Changes in the pattern of programmes in contemporary Chinese radio: Helping each other in Beijing: A case study

Since the 1980s big changes have been taking place in the character of China’s radio programmes. Radio’s role has changed, from a propaganda tool of the government to a medium seeking to meet the multifarious needs of its listeners. Under the ‘socialist market economy’ which was introduced in 1992, radio in China has become unashamedly market oriented. Its funding has moved from a complete dependency on the public purse to the independent pursuit of profit. With the aid of digital technology, the traditional forms of programming, which were dominated by a culture of writing and reading, have also been transformed into ones which involve audience interaction. This article is a case study of Helping Each Other in Beijing, a programme for the elderly which is broadcast on the public service frequency of Radio Beijing. It analyses the concept of the programme, its content, its interaction with the audience and the style of its presentation. In this fiercely competitive age of new media and globalization, it illustrates how Chinese broadcasters are developing a new programming philosophy, how they are developing a new relationship with the audience and how they are fashioning a new media image.