Re: [Swprograms] CCTV International CCTV-9

[Daniel Say <say@xxxxxx>]

Maryanne Kehoe wrote"
> Joe, I seem to recall about a couple of years ago, CCTV had an
> announcement that they wanted to get a channel on cable systems in the
> US, either their domestic CCTV-1 channel or one more international. I do
> recall writing my cable company at the time (I was living in a different
> apartment) that I did not want CCTV and laid out some very convincing
> reasons and facts why. 
> 
> I think I first read about this on the Media Network newsletter. 
> 
	There was a quid pro quo with Viacom wanting
	an outlet in China, so there is a Mainland broadcast
	in the U.S.
	CCTV-9 is their international channel, i.e. English
	but there are pockets of French and German on 
	weekends.  Culturally they find old variety concerts,
	patriotic folklore parts, and and the old standby,
	New Years marathon broadcasts (equivalent to the 
	national christmas stuff in the Anglo TV). 
	Nature series can be dubbed and are popular.

	A friend was running their cultural section and found	
	that it wasn't easy getting things contextual for 
	foreign audiences.  If you are watching just the news,
	you are getting the new style seen in Hunan and 
	Shanghai provinces on the new private stations.
	The state, and provincial stations are more
	stultifying.
	There is no other outlet for foreign language
	news in China other than a few satellite channels
	and our old favourite, shortwave.
	They don't yet allow foreign stations to broadcast to air
	in China, much as the U.S. doesn't.  Cable sets are another
	matter in both countries.
	So there it is Chinese or nothing.  Some of you 
	might have heard the Reall-Time Beijing twaddle
	that is sent out to all the provincial capitals
	as a sop to foreigners, now extended, badly, as 
	the second hour of China Radio International.

	It was said that the deal was made when the vain 
	Jiang Zemin visited the U.S. and couldn't find
	any Chinese channels on his TV there in the 
	1000-channel universe.

	October 01 is their national day and being on that
	side of the date-line they are on it already and 
	many regulations or declarations are made then.
	For example they are going to start having the 
	bloody March of the Volunteers national anthemn
	and scenes of the 5 star flag and a few recent
	sports, astronaut heroes on Hong Kong TV news
	from 01 October.  That will turn many HK people off.

	From the major English newspaper in Hong Kong 
	last month.
--------------- 
CHINA: CCTV seals deal for distribution in the US

Cultural and news programs will be carried over Echostar satellite
network

[34]South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
Wednesday, September 15, 2004

By Andrew K. Collier

China Central Television (CCTV) will make a giant step into the
American market next month, when a deal will be unveiled for the
distribution of 17 mainland channels over the Echostar satellite
network, media sources say.

The agreement will introduce mainland Putonghua programming into more
than 8.5 million American homes.

"It's an unprecedented entry from China [in terms of] the number of
channels," a media executive said.

News Corp's DirecTV had also been interested in carrying the CCTV
programming but backed out of the bidding, sources said.

A group of CCTV executives, led by vice-president Zhang Chang- ming,
would visit Los Angeles for a launch ceremony on September 25, to be
followed by a formal announcement on October 1.

Echostar already carries Hong Kong's ATV Home in Cantonese, CCTV-4 in
Putonghua and the Phoenix North America Chinese Channel, along with
several channels from Taiwan's ETTV.

The new agreement will give Echostar six CCTV channels, seven
provincial channels, three channels from Hong Kong-based Phoenix
Satellite Television and one from ATV.

American viewers will be able to watch CCTV-4 and the English-language
CCTV-9, along with new CCTV channels dedicated to Chinese opera,
culture and entertainment, and cross-cultural programming in Spanish
and French that is not aired in China.

The contract is unusual because it appears to be a strictly commercial
deal rather than one based on getting access to homes.

Additional reporting by Vivian Wu

Date Posted: 9/15/2004
X-URL: http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=14624
--------------- 
>  
> E-mail message   
> From: > joseph.buch@xxxxxxx(Joe Buch) 
> Date: Thu, Sep 30, 2004, 9:13am To:
> Subject: [Swprograms] > CCTV International CCTV-9 
> (Shortwave programming discussion) 
> I accidentally stumbled across a new TV service on the Echostar Dish
> Network today. I have no idea how long CCTV has been up on Dish or how
> long they will be there. CCTV-9 is a very well produced channel. They
> are all in excellent English and ran promos this morning for an
> equivalent services in French and Spanish. The programming is quite
> diversified with on-the-hour newscasts and cultural programs. 
> In a cultural review program this morning they featured ballet and
> musical performances curently happening in Beijing. CCTV-9 seems pretty
> open minded about program content as they showed an all male ballet
> troupe visiting Beijing with guys in drag dancing the female parts
> complete with tu tus and hairy legs. 
> The weather forecast for China was interesting. As they showed
> temperature and weather conditions for each of the major Chinese cities,
> I noticed they included Taipeh. 
> Coverage of Asian news was very good and included coverage of the Asian
> stock markets. 
> The transmissions are on the Echostar satellite located at 110 degrees
> on transponder 26. In the electronic channel guide you will find it on
> channel 265. I subscribe to the "Top 120" service from Dish so I do not
> know if CCTV-9 is available on the lower level program tier. 
> ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., 
> Joe Buch 
> -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ 
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