China Radio International Explained

China Radio International
Founded:3 December 1941
Country:China
Headquarters:Beijing, China
Broadcast Area:Worldwide
Owner:Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party
Former Names:
  • Radio Peking
  • Radio Beijing
Parent:China Media Group
Showflag:cp
S:中国国际
广播电台
T:中國國際
廣播電台
P:Zhōngguó Guójì Guǎngbō Diàntái
W:Chungkuo Kuochi Kuangpo Tient'ai
J:Zung1gwok3 Gwok3zai3 Gwong2bo3 Din6toi4
Order:st
L:China International Radio Station

China Radio International (CRI) is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of China. It is currently headquartered in Babaoshan, Shijingshan, Beijing. It was founded on December 3, 1941, as Radio Peking. It later adopted the pinyin form Radio Beijing.

CRI states that it "endeavours to promote favourable relations between the PRC and the world" while upholding the PRC's official positions. As with other nations' external broadcasters such as Voice of America, BBC World Service and Radio Australia, CRI claims to "play a significant role in the PRC's soft power strategy" and Go Out policy, aiming to expand the influence of Chinese culture and media in a global stage. CRI attempts to employ new media and partnerships with other media outlets to compete with other international media.[1] Unlike other broadcasters, CRI's control via indirect majority ownership or financial support of radio stations in various nations is not publicly disclosed.[2] [3]

CRI is presently the international radio arm of the China Media Group, under the control of the Central Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party, created following the first session of the 13th National People's Congress in March 2018.[4] [5]

History

Radio was first introduced in China in the 1920s and 1930s. However, few households had radio receivers. A few cities had commercial stations. Most usage of radio was for political purpose, frequently on a local area level.

The Chinese Communist Party first used radio in Yanan Shaanxi Province in March 1940 with a transmitter imported from Moscow. Xinhua New Chinese Radio (XNCR) went on the air from Yanan on December 30, 1940. XNCR transmitted to a larger geographical area after 1945, and its programs became more regular and formalized with broadcasts of news, official announcements, war bulletins, and art and literary programs.

The English service started on September 11, 1947, transmitting as XNCR from a cave in Shahe in the Taihang Mountains,[6] when China was in the midst of a civil war, to announce newly conquered areas and broadcast a Chinese political and cultural perspective to the world at large.[7] [8] The station moved from the Taihang Mountains to the capital, Peking, when The People's Republic of China was formed in 1949. Its name was changed to Radio Peking on April 10, 1950, and to Radio Beijing in 1983. On January 1, 1993, the name of the station was again changed, this time to China Radio International, in order to avoid any confusion with local Beijing radio broadcasting. Its online broadcasting platform: China International Broadcasting Network (CIBN) was formally established in 2011, as a joint venture of China Radio International, Huawen Media Investment, JinZhengYuan, Youku, Oriental Times Media and Suning Holdings Group.

Radio Peking began exchanges with Voice of America in 1982.[9] Voice of American had opened a bureau in Beijing the previous year.

A 2015 investigative report by Reuters found a network of at least 33 radio stations in 14 countries that obscures CRI as its majority shareholder. A significant portion of the programming on these stations is either produced or provided by CRI, or by media firms CRI controls in the United States, Australia, and Europe.

In February 2020, the United States Department of State designated CRI and other Chinese state-owned media outlets as foreign missions.[10]

CRI has focused on forging commercial partnerships, particularly in Europe, in which its content is broadcast without attribution to CRI. According to a 2023 discourse analysis by the Central European Digital Media Observatory, CRI's content steers clear of any criticism of the Chinese government.

Programming

Mandarin radio channels

At the beginning of 1984, it started to broadcast home service to the Beijing area on AM and FM frequencies. The service later expanded to dozens of major cities across the PRC, providing listeners inside the PRC with timely news and reports, music, weather, English and Chinese learning skills, as well as other services.

