ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a hitherto ignored aspect of the contemporary Chinese communication network: the closed circuit television network system established in the 1970s in the industrial work units. It discusses the origins of the system, its functions, and influence on audience formation and expectations of the role of television in post-Mao China. The chapter illuminates three case studies of work unit television in which demonstrate the significance of Industrial Community Television (ICTs) to the evolving Chinese mediascape. It argues that ICTs developed in unexpected directions and in effect were the precursors of the cable revolution that emerged in Chinese television in the 1990s. ICTs work under the direction of CCTV and/or local TV stations especially in the areas of professional training, technology provision and programme production. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) and the local bureaux effectively administer ICTs through policy implementation, although the actual implementation of central policy is subject to interpretation that favours the locality.
