Memorandum submitted by BBC World Service
BACKGROUND
As with many of the other World Service language
departments, the Chinese Service started in the early years of
the Second World War with a weekly 15 minute broadcast. The first
one in 1941 consisted of a message from the then Chinese ambassador
in London, a message from a junior minister at the FCO (Rab Butler)
and a newsletter from a Chinese émigré author in
London. From the beginning, the importance of Mandarin as the
standard language in China was recognised, although there were
also broadcasts in Cantonese and, originally, Hokkien. Throughout
the war the Service was staffed by six émigrés and
the British staff included George Orwell.
The growth of the department reflected political
events in China as well as World Service and FCO recognition that
China would be a serious force on the world political and economic
stage. Broadcasting time increased steadily, and now the Chinese
Service is the third largest in the World Service (after the Arabic
and Russian Services) with 6.5 hours a day (45.5 hours a week)
of broadcasting time and a 24 hour a day Chinese Online site.
AUDIENCE
The first ever national audience survey in China
was conducted in 1998. It gave the BBC a combined English and
Chinese weekly audience of 3.1 million adults (2.2 million for
English, 1.3 million for Chinese, with some overlap), which corresponds
to a reach of 0.3 per cent of the adult population. Our biggest
competitor, the Voice of America, whose output in Chinese is double
that of the BBC's, has an audience reach of 0.88 per cent. It
is likely that audience numbers are higher than those given in
the survey because many listeners are reluctant to admit that
they listen to a foreign station. The research shows that the
audience falls into the categories of cosmopolitans (opinion formers)
and aspirants (typically students). This is reflected in the topics
that arouse the greatest interest, such as business, science and
technology, learning English and finding out more about the outside
world. As with most countries there is a strong following for
sport, especially football. China has the largest Manchester United
supporters club in the world! The radio audience is overwhelmingly
young, 40 per cent of listeners are under 30. Many listeners live
in southern China (45 per cent).
Although the radio audience is based in the
PRC, online is just as likely to be accessed from America, Europe
or South East Asia, particularly Malaysia. For the first time
the World Service can reach Chinese people all over the world.
OUTPUT
Radio
Mandarin: News and current affairs is at the core
of the BBC's programming to China, but the Chinese Service also
offer a range of information and educational output. This includes
teaching English, science and technology, business, sport, life
in Britain, music, phone-ins and aspects of student life.
Cantonese: There are two daily news bulletins
as well as a weekly round up of current affairs. These are still
being broadcast by our partner RTHK in Hong Kong on FM. RTHK also
broadcasts World Service English programming 24 hours a day.
English: World Service programming in English
is available on short wave 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Special
programming for East Asia includes: East Asia Today—a
half-hour round-up of news and analysis on East Asia, which can
be heard each weekday at 2300 local; The East Asian version of
The World Today—60 minutes of international and East
Asian news, interviews, business and sport broadcast daily at
breakfast time.
Online
In November 1999 the BBC launched a major new
investment in Chinese online. The site includes text and audio
in Mandarin and Cantonese and is dominated by news and current
affairs, with special pages for significant events such as the
Taiwan and Russian presidential elections and, in the coming months,
on the Olympics and the US presidential elections. There are also
sport and business pages as well as links to popular radio features.
It is available in two Chinese fonts, simplified for the People's
Republic of China (PRC) and traditional for the diaspora. The
number of page impressions on the Chinese site has doubled in
the last three months, from 204,438 a month to 434,196 in April
2000.
BBC World
The BBC's international television channel BBC
World is run as a commercial operation by BBC Worldwide, not by
the World Service. It is available in 26,000 hotel rooms in China
through an encrypted signal on PamAmSat 2.
DELIVERY
Short wave
Because of restrictions on the freedom of information
in China, short wave broadcasting from transmitters outside the
country is crucial. By the early 1990s, the BBC was using transmitters
based in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. In addition,
by 1993 the BBC hired two transmitters in Russia to improve short
wave reception. Before the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, the
BBC transmitter there played the most important part in ensuring
adequate short wave coverage. But in 1997 the Hong Kong transmitter
station had to be dismantled and a replacement station was built
in Thailand. Latest technical measurements show that short wave
audibility in China is good.
