Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Overview — Social Undertakings (V)
Section 5: Radio, Film and Television. In 1933 (22nd year of the Republic of China), Luxi County acquired its first radio receiver, marking the beginning of broadcasting and radio listening. After the founding of New China, with strong state support, economic development, scientific and technological progress, and growing public demand for cultural life, radio, film and television gradually developed from small beginnings. I. Overview of Development
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Section 5 Radio, Film, and Television
In the 22nd year of the Republic of China (1933), Luxi County first had a radio, beginning broadcasting and radio listening. After the founding of New China, with strong support from the state, along with economic development, scientific and technological progress, and the growing needs of the people for spiritual and cultural life, the cause of radio, film, and television gradually developed from small to large.
I. Overview of Development
In February 1951, counties in the prefecture established radio listening stations, whose main task was to copy and receive recorded broadcasts from the Central Station and Hunan Provincial Station for the reference of county Party committee and county government leaders. Organizing the masses to listen was another task of the radio listening stations. In addition to regularly organizing personnel from county-level organs to listen to broadcasts in the county seat, radio operators often carried radios and bedding to the countryside to organize the masses to listen to broadcasts. From the second half of 1950 to the first half of 1951, radio operators at the Luxi and Longshan radio listening stations made homemade loudspeakers to broadcast news. After 1951, radio listening stations in Luxi, Qiancheng (present-day Jishou), Fenghuang, Yongshun, and other counties successively added amplification equipment such as amplifiers and horn loudspeakers. In 1956, Baojing County set up a 750-meter dedicated broadcasting line in the county seat and installed 3 horn loudspeakers for broadcasting propaganda, and radio listening began to develop toward wired broadcasting. After 1956, counties successively established broadcasting stations.
In December 1984, the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture People's Broadcasting Station was established, under the Prefecture Broadcasting and Television Bureau. It began trial broadcasting on June 1 of the following year, using FM radio with a power of 1 kilowatt and a frequency of 93 MHz. At the same time, at the prefecture's 6903 station, a 1-kilowatt transmitter was used on an experimental frequency of 600 kHz to strengthen medium-wave coverage in the Jishou area. The Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Broadcasting Station broadcast three times a day, each time for 1 hour and 35 minutes, in Mandarin. In addition to relaying some programs from the central station and Hunan Provincial Station, it produced its own news programs, special programs, and arts programs. In 1984, Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture began developing FM broadcasting. In August, the Longshan County Broadcasting and Television Bureau completed the prefecture's first FM radio transmitting station at Qijiaoping, with an antenna height of 30 meters and a power of 50 W, relaying the program signal of the county broadcasting station. After testing, it covered 24 townships including Min'an Town, with good results. Subsequently, each county established FM radio transmitting stations one after another. In 1995, the whole prefecture implemented the rural broadcasting poverty alleviation plan. All counties and cities restored FM broadcasting transmission, expanded transmission power, and using FM coverage became the main means of coverage for fully covered villages.
Since the state implemented the first round of the village-to-village television project in 1999 and the second round in 2004, rural radio and television undertakings in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture developed rapidly, with more than 60 million yuan invested. All administrative villages in the prefecture and all naturally formed villages with electricity access and more than 50 households had access to radio and television, and by adopting a technical model based mainly on wired networking to households, supplemented by wireless coverage and satellite reception, 105 townships and towns were networked, 86,700 rural households were networked, and the prefecture's cable television users reached 210,000 households, basically forming a situation of the same network in urban and rural areas, able to watch more than 35 television programs, with radio and television program coverage reaching more than 95%.
With the development of radio and television undertakings and the requirements of national information construction, the overall digital television conversion work in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture began preparations in 2005, vigorously implementing the upgrading and transformation of prefecture, county, and city cable television networks to create transmission conditions for the overall digital television conversion.
