、要进一步加强对播放电视国际新闻的监管力度，各级广播电视行政管理部门对发现的问题要及时通报处理，并责令有关电视播出机构立即整改。
八、要严肃政治纪律和宣传纪律，切实做到有令必行，有禁必止，坚决制止上有政策、下有对策，拿不准的问题要及时请示报告。
Posted by Richard at 3:51 PM | Comments (0)July 13, 2005
Audio Update: Foreign Investment in "Local" Radio and TV
Click the little triangle to hear today's post.
UPDATE: Foreign Investment in "Local" Radio & TV
In the winter, rosy forecasts to the contrary, we detailed the restrictions placed upon foreign investment in the Chinese media.
Today's Beijing Morning Post writes of the announcement by the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) of additional restrictions aimed at managing the investment behavior of the Chinese media itself. Stating that all TV and radio broadcasting operations are now seen as a forbidden zone for foreign investment (电视、广播频道的经营一贯被看作广电行业对外开放的禁区), the Morning Post writes in part, quoting Article 7 of the relevant regulation:
广电总局向各地方发出《广播影视系统地方外事工作管理规定》。规定明确指出，各地方广播电台、电视台不得向境外机构出租广播电视频道（率），不得与境外机构合资、合作经营广播电视频道（率）。
[Editors Translation: SARFT issued all localities with the Regulations Pertaining to the Management of Foreign Affairs in Localities of the TV Broadcasting System. (Note: the formal English name for this regulation is as yet unknown.) The regulation clearly points out that all local radio and TV stations shall not lease frequencies to, form joint ventures with or cooperatively operate broadcasting stations with foreign organizations.]
Co-operative programming appears to have been prohibited as well. There goes development of the Chinese version of the Antiques Roadshow!
One is not surprised at the development. The media is primarily an organ of state, and only recently a source of revenue. But the further promulgation of prohibitive regulation makes one think that the localities had expressed a good deal of interest in foreign cooperation. More on this as we see foreign reaction to the development.
Posted by Richard at 2:52 PM | Comments (0)March 16, 2005
China's Crescendo
Even business readers will want to read this piece on music – because that’s not what it's entirely about.
THE PERFORMANCE
Lang Lang （郎朗）, the 22 year old Chinese pianist-sensation, performed here in New York over this past weekend. As much as half of the audience was of Chinese descent, as one could clearly tell by the Mandarin and Cantonese spoken by the crowds loitering in the lobby and then surging up the stairs.
The brilliant performance -- some said the orchestra was rather a bit too loud – was greeted by listeners who gave the performers an enthusiastic standing ovation. One might temper this with the comment that Americans, unfortunately, give just about everyone a standing “O;” but Chinese don’t. [The New York Times article is archived and must be purchased.]
Other than an extraordinary expression of artistry and beauty, this concert was most assuredly a statement of arrival and of pride. “We, Chinese, have made it: we have met the westerners on their ground and on their terms. And we will show them the glory of Chinese culture as well.”
Western and Chinese music was played on the same program: Rimsky-Korsakov and Rachmaninoff as well as the traditional songs of Blind A-bing (瞎子阿炳). I will posit that Yu Long (余隆), the CPO's artistic director, wished to display the orchestra’s command over portions of the classical western repertoire; to please his Chinese audience with traditional favorites; and to educate his western audience by displaying what Chinese consider to be the grandeur of a Chinese musical heritage unknown in the west. Indeed, a success on all counts.
But perhaps they went a bit too far.
Auf vs.Von: Like a Fake Louis Vuitton Handbag?
Accompanied by the China Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO), the virtuoso premiered “Das Lied auf der Erde” [The Song From the Earth], composed by Ye Xiaogang. Those who listen to Mahler will at once notice the similarity in name to “Das Lied von der Erde” [The Song Of the Earth], lieder which set Tang dynasty poetry to music.
[For those of you who wish to learn more about Mahler, I would recommend friend and fine writer David Hurwitz’s book and CD entitled, The Mahler Symphonies: An Owner's Manual.]
The management company of the CPO notes that
…at the suggestion of Yu Long, music director of China Philharmonic Orchestra, composer Xiao Gang Ye was commissioned to create this Chinese version of The Song of the Earth. Gustav Mahler’s The Song of the Earth, or Das Lied von der Erde, is an irreplaceable masterpiece. Instead, The Song from the Earth, or Das Lied auf der Erde, reflects a different geographic and cultural background. The dawn of this ambitious re-creation, just like New China, signals the foundation of a symphony culture for China and its auspicious future.”
A copy with minor changes, much like a deluxe fake bag remade in the image of luxury parent? Not at all -- although one is forced to consider such an unfortunate idea.
THE STATEMENT
The creation of Ye Xiaogang’s piece is a statement that China intends to reclaim itself from the mind of the West, to re-create itself as it wishes. However, its target, in this case, was merely a harmless and delightful fancy in the mind of an imaginative western musician.
From the point of view of the non-Chinese audience, was such a statement necessary or even worthwhile? It was probably not even understood.
For Chinese, that the statement involves a re-creation of a western piece points up the extraordinary value the Chinese artists and the audience place on Things Western. “We have arrived – the West must stand up and take notice – and we are taking back what is ours.”
RECLAMATION: A MAJOR IDEA IN CHINESE LIFE
Reclamation from the West is a major topic for modern Chinese: antiques held in western collections, a demand for repayment of moneys allegedly stolen by an American business in the first half of this century, of China’s place in the world as a major business and political power [search Google for 中国强大国家 and read the Chinese language bulletin boards].
