Transformation of the Structure and Features of Children's Television on the Generalist Channels of China (1992-2018)

This article analyses the transformation of children's television programmes on generalist channels in China. This type of content is an insufficiently studied phenomenon since not so many programmes of the early stages of Chinese television (1958-1980) remained in archives and many interesting projects of the "period of programmes" were not preserved either. That is why modern researchers mostly study contemporary children's specialised broadcasters and foreign content. In the course of the research, the author analyses the place of children's broadcasting in the Chinese television system: examines the history of the development of children's TV programmes and offers its periodisation. In each period (the "period of programmes" and the current "period of channels"), the author compares the genre, format, topic and audience features of the most popular programmes and the specifics of their placement in the broadcast grid. The empirical basis of the study includes the most popular TV shows in the "period of programmes" (19912003) and the highest-rating shows in the summer of 2018 in the "period of сhannels". The author concludes that before the appearance of specialised children's TV in China, children's programmes on generalist channels were more diverse in terms of topics. They mostly realised educational goals and were targeted at children of all age groups. The most common were game formats and magazine shows. The programmes lasted 30 to 40 minutes and paid great attention to science and art. The broadcast programming took into account interests of the children's audience (programmes were broadcast from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.). After the appearance of specialized TV channels in the Chinese media system, the number of children's programmes on generalist channels has been reduced, the specifics of the genre, format, topic, target audience and broadcast programming have changed. Now TV journalists intend their content not only to children, but also to parents; programmes are placed mostly in prime time and this time-slot does not completely correspond to the rhythm of children's life. Nevertheless, genres and formats that journalists of children's television use have become more diverse. The most common types of programmes are talk shows and reality shows. One can say that children's broadcasting on generalist channels is mostly entertainment-oriented. The author believes that the return of the educational function to the modern children's content on generalist TV channels and its broadcast programming with a focus on interests of young audience would have a positive impact on Chinese children's television.

Keywords

Authors

References