CRI News Radio (90.5 FM)

CRI News Radio (CRI环球资讯广播) was established on 28 September 2005. Its aim is to make CRI News Radio a first-class national news radio brand and its slogans are 'First News, News First', 'On-the-Spot China, Live World' etc.[11] CRI News Radio can be heard online and in Beijing on the radio on 90.5 FM; in Tianjin 90.6 FM; in Chongqing 91.7 FM; in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau 107.1 FM; in Shandong 89.8 FM; in Anhui 90.1 FM.

Popular Shows

Chinese podcasts

The following programmes can be heard on the Mandarin version of the podcast from the World Radio Network:

This broadcast was originally targeted at London in the United Kingdom. In 2006, they removed the "London" reference, which was part of the introduction as "Ni hao London. Hello London"[13]

English radio channels

CRI in English (846 AM, 1008 AM; 91.5 FM)

The CRI English channels that can be heard online are:

English Podcasts

CRI offers a list of podcast programs in English:

Holiday Broadcasts

During major Chinese holidays (dubbed Golden Week), such as Chinese New Year, May Day, and Mid-Autumn Festival, China Radio International typically broadcasts special programmes such as:

Most of these programmes are not typical of the broadcast during the other parts of the year. The analogy is similar to Christmas music broadcasts in the United States.

Olympic Radio

In July 2006, CRI launched a new radio station called CRI Olympic Radio at 900 AM in Beijing. This special broadcast was in Mandarin, Korean, English, Russian, French, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese and German 24 hours a day. This service was terminated in late 2008 after the Beijing Olympics and now the frequency 900 AM is occupied by CRI News Radio, which covers only Beijing.

Pay television channels

Other than radio channels, CRI also operates these pay television channels via satellite airing:

Languages

China Radio International broadcasts in the following languages:[14]

LanguageLaunchedWebsite
AlbanianRadio e Jashtme e Kinës
Arabichttp://arabic.cri.cn
Armenian12 April 2011[15]
Belarusian23 September 2009[16] http://belarusian.cri.cn
Bengalihttp://bengali.cri.cn
Bulgarianhttp://bulgarian.cri.cn
Burmese10 April 1950[17] http://myanmar.cri.cn
CroatianKineski Radio Internacional
Cambodian11 December 2008[18] http://cambodian.cri.cn
Cantonese
Czechhttp://czech.cri.cn
Dutch23 September 2009
English11 September 1947[19] http://english.cri.cn
Esperanto19 December 1964[20] http://esperanto.cri.cn
Estonian
FilipinoRadyo Internasyonal ng Tsina
French5 June 1958[21] http://french.cri.cn
German15 April 1960 Radio China International
Greek23 September 2009http://greek.cri.cn
Hausahttp://hausa.cri.cn
Hebrew23 September 2009http://hebrew.cri.cn [22]
Hindi15 March 1959 http://hindi.cri.cn
Hungarianhttp://hungarian.cri.cn
IndonesianRadio Internasional Tiongkok
ItalianRadio Cina Internazionale
Japanese3 December 1941[23]
Kazakhhttps://web.archive.org/web/20170908052146/http://kazak.cri.cn/
Korean2 July 1950[24] http://korean.cri.cn/
Laotian20 November 2006[25] http://laos.cri.cn
MalaysianRadio Antarabangsa China
Mandarin
Mongolian1 December 1964 Хятадын олон улсын радио
Nepali25 Jun 1975[26] http://nepal.cri.cn
Persianhttp://persian.cri.cn
PolishChińskie Radio Międzynarodowe
Portuguesehttp://portuguese.cri.cn
Pashtohttp://pushtu.cri.cn
Romanian30 August 1968Radio China Internaţional
Russian24 December 1954[27] Международное радио Китая
Serbianhttp://serbian.cri.cn
SinhalaJanuary 1975 http://sinhalese.cri.cn
Spanish3 September 1956[28] http://espanol.cri.cn
Swahili6 March 2006[29] http://swahili.cri.cn
Swedish
TamilAugust 1963[30] [31] சீன வானொலி
Thaihttp://thai.cri.cn
Tibetanhttps://web.archive.org/web/20190224113849/http://tibet.cri.cn/
Turkishhttp://turkish.cri.cn
UkrainianMay 2008Міжнародне радіо Китаю
Urduhttp://urdu.cri.cn
Uygurhttps://web.archive.org/web/20180116173813/http://uygur.cri.cn/
VietnameseĐài phát thanh quốc tế Trung Quốc

The Tibetan, Uygur and Kazakh services are broadcast in association with local radio stations (Tibet People's Broadcasting Station and Xinjiang People's Broadcasting Station).

