China's state television regulator has issued a half-month ban on all commercial ads of a municipal TV news channel in central Hunan Province for airing an obscene advertisement.

All commercial ads and consultation programs would be suspended from July 27 to August 11 in the news channel of Zhangjiajie TV station for broadcasting a "vulgar " advertisement, according to a recent notice posted on the Web site of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television(SARFT) .

The advertisement, featuring a female "sex worker" glamorizing the effects of medical capsule in a night program called "men's private conversation" was "extremely indecent", according to the notice.

SARFT ordered radio, film and television regulators at all levels to examine sex-related ads and consultation programs and vowed to severely punish violators of relevant rules and regulations.

In March, SARFT had criticized publicly the Anhui Provincial Radio Station in eastern China for continuing its "obscene sexually-explicit programs" despite an early warning

In July and September 2007, SARFT issued circulars banning radio and TV commercials and programs involving drugs, sex-related health supplements, drugs for sexually transmitted diseases, sex toys and "vulgar" ads for breast enhancement and female underwear.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2009)