The return of Hong Kong also raised questions
about the BBC's close relationship with RTHK, which has remained
strong. Both English and Cantonese continue to be broadcast on
their airwaves. But the problems faced by RTHK should not be underestimated.
Despite public attacks for broadcasting programmes made by a foreign
radio station they have shown great courage in continuing their
relationship with the BBC.
Jamming
Since May 1989 there has been persistent jamming
of the BBC's short wave signals in Mandarin into China. On a recent
trip BBC engineers found deliberate co-channel interference, which
was identified as Chinese transmissions in Mandarin (and once
in Esperanto!) During a visit to four different locations in China
jamming was heard on all but one of the BBC frequencies at some
point. The jamming lasted from a few minutes before the BBC programme
to just after the programme ended. Although it is possible to
find frequencies that are not jammed, this is difficult and time-consuming.
In an increasingly competitive market the BBC cannot expect listeners
to go on making this effort. There was no evidence of jamming
of BBC programmes in English.
The only other international broadcasters to
be jammed are the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. Other
international broadcasters, such as Deutsche Welle, Radio Australia,
Radio France International and NHK (from Japan) are not jammed.
Since the launch of the Chinese Online site
in November 1999, it is clear that the Chinese authorities also
attempt to block access to the BBC's online site. But the Chinese
authorities are faced with a difficult dilemma: if they wish to
use the capacity of the internet to fuel economic growth, it will
be difficult for them to continue censoring its use and there
is now some evidence that it can be accessed mainland China.
THE CHINESE
MARKET
The Media Scene
Audiences in China do not think of themselves as
information poor. Since the introduction of greater economic liberalisation,
the state controlled media have shown that they can be responsive
to changing audience needs. Gone is the dull and boring fare previously
served up by TV, radio and the press. The Chinese media scene
is now lively, sophisticated, fun and informative. Slavish reporting
of leaders' activities or grain yields have been replaced by soaps,
quiz shows and professional documentaries.
Coupled with this is a growing national pride
in China's achievements and a desire for what is seen as China's
rightful place amongst world leaders to be recognised. Anything
that smacks of cultural or political imperialism, or a Western
assumption of superiority, is rejected. This has become more acute
since the US bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade last year,
regarded by many in China as a deliberate act to humiliate them.
Technology
As China rapidly modernises, there is a marked
preference for new technology with electronic and communications
equipment experiencing rapid growth. Examples include the rapid
growth of mobile phones, with 50 million cell phones already in
circulation and the customer base of China Mobile—the biggest
state owned carrier—growing by 60 per cent every year. Similarly,
internet usage increased by 324 per cent in 1999 with a surge
in users from 2.1 million (1998) to 8.9 million (1999). Already
many Chinese pay for syndicated content on their mobile phones
and it is expected that up to 6 million will buy internet services
using their phones. According to latest estimates (Computer Industry
Almanach) Internet users in China will outnumber those in the
USA by 2010. In this environment, staying exclusively with a system
that relies on short wave which is not regarded as the forefront
of technology, is not a sensible option.
Media Consumption
Uniquely amongst developing markets, China has
leapt straight into the television age without an intervening
developed radio stage. This is shown in the remarkable TV ownership
rate. In 1996, 96 per cent of households owned a TV and that figure
was expected to rise to 98 per cent by the end of 1999. In contrast,
according to a 1998 national survey in which the BBC took part,
radio ownership is at 47 per cent of households. Radio listening
is not as established in China as it is in other markets. The
same survey gave PC ownership as 1.9 per cent of all households,
although access at work increases the number of those who use
a PC.
Competition
The BBC's immediate competition is the Voice
of America (VOA) which, together with America's Radio Free Asia,
broadcast to China in short wave for 24 hours a day. Their main
language is Mandarin, but they also broadcast in Cantonese and
Tibetan. They have on average eight frequencies going into China
compared to the BBC's five, and some of them are delivered by
transmitters that are more powerful than those used by the BBC.
So far, the VOA's strategy has been different
from the BBC. The VOA has concentrated on short wave radio and
television. The BBC has opted for radio and online. The VOA does
have a web site, but it is not a first class one; this is not
because they are incapable of delivering a good site, simply that
their original strategic direction lay with television instead.
The television signal is delivered by satellite, a strategy that
relies on Chinese citizens being prepared to break Chinese law
by installing satellite dishes that can receive this service.
