MCLC: Reality shows must uphold socialist values

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MCLC LIST
Reality shows must uphold socialist values
Source: China Real Time, WSJ (7/23/15)
China’s Reality Shows Must Uphold ‘Socialist Core Values,’ Regulator Says
>From “American Idol” to “The Voice,” many popular Western TV series have inspired similar shows across the Pacific – but don’t expect a Chinese “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” anytime soon.
China’s reality shows should “blend in socialist core values” and not become “a place to show off wealth and rely on celebrities,” said a circular released Wednesday by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, the country’s top media regulator.
The circular added that shows should follow the country’s austerity push by relying on a modest production budget and should not “deliberately flare up conflicts” or “reflect the evil of human nature” in order to draw eyeballs.
Reality shows have been one of the most popular genres on China’s local TV screens these days, with a number of Korean adaptions — including the outdoor racing show “Running Man” and family show “Where Are We Going, Dad?” – becoming smash hits over the past two years.
These two shows are so popular that even their big-screen versions are among the country’s highest-grossing films.
Chinese reality shows usually center on a number of celebrities, including singers, actors and models, sometimes with their kids. The shows often pit them against each other in random tasks, including struggling in farm work, working as taxi drivers, skydiving in Dubai or fighting in mud.
It is not the first time that China’s media regulator has sought to rein in hit shows on China’s airwaves. It has cracked down on televised singing competition shows and took aim at broadcasts based on formats developed abroad.
Even so, local TV producers still largely rely on foreign formats, especially Korean ones, to churn out variety shows by adapting or simply ripping off the originals.
Spokespeople for Zhejiang Satellite TV — where the first two seasons of “Running Man” aired — and Shanghai’s Dragon TV — which hosts the star-studded show “Go Fighting!” — said they would strictly follow the regulator’s latest order.
The new regulation has earned some online support for taking aim at China’s reality show craze. Yet some fans are unhappy about the regulator targeting celebrities, who they argue make the shows more entertaining.
”How do you define ‘showing off wealth?’” one Weibo user wrote Thursday. “Would it be better if the celebrities appeared on TV wearing clothes with patches and living a poor life at home?”
–Lilian Lin. Follow her on Twitter @lilianlinyigu.
by denton.2 at osu.edu on July 25, 2015
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