This lifetime student of China respectfully suggests: Chinese must learn what is and what is not theirs to reclaim -- what is and what is not important to reclaim. As Chinese wend their way into the international community, the increasing friction generated by their demands may produce a clamor that exceeds the splendor of the music they so well express.
Posted by Richard at 2:31 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBackMarch 8, 2005
UPDATE: RESTRICTIONS ON MEDIA INVESTMENT
SARFT Limits Foreign TV Production Investment
In "Is It All That Rosy for Media Investments," I suggested that an investor approach the Chinese media industry with skepticism.
A week later, we find that the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) has announced restrictions on foreign investment. The restrictions, issued on March 4, may be found in ”Notification Regarding Implementation of the Temporary Regulations on the Management of Sino-Foreign Television Production Companies.” [In Chinese: 关于实施《中外合资、合作广播电视节目制作经营企业管理暂行规定》有关事宜的通知 located here.]
Foreigners may invest “in principle” in one and only one TV production joint-venture. A second may be applied for only in the case of “special conditions,” which aren’t clearly defined. One can only guess at the meaning of this phrase. Most likely, it is simply an out, elbow-room for SARFT in case they, for some reason, find it useful to grant permission for a second JV to a foreign investor.
Note the additional restriction that the foreigner investing in his one JV may do so only if he does not harm the interests of the state. "外方合作机构应自申请之日起的前三年内没有对我不友好的记录." [Translation: The foreign partner organization may not have an unfriendly record towards China for the three years prior to the application.]
One suspects, of course, that the paramount interest is control of the medium. TV is the superlative tool for the transmission of “correct” ideological values. (Indeed, for the transmission of any “values,” a watered-down term expressing damp ideas for living. Simply consider American programming, which is very likely as vapid as it is to focus viewer attention on the ever more daring and exaggerated advertising.) With this regulation, the ideological has once again trumped the market.
OUR NEXT POST: A GUEST COLUMN
In tomorrow’s post, we will be pleased to introduce a guest columnist with a timely article touching on the trade deficit, the (U.S.) dollar and recent Federal Open Market Committee minutes.
Posted by Richard at 11:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBackFebruary 27, 2005
Is It All That Rosy for Media Investments?
Attendees at a China business conference this past month showed some interest in media related investment. Let’s start off with TV and Radio, as these sectors of the industry are the most visible and influential to the majority of Chinese. Recent changes in Chinese law encourage the injection of foreign capital into TV and radio, albeit with a number of restrictive conditions.
The Administration of Sino-foreign Equity and Cooperative Joint Ventures that Produce and Operate Radio and Television Programmes Tentative Provisions, despite the unfortunately lengthy title, are nicely clarified here with delightful brevity. [Registration required.]
As therein explained, foreign private equity firms are implicitly prohibited from TV and radio investment. However, foreign firms specializing in the radio and TV business may hold up to 49% of a joint venture with Chinese firms possessing required the media permits. The foreign investor must contribute foreign exchange – no form other than cash is acceptable. Regarding the form of the Chinese investment, there is no similar constraint. In other words, the foreigner should hear it unequivocally stated: “Show us the money, baby!”
[The Provisions may be found here in Chinese. More on developments in Chinese media law may be found here.]
One might easily forget that, while just about anything goes on Chinese TV nowadays, a permit may be revoked – at times with speed that stuns. A-Mei, a Taiwanese singer who vocalized her support for Chen Shui-bian’s election to Taiwan’s Presidency by singing the Nationalist anthem, was immediately banned from performing in China. (As of 2004, she is now once again allowed to perform.) The editor personally knows musicians whose performance permits were revoked for no reason stated.
Why, then, given investment restrictions and political involvement of the one-party system, would foreigners show an interest in investing in the Chinese TV and radio industries?
Most likely, it has to do with revenue growth. According to this document, TV advertising revenue has increased from US$300m to US$2.7bn in the past decade. Without looking critically at the exact numbers – and I assume that they aren’t far from the truth, even given just the massive state-of-the-art complex Central China TV (CCTV) has been building in Beijing – they occurred during the meltdown of internet ad revenue in the West that the industry hoped would save it from a poverty of growth.
What then are the trends in advertising a China investor needs to know?
In “Ten Major Trends in Chinese Advertising,” a Chinese analyst discusses future developments in the industry. (If enough readers show sufficient interest, I will translate the document in its entirety and post it.)
1. Increased state supervision over “problem” advertising.
2. Simplification of procedures relating to increasing foreign investment.
3. Growing competition for increased customer spending among national and provincial media outlets.
4. Development of SMS (cellphone messaging) as a major business opportunity.
5. Maturity of online gaming platforms as major advertising channels.
6. “TV Anywhere” and the proliferation of advertising into all aspects of social life.
7. Multinational advertising agencies, in cooperation with local firms, to develop markets in second-tier cities.
8. Advancement of advertising into the digital television realm.
9. Growth of public relations firms as risk reduction vehicles.
10. Development of regulation should help ensure industry standardization, but the administrative wherewithal for uniform implementation may be lacking.
In other words, the analyst foresees only growth and development with minimal intrusion of the government. Naturally, an investor wishes to be somewhat defensive. Ok, call me skeptical – I tend to believe that skepticism is a healthy reaction. So, let’s ask the question: “Is it all that rosy?”
More on this at a future date.
Posted by Richard at 7:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
