HYPERtext linking technology and communications

In the past 20 years China’s media sector has become a key industry in the national economy of China. Statistics show that, in 1998, the profit and tax income of the Chinese mass media sector surpassed that of the tobacco industry for the first time. In essence this means that the sector is now a fourth pillar of the national economy.

For many years, China’s media environment was vastly different from that of western countries. Its role was largely defined as an instrument of the state, as an ideological tool. Most media outlets were funded by government organizations and were expected to act as a “mouthpiece of the Party”. As a result, the Chinese media was rarely market driven. Its survival was not dependent upon its interest to readers and viewers, let alone acting as the watchdog of government power.

Gradually the situation has changed as China experiments with the socialist market economy. This process has accelerated since China’s entry into the WTO in 2001. Examples of this change can be seen in the government’s recent decision to slightly open the door for foreign investment. Offshore companies can now operate in the distribution, wholesale and retail sectors of the media industry. However, there is still no immediate hope for direct foreign investment in the media’s editorial sector.

Media outlets

Today, the Chinese print media is regulated by the State Administration of Press and Publishing, and the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Broadcast media is controlled by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. The roles of these bodies have evolved in recent times.

Newswire services. There are two newswire agencies in mainland China, the Xinhua News Agency and China News Agency. Xinhua News Agency is the largest player, with 31 bureaus within China - one for each of China’s 30 provinces plus one army bureau – as well as bureaus in Hong Kong and abroad. In comparison, the China New Agency has offices in 23 provinces and some western countries. There are three main departments within Xinhua: domestic news, international news and a department that translates news reports from abroad for circulation exclusively to government officials. Most Chinese newspapers cannot afford to station correspondents abroad or, if they’re regionally based, even in Beijing. As a result, these organisations rely on Xinhua news to source their stories. Since Xinhua represents the official voice of the top government officials, carrying its stories also helps a paper ensure that it remains ideologically correct.

Broadcast media. According to the latest statistics from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), there are about 300 radio broadcasters and more than 400 free-to-air television broadcasters in China. They carry 1800 radio channels, reaching 92% of the population, and a total of 2200 television channels viewed by 93% of the population. The number of cable television subscribers exceeds 84 million. In addition to the China Central TV Station (CCTV), China’s only national TV station, each province and most major cities also have an independent television station.

General news and business programs sometimes feature high-tech news. It’s important to understand that stories pitched to television need consumer-oriented angles. This means that if a hot high-tech market or technology issue does not directly affect the life of an average viewer, the likelihood of broadcast media coverage is low.

Television programs focused on the high-tech industry in China are gradually appearing, although, the print media still has the greatest impact in terms of volume, content and influence. In Beijing, you can see top-tier weekly programs focused on high-tech including "Digital Times" on CCTV, "Hi-tech Observer" and "Science and Technology Panorama."

China Central Radio profiles the technology industry’s latest developments in a popular program called “Science World.” China Central Radio is the most important radio station in China. It has an audience of more than half-a-billion nationwide.

Print media. According to the State Administration of Press and Publishing, the principal supervisory organ of the press in China, there are more than 10,700 newspapers and magazines in China, including over 2000 openly distributed newspapers and numerous “internally published” newspapers or magazines. Together, these publications claim a total circulation of 35 billion. However, individual circulation figures are often inflated, meaning that the true circulation is somewhat smaller but the published figures still give a sense of the relative scale and prominence of each title.

In addition to local publications, there are plenty of national newspapers and magazines in China, many with dedicated technology pages. Publications distributed nationwide can be categorized in several ways:

General interest press. Most of the general interest press publishes for a localized audience such as a local province, city or even county. A few have cross-province or even nation-wide readership. Among the latter category, People’s Daily is undoubtedly the most authoritative and important title. It also has the largest circulation. Other major general interest media titles include Guangming Daily, China Youth Daily, Beijing Daily, Beijing Youth Daily, Jiefang Daily (based in Shanghai), Nanfang Daily (based in Guangzhou) and Yangcheng Evening News (based in Guangzhou).

