HONG KONG — TV reporter Rose Luqiu didn't think twice about charging into Baghdad when the missiles started flying in March. But when anti-government protests erupted in the streets of Hong Kong in July, Luqiu and her colleagues weighed the matter carefully before finally deciding to air a short story.
As the star correspondent for Phoenix Satellite Television, a Hong Kong-based network, Luqiu takes care not to offend the Chinese government. Doing so would jeopardize Phoenix's status as the only foreign-owned television channel with permission to broadcast news to the mainland in Mandarin, the dominant language there.
"Baghdad is international news, it's not so sensitive," Luqiu said. "But political stories, anything having to do with the mainland, are more difficult. To tell the truth without getting into trouble, it takes a lot of skill."
Yet the fact that the protest was aired at all represents the revolution of sorts that has been taking place in Chinese television with the growing popularity of Phoenix and the launch of its 24-hour news channel two years ago.
The government network, China Central Television, or CCTV, is largely a propaganda machine, filling its newscasts with official announcements and sleep-inducing coverage of party meetings. Phoenix showcases live reports from the field and plays up the personalities of its stylish news anchors. Topics never covered by the mainland news media -- such as Taiwanese electoral politics -- are dissected on newscasts and in provocative talk shows.
Phoenix also offers movies and entertainment on two other channels, everything from dubbed versions of the American unscripted program "Survivor" to Taiwanese dating shows.
By all accounts, the channel is a huge hit -- for those who can get it. Satellite dishes are illegal in most of China, except in authorized areas including foreign housing compounds and hotels. But illegal dishes abound (sometimes concealed near rooftops, sometimes not), and the channel is also obtained illegally via cable. Having access to Phoenix is a status symbol for China's growing middle class.
"When they purchase new homes, they want to know, "Do you have Phoenix TV?" said Victor Yuan, an opinion pollster based in Beijing. "When they book hotels, they want to know, 'Do you have Phoenix TV?' When they get together with friends, they ask each other, 'Do you watch Phoenix TV?'
"If you do, you feel very lucky," he said.
