ABSTRACT
In contrast to privately owned and operated media systems in mixed economies, China’s state-owned broadcasters are not consolidated into competitive networks, but rather operate according to geographically determined infrastructural logistics premised on the ideal of assuring information and propaganda reaches all segments of society. This overvaluing of access has created dilemmas for national competitiveness. Television broadcasters are organised on four administrative levels headed by the national broadcasters CCTV and CETV in China’s capital, Beijing. CCTV broadcasts nine channels while CETV operates two channels that are a mandatory feed for all cable operators. The second level is made up of provincial broadcasters, which broadcast their main entertainment channels by satellite as a result of a lease of Chinasat transponder space. The rationale for this arrangement is that there are many communities beyond the reach of terrestrial signals. The third level is made up of city stations, often in competition with provincial stations and CCTV for audience share. The final administrative level comprises hundreds of county stations, many of which are actually relay stations.
