China’s broadcasting authorities have come down hard on the until-now runaway television-idol culture, while seeking to improve codes of ethics among TV hosts who yield excess degrees of influence, as a pre-teen boy group was disbanded after just a few days in existence.
Today, 2 September, saw the National Radio and Television Administration (国家广播电视总局; NRTA) issue the notice, “Notice on Further Strengthening the Management of Cultural Programmes and their Personnel” (关于进一步加强文艺节目及其人员管理的通知), that seeks to crack down on so called “idol-cultivation” and all with which it is associated.
It all began when the group, Panda Boys, made their debut in Chengdu City, capital of Sichuan Province. At a press conference on 20 August, the boys released their first single. Problem was the ages of the seven boys ranged from just 7 to 11 years old.
And 4 days later, the group was disbanded, the result of the group’s agent, Asia Starry Sky (ASE), having come in for a torrent of criticism, accusing them of profiteering from school-age children, reported CGTN.
State media outlet, the Global Times, updated their 22 August story of the group’s debut with an additional paragraph announcing the disbanding on 26 August.
Prior to the group’s break up, ASE had defended their actions to form the group in the first place. According to Shanghai Daily, the agent allegedly “wanted to do a meaningful thing with a group of kids who liked singing and dancing”.
And so the Notice from the NRTA specifies that radio and television institutions and online audio-visual platforms shall not broadcast idol-cultivation programming, and neither variety-entertainment and reality-TV shows that feature star children.
The notice also points out that the aforementioned platforms should strictly control the selection of programme actors and guests, avoiding those who have an incorrect political position and are estranged from the [Chinese Communist] Party.
It is also now strictly prohibited to guide or otherwise encourage fans to part with money to vote in disguise by means of shopping, offers of membership and other material means.
Finally, the Notice singles out TV hosts, who in recent years have been able to command sky-high incomes by means of additional work off camera.
TV hosts are expected to be educated in-depth as to the Marxist outlook on journalism, literature and art, reports Nanjing Daily. They should also improve their codes of professional ethics and consciously resist the temptations of fame and wealth. Their professional identities and personal popularity shall not be used to seek improper interests.
That the announcement of the Notice is this evening the most-read story on Nanjing’s Daily’s website reflects the general public’s concern over the rise of idol culture in China.
