Chinaistryingtobuildupaneweconomicstructure-marketeconomy.Intheprocessofsocialtransition,TVindustryinChinaisalsoundergoingthemarket-orientedinstitutionaltransitionthoughTVstationsinChinaaremoreregardedasinstitutionalorganizationsinsteadofindustrialenterprises.
ResearchObjectivesandMethods
Wecanfindtheimportantrealisticimplicationsandtheoreticvaluesfromstudyingthemarket-orientedtransitionofTVindustryinChina.TheTVmarketinChina’smainlandisdrasticallygrowingupandstrengthening.IntermsofthequantityChinahasthebiggestTVmarketinAsiaevenintheworld,ithasover3000TVstations,280millionTVsetsandover800millionviewers.Itisindeedagiantmarketwithgreatpotentialities.
Theobjectivesofthisresearchare:bymeansofanalyzingthehistoricalstepsofreconstructionofTVmediainChinaanditspositioninthewholecommunicationecology,(1)approachingthemanifestationsandthecruxofthemarket-orientedtransitionofTVindustryinChina’smainland;(2)andthendiscussingtheissuesandtheirimplicationswhichcomefromthetransition.
ThepaperisaboutthechangeofTVindustryinthesettingofChina’sinstitutionalinnovationofmarketeconomy.Weapproachthesubjectfrompoliticaleconomy(Golding&Murdock,1991).WhatweagreetoisthateconomyoreconomicsystemisnotthedecisivefactorbutthebaseforTVinstitutionalchangeinChina.
TheSettingoftheTVMarket-orientedTransitioninChina
WithChina’sreformingandopeningdoortotheoutsideworld,TVindustryinChinahasreconstructedandchangedconstantlytillnow.TheattentionshouldbefirstlypaidtothehistoricalstepsofChinaTVtransition.ItiseconomicreforminChinawhichprovidesspaceandpossibilityforeachstepofTVtransition.
Table1:
EconomicthenatureofthemeansofTVstations&
SystemTVmediumcontroloverTVTVcoverage*
Plannedpropagandatoolsideology/104
Economyadministrativecontrol62.8%
(Till1984)
plannedpropagandatoolsideology/586
commoditythenatureofcommodityadministrativecontrol81.3%
economy(toacertainextent)marketforce(1992)
(1984-1992) (toacertainextent)
marketmasscommunicationideology/943**
ECONOMY(WITHPROPAGANDAFUNCTION)ADMINISTRATIVECONTROL87.4%
(SINCE1992)INDUSTRIAL/MARKETNATUREMARKETCOMPETITION(1997)
*CHINAJOURNALISMYEARBOOK,CHINARADIO&TVYEARBOOK,PEOPLE’SDAILY
**LICENSEDWIRELESSTVSTATIONS,NOTINCLUDINGCABLETVSTATIONS,EDUCATIONTVSTATIONSANDUNLICENSEDTVSTATIONS.
WECANFINDSOMECONCLUSIONSFROMTHETABLE1.(1)CHINA’STVINDUSTRYTRANSITIONISCLOSELYRELATEDWITHTHEREFORMOFECONOMICSYSTEMINCHINA;(2)TVMEDIAHASBEENRECONSTRUCTINGTHERELATIONSHIPSWITHTHEPOLITICALANDECONOMICINSTITUTIONSINORDERTOADAPTITSELFTOTHEDEVELOPMENTOFTHEWHOLESOCIETY;(3)AFTERHAVINGEXPERIENCEDTHEPLANNEDECONOMYANDMOREEMPHASESONTHEONLYPROPAGANDAFUNCTIONOFTV,THEPOLICY-MAKERS,ADMINISTRATORSANDTHEEMPLOYEDINTVINDUSTRYBEGINTOREALIZEANDSTRESSTHEINDUSTRIAL/MARKETNATUREOFTV.MARKETFORCEHASBECOMETHEMAINFACTOR,WHICHPUSHESTHETVINDUSTRYAHEAD;(4)WHATWECANNOTIGNOREISTHATIDEOLOGICALFORCEANDTHEPROPAGANDAFUNCTIONARESTILLTHEREANDCONTINUETOINFLUENCEPROFOUNDLYTHETVFURTHERINSTITUTIONALTRANSITIONINFUTURE.
INTERMSOFTHEGLOBALANDDOMESTICCOMMUNICATIONECOLOGY,CHINA’STVINDUSTRYISFACINGRIGOROUSCHALLENGESANDIMPACTFROMINTENSECOMPETITION.
CHINATVINDUSTRYHASTODEALWITHTHEINTRUSIONSOFSATELLITETVSBEYONDTHEBORDER.SOMEINTERNATIONALSATELLITETVSTATIONSTARGETTHEMARKETOFCHINA’SMAINLAND,ANDTHEOTHERSEXPORTTHEIRPROGRAMSTOCHINABYSPILLOVER.THEREAREALREADYOVER40CHINESESATELLITETVCHANNELSINASIA(CAO&HU,1997).ABOUT11MILLIONSHOUSEHOLDSINCHINAHAVEEQUIPPEDWITHSATELLITEDISHES,45%OFTHEM,4.8MILLIONSAREABLETORECEIVETHESIGNALSOFSTARTVINHONGKONGDIRECTLY(HU,1996).BESIDESTHOSEINDIVIDUALRECEIVERS,THEREARESOMEMASSRECEIVERSWHOWATCHTHEOUTSIDESATELLITETVPROGRAMSREDISTRIBUTEDBYLOCALCABLETVSTATIONSTHROUGHCABLE.THEGLOBALIZATIONANDDIVERSIFICATIONOFCOMMUNICATIONCONTENTSANDSYMBOLSALSOFORCECHINA’STVINDUSTRYTOCHANGE.