China's broadcasting watchdog has banned 13 radio shows it
deemed too pornographic from being broadcast by local radio
stations in five central and southern provinces.
Provincial broadcast stations in Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong,
Guizhou and Hainan were said to have aired programs about "sex and
drugs", according to the State Administration of Radio, Film and
Television (SARFT).
A notice issued by SARFT on its website on September 13 said
"the problem of the five broadcast stations is serious and those
responsible will be dealt with".
On September 5, the SARFT banned another daily talk shows
broadcast by Sichuan Provincial People's Broadcast Station and
Chengdu Municipal People's Broadcast Station for similar
problems.
The notice said the banned programs contained "extreme
pornographic materials" and talked about sexual life and
experiences, sexual organs and the efficiency of certain drugs.
Local broadcasters must draw lessons from these cases
and enhance the sense of their social responsibility and
professional ethics, said the notice.
The SARFT said it will establish a hotline in the near future
for the public to report vulgar programs they discover.
The broadcasting watchdog recently suspended a series of vulgar
programs.
On August 17, the administration banned a talent show called the
First Heartthrob, aired by Chongqing TV Station, due to vulgar
content.
On August 24, A Date With Beauty, aired by Guangdong TV, was
criticized for its "bloody" and "vulgar" content. The
Administration then banned all television shows involving plastic
and transsexual surgery.
Earlier this year, SARFT warned broadcasters against seeking
ratings by catering to "the low-grade interests of a minority" by
relying on vulgar programs.
Those stations that failed to monitor the quality of programs
would face severe penalties, said the administration.
SARFT deputy director Zhang Haitao defined "vulgar programs" as
those with contents depicting violence, pornography, crime and
horror.
The SARFT said healthy programs should be excellent in both
"ideological content" and artistic quality.
(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2007)