Business press. Popular business press in China has only emerged in recent years. Its arrival is largely a result of the country’s new market-oriented economy open to the outside world. Prior to China’s accession to the WTO, most of the so-called business press was sponsored by government organizations. This meant that the press was an instrument of the state, reporting planned economy policies and news that reflected the nation’s economy in a positive light. Today, there are a number of quality business publications emerging in China. In general, these publications can be categorized into three types: general economic newspapers, securities and stock market related titles and business or management publications. Overseas business media have recently entered China. By May 2003, newcomers such as Business Weekly, Fortune and Forbes had begun publishing local Chinese editions. However, the government’s restriction on foreign investment in the editorial sector means that these magazines only reproduce articles from global editions. Local editorial content is not yet permitted.

• General economic press. Derivedfrom the old planned economy, these publications such as Economic Daily and China Economic Times are still funded or sponsored by various government bodies. They tend to report on government policies and generally target government officials or managers in state-owned enterprises.
• Securities and stock market press.These titles target shareholders in the domestic stock markets. China Securities News, Securities Times and Shanghai Securities News are the three major securities titles reporting on the financial performance of publicly-listed companies as well as related state securities policies. By and large however, Chinese stock investors have a very low degree of trust in these publications as disclosure standards for publicly listed companies are incomplete, and those standards that do exist are inconsistently applied.
• Business and management press. Many of the newly emerging business and management titles in China operate in a sheer market-driven mode. Like their western counterparts they are just as hungry for great news stories. Publications in this category include 21^st Century Business Herald, The Economic Observer, China Business, Caijing Magazine and Global Entrepreneur. These publications appeal to middle and senior level executives in multi-national corporations and major domestic Chinese companies. As you’d expect, they feature in-depth stories with unique angles on business and management news.

Vertical industry press. In China, each industry has one or more specialist newspapers or magazines. These titles are usually owned and supervised by the ministry of the industry they target. Most have technology sections covering news on IT developments, the latest technology applications and success stories in their industry. The most prominent media in this category can be found in the banking and telecommunications industries.

Technology trade press. There are more than 150 technology titles in mainland China, although only 40 publications are critical for day-to-day public relations activities. The most important technology press is owned and run by three media groups in China:

• China Computer World Publication and Service Group (CCW). CCW was co-funded by IDG group and MII Electronics & Science Information Institute in 1980. At the time it was the first publishing industry joint venture in China. Its flagship newspaper, China Computer World, is well accepted as the first and the most important IT publication in China. The group owns other renowned titles such as China Network World, PC World China, IT CEO and CIO World and Digital Fortune.
• China InfoWorld Group (CCID). Supervised by the Ministry of Information Industry, China Information World (CIW) is the flagship newspaper of CCID. Established in 1985, the group owns more than 14 popular titles as well as CCID TV, CCID-MIC Research Institute and CCID Testing Lab. Its published titles include China Computer Users, Software World, Communications Weekly, Linux World and China Electronics News.
• ZD China Group (ZD). Much like its sister publications abroad, ZD enjoys a high profile in China’s IT sector. Its impressive list of publications includes Eweek, Smart Partner, PC Magazine and Electronics and Computer.

English language press. Statistics show that over 100,000 foreigners live and work in Beijing alone. The majority of these people are diplomatic personnel and high-level business executives in Western companies. China Daily is regarded as the nation’s most authoritative English language publication with a nationwide circulation of 300,000 copies. China Daily also publishes and distributes another two English publications in Beijing – Beijing Weekend and 21^st Century – which focus on culture, education and lifestyles. For many years China Daily was the only English newspaper in China. Recent new arrivals include BeijingToday, a weekly title from the publishers of Beijing Youth Daily and Shanghai Star, which enjoys a circulation of 60,000. Another local English newspaper is Shanghai Daily sponsored by Wenhui-Xinming United Press Group, a leading publishing group and has a strong endorsement from the Shanghai Municipal Government.

