Controlled Or Free Market Media

Introductionconglomeration" as he states: "The central
Having a cross-disciplinary approach, as Lindhoff andgovernment's analysis of the operation and
Rydholm believe, the transforming of media in globaltransformation of the broadcasting system was
age in china, leads us to look over the whole processinsufficient because it failed to consider local
during the time. Apparently, the concept ofconditions."
ownership is a significant prerequisite to discuss about(Su, 2006:43) Among a case study of Whitecanal
the media. Although "ownership" seems, somehow,town, a small city in northern part of China, Su
unclear in a socialist culture, Lindhoff and Rydholm useemphasizes on a discreet confirmation of this claim
the term transition which discloses a gradualthrough the conflict between city bureau and town
converting process from dominant political ownershiptelevision station. (Su, 2006)
to a market economic dependent one.( Lindhoff andAccordingly, China integration with the global capitalist
Rydholm,2007) As Xin's argues what has taken placemarket after the WTO admission, is seen as a Big
in China is rather 'commercialization without"paradox" by Ekecrantz, as the continuous
independence' or 'liberalization without politicalauthoritarian political rule by the party and state.
democratization'.(Xin,2006)(Ekecrantz,2007)
Ownership of the media"Another major development in Chinese television
When it comes to ownership of the media, (it shouldthat has attracted scholarly interest is the so-called
be kept in mind that most of the time the media hasgovernment led drive towards 'industrialization'"
been considered as a core political resource since(Zhang,2006:28)
1949) two outlooks seems more probable: firstly, toIn the year 2002 the ministers of SARFT, announced
watch over from economic market dependencies anda plan for future broadcasting development in China in
secondly, unresolved contradiction between "freedomthe so called 'media industrialization' policies .Zhang's
of speech" and "censorship" or on the other word,prediction is that with applying these policies the
between "press freedom" and "party-state control".broadcasting structure will change to a two central
In the next step, this transition of cultural reformingand provincial levels. She delicates industrialization
as Lindhoff and Rydholm refer to Zhengrong andreform as a new opportunity to create integrated
Yunhong , can be seen in three levels: marketization,media groups, both in producing and broadcasting
conglomeration and capitalization. In the first step,radio and television programs, and spreading their
marketization announces that financial incomes frombusiness into wider areas.(Zhang, 2006)
advertising and audience fees make certainEkecrantz, with putting emphasize on the role of
party-state media independent from state support. Inmedia in what he calls" in other worlds" believes that
the second step we are dealing with the concept ofthe media can contribute to a particular modernity, "a
media-market oligopoly that declares a transition insociety's particular institutionalization of the processes
investment of foreign media. Eventually, in a greaterof modernization and globalization." ( Ekecrantz,
step, capitalization may lead to an integration of2007:117) Zhang conclusion indicates a delicate point
Chinese media as a capital based one. Besides, in thethat in the case of China,( in contrary to Islamic
case of China because of state domination, it iscountries that globalization is seen as a cultural threat)
controversial to say that the media are going to joinworkers in a local television channel "describe
global markets, as much disputable as to believe thatglobalization as a commercial reality", thus, "foreign" ,in
authoritarian regime can reach the pace of globalthis case, does not have any thing to do with cultural
developments.matters.(Zhang , 2006:38)
In the other side, some scholars believe thatConclusion
marketization has nothing to do with reduction ofThere is no doubt that in party-state countries as
party-state domination. Brady in her delicate analysiswell as China, politics have essencial role in social life.
on the role of CCP, central propaganda on ChineseHallin and Macini believe that in these group of
media, states that it seems to be no contradictioncountries the influence of the political field on the
between a market economy as practiced in Chinamedia should be strong. (Hallin and Macini,2005). But
and the continuance of the one-party state.(Brady,some others, more than state, blame the Western
2006)world which is "possesses or controls almost all of
Major changes in Chinese Media toward globalizationthe world's media and they mostly show the
As mentioned above, it is controversial to say thatnegative side of China to the Western audiences."
the media in china, certainly, is getting commercialized.(Brady,2006:71)
But, there are some changes which should take intoEven though some western scholars state that
account. Many scholars point to Chinese entry toChinese media are strongly under state domination,
World Trade Organization as the main developmentsome Chinese scholars challenge their claims. For
toward commercialization. " China's WTO entry hasinstance Brady states that the content of the
accelerated the structural reforms".(Ekecrantz,2007)Chinese visual and print media is increasingly similar to
Zhang also points out that China's entry into thethat found in most other countries in the world, with
World Trade Organization has made researchersa focus on mass consumerism and entertainment
more and more interested in the interaction betweenalthough the effects of political propaganda on the
Chinese television and the rest of the world (Zhangmedia is undeniable, but encouraging
2006).Chinese people to make money and spend it in large
Within the analysis of institutional changes in Chinesequantities has been one of the key propaganda
television, in the context of decentralization, Su claimsmessages coming from the central government inthe
the same idea as Zhang about the changes inpost-1989 period.(Brady,2006) With taking account all
Chinese media and specifically local television afterthese ideas, it seems we are going to see a kind if
joining WTO, but he continues this argument by apluralism in China which in terms of Nederveen
critical viewpoint about the action applied by statePieterse means political strategy for incorporating
(State Administration of Radio, Film, and Televisionalternative representations, (Nederveen Pieterse,
(SARFT) in 2003) to stop several broadcasting2004) while state may survive by accepting most of
groups or generally stop "a policy of mediathese pivotal changes.