Joint ventures

China International Broadcasting Network

China International Broadcasting Network (CIBN, traded as, an internet TV service, was a joint venture of China Radio International with other companies. The company was owned by Global Broadcasting Media Group (a joint venture (50–50) of China Radio International and, literally JinZhengYuan Union Investment Holding) for 34.0004% stake, Huawen Media Investment for 30.9996% stake, a subsidiary of listed company Oriental Times Media for 15% stake, the operator of Youku for 10% stake and Suning Holdings Group, the parent company of PPTV for 10% stake.[32]

GBTimes

CRI owns 60% of Finland-based GBTimes. GBTimes is headed by Zhao Yinong and operates radio stations across Europe that broadcast CRI-produced content.[33]

G&E Studio

G&E Studio is 60% owned by Guoguang Century Media, a Beijing firm completely owned by the CRI. James Su is president and CEO of G&E Studio, which distributes CRI content to more than a dozen radio stations inside the United States.

See also

References

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Karásková . Ivana . September 25, 2023 . How China's Propaganda Infiltrated Radio Stations in Europe . 2023-09-28 . . en-US.
  2. News: Beijing's covert radio network airs China-friendly news across Washington, and the world. Reuters. Koh Gui. Qing. John. Shiffman. 2 November 2015. 2 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151102183225/http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/china-radio/. 2 November 2015. live.
  3. News: Shiffman . John . Qing . Koh Gui . 2015-11-02 . FCC, Justice Department investigate covert Chinese radio network . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200706005351/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-radio-fcc-idUSKCN0SR2AI20151102 . 2020-07-06 . 2020-07-05 . . en.
  4. News: Bandurski. David. February 12, 2021. All This Talk of Independence. China Media Project. February 22, 2021. February 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210215140931/https://chinamediaproject.org/2021/02/12/all-this-talk-of-independence/. live.
  5. News: Buckley. Chris. 2018-03-21. China Gives Communist Party More Control Over Policy and Media. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-11-12. 0362-4331. 2021-11-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20211112211222/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/world/asia/china-communist-party-xi-jinping.html. live.
  6. "CRI Marks China's First English Radio Show." (Archive) CRI English. November 25, 2011. Retrieved on November 16, 2013.
  7. Book: Chang, Won Ho . Mass Media in China: The History and the Future . 1989-01-01 . Iowa State Pr . 978-0-8138-0272-5 . Ann Arbor . 151–152 . English.
  8. China Radio International, History and Milestones: CRI English Service (Archive)
  9. Book: Li, Hongshan . Fighting on the Cultural Front: U.S.-China Relations in the Cold War . 2024 . . 9780231207058 . New York, NY . 326 . 10.7312/li--20704 . 10.7312/li--20704.
  10. News: Jakes . Lara . Myers . Steven Lee . 2020-02-18 . U.S. Designates China's Official Media as Operatives of the Communist State . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200324074500/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/world/asia/china-media-trump.html . 2020-03-24 . 2020-05-29 . . en-US . 0362-4331.
  11. Web site: Ѷ㲥 CRI News Radio. 2012-06-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20120523180021/http://gb.cri.cn/21344/2007/09/29/1885@1788552.htm. 2012-05-23. live.
  12. Web site: 国际在线_读懂国际 点赞中国 . 2017-10-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171014143404/http://gb.cri.cn/news/other/lwdc/lwkd.htm . 2017-10-14 . live .
  13. http://gb.chinabroadcast.cn/ China Broadcast
  14. Web site: CRI Online. cri.cn. 2015-02-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20150213071402/http://www.cri.cn/index1.htm. 2015-02-13. dead.