Recently it appears that VOA is changing this strategy to concentrate
on Online as well.
CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT
The BBC's relationship with China has travelled
along a rocky road. At the time of the crushing of the democracy
movement in Tiananmen Square in 1989, our signals were jammed
and access into China for BBC journalists became more difficult
and for BBC Chinese Service journalists impossible.
At present the BBC has three offices in China:
in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The Beijing office has two
correspondents, a producer, a camera operator, researcher and
office manager. The Shanghai office, which is just about to open,
will have one correspondent and will reflect more effectively
the importance of Shanghai as one of the world's leading business
centres. The Hong Kong office will have one correspondent after
BBC Asia Bureau moves away from Hong Kong to Singapore.
The correspondents require permission for reporting
(as opposed to simply travelling) outside the Beijing and Tianjin
municipal areas. At the moment permission is being received in
the majority of cases, recent examples being trips to Shanghai,
Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Fujian.
Some BBC reports about China have been critical
of certain aspects of Chinese society. In particular a documentary
about the former Chinese leader, Mao Zedong, in the mid 1990s
caused great anger amongst the Chinese leadership. As a result,
reporting trips became extremely difficult.
Since then, the BBC has been actively involved
in developing our relationship with China, feeling that positive
engagement would more likely lead to a better understanding of
what we are trying to do. A 1999 British government delegation
led by the Culture Secretary Chris Smith included the Head of
the Asia and the Pacific Region and the Head of BBC Worldwide.
Later this year Chinese Politburo member Ding Guangen visited
Britain and, at his request, visited the BBC twice, including
a tour of World Service, its Newsroom and Chinese Service. This
resulted in an invitation to the Chief Executive of the BBC World
Service to visit China which he did in January 2000 together with
the Head of the Asia and the Pacific Region, the Head of the Chinese
Service and the Head of the World Service Trust. The visit was
a most positive one and subsequently an agreement was reached
for a reporter from China Radio International (The Chinese equivalent
of BBC World Service) to come to World Service in autumn 2000
to receive training for one month.
Following these meetings, it has become easier
for BBC reporters to get journalist visas; the Chinese Service
has received two and BBC News received one. Also, Radio 3 has
just received permission to record material in China for their
special China series later this year. At the end of May, the Minister
of Culture, Tian Congming, will visit Britain and the BBC and
will hold meetings with the Director General and other senior
executives.
The relationship now looks more healthy than
it has for ten years which has resulted in better access for BBC
journalists and therefore more in-depth reporting of China.
FUTURE STRATEGY
AND ISSUES
In five years time a large part of the Chinese
target audience will have access to the Internet via television,
mobile phones and other portable communications devices. These
audiences will demand more targeted and specialised information.
For the Chinese Service this represents a serious challenge, but
also an important new opportunity of reaching and involving target
audiences. Through instant response e-mails, discussion forums,
vote boxes etc. the BBC will be able to build a truly interactive
relationship with its audiences.
The development of targeted information has
already begun with specialised reports on business and sport produced
daily for the radio and Online output. The Chinese Service is
already exploring the possibility of providing such specialised
information on to mobile phones in China as well as Chinese Online
sites. This will ensure a far wider access into China than is
possible at the moment.
Developing hyperlinks to Chinese sites is also
important in establishing ourselves as a portal of news and information
about China. This process has already begun but needs further
investment.
It is unlikely that delivering BBC news and
current affairs into China will become any easier. For this reason
short wave radio transmitters based outside the country will still
have a fundamental role to play. Radio broadcasting times are
undergoing a review to ensure we don't compete with popular television
viewing times. The Chinese Service will continue its dialogue
with local Chinese radio stations who have expressed interest
in BBC information and education programmes, in particular learning
English programmes.
The Chinese Service will also explore the possibility
of basing a Chinese member of staff in the Beijing Bureau as a
producer. This will help in trying to make our programmes even
closer to the audience.
Given the strong internet in English, we recognise
the importance of developing an interactive trilingual (English,
Mandarin and Cantonese) learning English site as part of the Online
offer. A project involving BBC Worldwide and BBC World Service
is already underway with a view to producing a multi-media series
suitable for television, Online and radio and with published support
material. Moreover, there are also plans to develop English learning
and information programmes in partnership with the British Council
as part of a major initiative highlighted in the new joint Memorandum
of Understanding.
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