Beijing continues to crack down on the entertainment industry and the star-chasing culture. The latest target is the top four TV stations in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Hunan. These stations produce popular entertainment programs and bring in 25 percent of China’s national advertising revenue.
On October 29, Xinhua News reported that the Central Propaganda Department and the General Administration of Radio and Television recently told these four stations that they can’t have too many entertainment and star-chasing programs. Instead, they need to “operate by following the political principles and promote the core values of socialism.”
On the same day, the General Administration of Radio and Television also announced that from October this year until the end of 2022, the National Radio and Television and Internet Audiovisual Program Service will launch an “Our New Era” theme campaign to “display fully the great achievements and historical experiences of the Chinese Communist Party’s century-old struggle and display fully the new era of Xi Jinping’s socialist ideology with Chinese characteristics.”
The recent events are the continuation of Beijing’s three-month crackdown on the entertainment industry. Back on August 27, the Cyberspace Administration and the General Administration of Radio and Television issued a notice to ban star-chasing behavior and celebrities who have scandalous records. In September, the General Administration of Radio and Television issued another notice to ban cyber-celebrity programs. It also required that the celebrities who are invited to join the programs must be politically aligned with the party.
Source: Epoch Times, October 29, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/10/29/n13338288.htm