Understanding Chinese journalists

Dealing with Chinese media is a totally different ballgame when compared to the western media. A number of local considerations impact interactions with Chinese journalists. This section covers a few basic tips, and highlights differences that aren’t always obvious to Western eyes.

Freedom of speech. The Western concept of ‘freedom of speech’ is not a norm in China. This is most apparent in the reporting of political news. Here the media still acts as an instrument of the Chinese Communist Party. As a result, having been actively discouraged from independent investigative reporting, Chinese journalists are usually disinclined to seek out breaking news stories, or prepare regular stories with unique angles.

At times this can give an impression that the Chinese media is less professional then its western media counterparts. This impression is further compounded by the lack of a clearly defined Press Law. In effect, the media is forced to operate with uncertain or ill-defined protection under law. With such an insecure environment you can hardly blame journalists for conservative news reporting practices.

Relationship building. Relationships are extremely important in the Chinese society. Guanxi is the fundamental way that Chinese people relate to and interact with one another. It forms the core of social interaction. This means that before talking about business, your first priority should establish good relationships with media contacts.

Unlike the Western media, Chinese journalists welcome offers of meals, subsidised expenses and are happy to receive gifts. These aren’t considered brides, but rather, are acts of good faith designed to build long-term relationships. It’s also popular to hold a party for the media around holidays such as Mid-Autumn Festival or Chinese New Year.

Nationalistic tendency. As the Chinese press gradually becomes more mature and sophisticated, the traditional stereotype of the media only reporting GOOD news is disappearing. China’s entry into the WTO has also encouraged nationalistic tendencies among the Chinese press. As a result, foreign companies should be particularly careful with comments that position China in a poor light. Attacks on foreign companies are considered fair game.

Local news angles are also the standard rule of thumb. The best news angles typically include Chinese customer case studies, alliance with local partners, local market analysis, investment in local market and local market strategy.

Passive behaviour. Chinese journalists can appear less proactive than their Western counterparts. They are less likely to investigate in-depth stories and aren’t as concerned about unique angles. This means that when journalists from different publications cover the same event, their stories can seem almost identical. A good public relations professional will proactively suggest different story ideas and freely offer alternative news angles.

English is not commonly used. English is not widely used in Mainland China. This means that all press materials must be translated into Chinese, including news releases, backgrounders and even PowerPoint presentations. Younger journalists may understand written English, however their comprehension of spoken English is often less advanced. This means that an interpreter should always be available during an interview or at a media event to assist executives who cannot speak Chinese.

Centralized location. Almost all of Chinese technology publications are located in Beijing, the capital of China. Therefore, it is easy to interact with key journalists using a public relations firm based in Beijing. In Shanghai and Guangzhou, there are a few technology media. These outlets are generally branch offices of publications based in Beijing, such as CCW and CIW. They only report on local news and should be contacted separately from their Beijing colleagues.

Journalists have computer science degrees. In more recent times, many journalists employed by technology trade publications are computer science graduates. This means that you’re likely to encounter reporters with a deep understanding of technical subjects. Expect to be asked very specific and knowledgeable questions. Contrast this with technology journalists at non-technology trade newspapers. They tend to be generalists, lacking in-depth knowledge in specific technologies. As a result, support offered by public relations firms is much appreciated.

Media events are a training tool. Technology journalists in China are usually young and inexperienced. This means that their real-life experience is limited. For example, they may be familiar with low-end technology products, but not with enterprise level technology. They usually acquire knowledge of enterprise technology from the internet, other publications, or even from the media events themselves.

Local news angles are very important. Occasionally renowned leaders in the global technology industry will receive coverage without

a local news angle. However, in general, Chinese technology journalists will only report on overseas events that have a potentially major impact on the Chinese technology industry. As a result, local public relations activity can only leverage international news stories by highlighting local news angles. Case studies on the implementation of local organizations are very popular. Remember that the concept of Asia as a single region is largely a Western one. This means that most Asian news events are rarely considered local news unless they contain an obvious Chinese news angle.