International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

CCTV News (formerly CCTV-9) is the global 24-hour English-language channel run by China Central Television (CCTV), the state-owned broadcaster of the People's Republic of China (PRC; → China: Media System ; Newscast, 24-Hour ). CCTV News has a dual function: (1) to provide news and information about the PRC and Taiwan that does not contradict government policy, and (2) to provide news and information about world affairs from a PRC perspective. CCTV News is available globally via satellite, cable, and the → Internet (→ Cable Television ; Satellite Television ). Its target audience is foreigners, both inside and outside the PRC. It plays a key role in wai xuan (external publicity), projecting for the PRC what Joseph Nye (2004) called “soft power.” CCTV News was launched on April 26, 2010, with the renaming of CCTV-9. The relaunch was the latest step in a long-term project for CCTV to compete in the international news arena with channels like → CNN International, the → BBC World Service and Al Jazeera International (→ Arab Satellite TV News ). The idea of creating a CNN or BBC with “Chinese characteristics” had been discussed since the mid-1990s at CCTV and its parent, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT). Importantly, the success of Al Jazeera (launched in 1996) convinced SARFT and CCTV that the western-centric domination of global news might ... log in or subscribe to read full text