SARS is also Subject to Government Directives
BEIJING --- Although the SARS threat on the Chinese mainland is witnessing an amazing decline in line with government measures, China's broadcasters are not yet being allowed to return to normal operations. As detailed in CMM passim, SARS has deeply affected normal operations at all levels and looks like it will continue to do so well into June.
New policy directives and permits for new ventures have been put on hold as SARFT central headquarters were abandoned following discovery of SARS cases there. According to SARFT officials, there are no plans to return to offices until at least mid-June. At present, key employees are continuing to work from home.
Even if SARFT workers return to work by mid-June, there will certainly be a serious backlog of work to clear, suggesting that the most optimistic timetable for a return to normality is in the mid-summer.
Sources inform CMM-I that the SARFT controlled China Media Group (CMG) is being told to continue with quiet preparations for the 1st National Broadcast Expo in August in Beijing. (CMM passim)
These national plans mean that the Beijing Media & Culture Group (BMCG) is reserving its earlier decision to re-schedule its Beijing TV Week (BTVW) in October. According to senior BMCG officials, the event is unlikely to take place if the national August event is held, but BMCG would take up the challenge if August proved too early and CMG was forced to cancel its event.
In Shanghai, Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group's (SMEG) International Special Events Office has confirmed the cancellation of the Shanghai TV Festival (STVF) for commercial reasons and announced its return in June 2004, together with the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF).
Meanwhile, the organizers of the Sichuan TV Festival (SCTVF) scheduled for October remain quietly confident that their factual programming based event will represent the formal resumption of program trade activities and thus help them avoid serious impact from SARS altogether.
On the international side, Reed Midem and CMM-I continue to work on Chinese participation in the October MIPCOM event in Cannes, this year the 50th Anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations. At press time, CMG, SMEG and BMCG have all confirmed their attendance, while major buyers are indicating their intention to pick up deals that would have been advanced during China's summer fair season.
As program traders look ahead to the Autumn, the production sector continues to battle with SARS on a daily basis across networks. Beijing TV (BTV) has launched live studio SARS debates and incorporated several SARS segments within its evening news broadcasts with such titles as 'SARS Front' (Kang Ji Fei Dian Zui Qian Xian), 'Resist SARS With One Heart' (Tong Xin Kang Fei Dian), 'Contact With Isolation Areas' (Lian Xian Ge Li Qu) and 'Pioneer' (Xian Feng).
As revealed by AC Nielsen ratings (See Programming), the intense public interest in SARS has ensured the highest ever ratings for the main news telecast in Beijing.
The capital's broadcaster has also re-launched its English language program axed in 2002 with a new daily 50 minute special report on Fighting SARS to help keep the city's international community informed about the virus. Originally commissioned to the end of May, the show will continue airing on BTV-1 (satellite) and BTV-3 (terrestrial) until at least mid-June.
In the meantime, with new business ventures on hold, Chinese broadcast administrators have been utilizing the down time to push through further consolidation measures within the sector. In the Personnel section below, Sichuan's chief broadcasting official, Wu Baowen, talks about the organizational challenges facing his province, while we also report on further channel re-vamps at CCTV.
With the disease making a resurgence in some other countries and territories, the full impact of SARS on China's broadcasting community cannot yet be tallied. However, from the recent pronouncements of senior officials in the official media, it can be seen that there is now a clear political time schedule attached to the disease.
International observers in Beijing need look no further than the censoring of CNN reports on the crisis to find an example of the double standards now at play, despite earlier government challenges to the media to report the truth. While this may be dangerous in the context of SARS itself, social stability and economic growth have always been more important than individual lives to the government.