  15. Web site: CRI Launches Radio Station in Armenia. english.cri.cn. 21 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180322015731/http://english.cri.cn/6909/2011/04/12/2743s631670.htm. 22 March 2018. dead.
  16. Web site: CRI Online Launches New Language Services. www.chinadaily.com.cn. 21 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20160611025637/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-09/23/content_8728120.htm. 11 June 2016. live.
  17. Web site: CRI Burmese. myanmar.cri.cn. 2020-04-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20191002232104/http://myanmar.cri.cn/audio.html. 2019-10-02. live.
  18. Web site: Cambodia Friendship Radio. xinhuanet.com. 21 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20100525165511/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/11/content_10490980.htm. 25 May 2010. dead.
  19. 中央人民广播电台研究室《解放区广播历史资料选编 1940–1949》. Beijing: 中国广播电视出版社, 1985.
  20. http://esperanto.cri.cn/1/2004/12/08/Zt21@18131.htm Skizo pri Esperanto-elsendo de ĈRI
  21. http://french.cri.cn/761/2009/03/20/241s187022.htm Service français
  22. Web site: The Chinese Penetration of Israeli Media. Yellinek. Roie. 2020-02-21. Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. en-US. 2020-05-25. 2020-04-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20200405222442/https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/china-penetration-israeli-media/. live.
  23. http://japanese.cri.cn/782/2009/05/21/1s140643.htm 日本語部紹介
  24. http://korean.cri.cn/1644/2014/10/22/1s218931.htm 조선어부 소개 및 연계방식
  25. Web site: Chinese, Lao Presidents Launch CRI's New Radio Service in Laos. english.cri.cn. 21 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080328/http://english.cri.cn/2946/2006/11/20/45@165143.htm. 4 March 2016. dead.
  26. Web site: नेपाली सेवाको संक्षिप्त परिचय - China Radio International. nepal.cri.cn. 21 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180322021152/http://nepal.cri.cn/497/2014/02/06/1s138833.htm. 22 March 2018. live.
  27. http://russian.cri.cn/1143/2014/05/14/1s511278.htm Международное радио Китая
  28. http://espanol.cri.cn/1/2005/01/27/1@52094.htm Breve Historia del Departamento de Español
  29. Web site: CRI Launches First Overseas FM Radio Station. www.china.org.cn. 21 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180414003952/http://china.org.cn/english/culture/160050.htm. 14 April 2018. live.
  30. Web site: China Radio's Tamil station to launch FM channel in India. ndtv.com. 21 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20171231083629/https://www.ndtv.com/south/china-radios-tamil-station-to-launch-fm-channel-in-india-521738. 31 December 2017. live.
  31. News: At 49, China's Tamil radio station plans an expansion. Ananth. Krishnan. The Hindu. 30 July 2012. 21 March 2018. www.thehindu.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20171215141347/http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/at-49-chinas-tamil-radio-station-plans-an-expansion/article3700333.ece. 15 December 2017. live.
  32. Web site: http://www.000793.com/ueditor/jsp/upload/file/20160425/1461543181537080408.pdf . zh:关于对国广东方网络(北京)有限公司追加投资暨关联交易事项的公告 . Announcement on capital increase in Global Broadcasting – Oriental Network (Beijing) Co,. Ltd. and related party transaction . Huawen Media Investment Corporation . 25 April 2016 . 10 June 2016 . zh-CN . https://web.archive.org/web/20160809084946/http://www.000793.com/ueditor/jsp/upload/file/20160425/1461543181537080408.pdf . 9 August 2016 . live .
  33. News: Qing. Koh Gui. Wardell. Jane. 2015-11-02. Chinese radio broadcaster taps front men in Finland and Australia. en. Reuters. 2020-10-12. 2020-08-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20200828122955/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-radio-partners-idUSKCN0SR1KS20151102. live.