The construction of the radio and television industry has begun to take shape, forming an industrial pattern with cable television and media operations as the main body. The prefecture's operating assets reached 260 million yuan. In 2005, network revenue reached more than 40 million yuan and advertising revenue more than 13 million yuan, effectively making up for the shortage of institutional funds. By developing industry to feed back into propaganda and institutional construction, it promoted the sound and rapid coordinated development of radio and television throughout the prefecture.
II. Main Stations
(1) Xiangxi Television Station
On June 1, 1985, with the approval of the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television of the People's Republic of China, Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Television Station was formally established. With the help of filming and recording equipment from units such as the prefecture public security bureau and the prefecture education bureau, it produced television news programs, which were then sent by personnel to Huaguoshan 7602 Station for broadcast. In January 1988, a set of TC-I type 1.4GHZ color television microwave transmission equipment with a power of 250 milliwatts was installed in the prefecture radio, film, and television bureau, and it was officially used on February 15. The opening of the microwave line realized microwave transmission between the broadcasting room in the prefecture radio, film, and television bureau and the transmitter at Huaguoshan 7602 Station, improving the quality of program broadcasting. In 1990, Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Television Station built an office building and dormitories in Shaziao, Jishou City, and added filming and recording equipment and a news interview vehicle, greatly improving program production and broadcasting quality. In order to expand coverage and promptly convey the principles, policies, and major activities of the prefecture Party committee and prefecture government to all counties and cities in the prefecture, in July 1991 the prefecture radio, film, and television bureau carefully planned and tested and took the lead in opening a prefecture-to-county microwave network in the province, greatly improving the quality and coverage rate of television transmission programs. On October 28, 1995, a radio and television studio building with relatively large scale and complete functions in the border area of the four provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Guizhou was completed, greatly improving program production capacity and transmission quality. That evening, the tenth anniversary station celebration gala "This Autumn Drunk with Hometown Feelings" was successfully held in the studio building, and for the first time the gala was successfully broadcast live to the whole prefecture. In 2003, the prefecture radio, film, and television bureau invested 12 million yuan to build a prefecture-county-city optical fiber network. Since Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Television Station began trial broadcasting on New Year's Day 1985, in addition to fully relaying CCTV's "News Simulcast" and Hunan TV's "News Simulcast," it adhered to the policy of establishing the station through news, enlivening the station through programs, and prospering the station through advertising, and implemented a competitive hiring system for program producers, greatly stimulating the enthusiasm of news practitioners. A number of excellent programs (columns) emerged, such as "Xiangxi News Simulcast," "Evening News," and "Viewpoint," with great influence and high ratings, better serving the central work of the prefecture Party committee and prefecture government and creating a good public opinion atmosphere.
(2) Xiangxi People's Broadcasting Station
On June 1, 1985, with the approval of the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television of the People's Republic of China, Xiangxi People's Broadcasting Station was formally established, operating under two signboards with one set of personnel together with Xiangxi Television Station. At the beginning of its establishment, it mainly broadcast the accompanying sound of Xiangxi Television Station. Later, due to problems with personnel and funding, it was once suspended. In September 2003, according to the requirements of the prefecture Party committee and prefecture government, the prefecture radio, film, and television bureau adopted a completely new mechanism and separated the radio station from the television station, giving only the institution and call sign but no funding, with all personnel recruited. On December 8 of that year, it officially resumed broadcasting, with a frequency of FM93 and a transmission power of 100W, covering the Jishou urban area and nearby suburbs. Xiangxi People's Broadcasting Station, adhering to the station purpose of being a "caring radio station," pays attention to people's conditions and livelihood and is deeply loved by the broad masses. Its programs have great influence and high listenership, making it another mainstream media outlet in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture.
(3) Yangfengshan FM Television Relay Station
The Yangfengshan FM Television Relay Station of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture is built on the top of Yangfengshan in Songbai Township, Yongshun County, and is one of the five major television relay stations in Hunan Province. In 1987, the main project of the Yangfengshan Television Relay Station was completed, with a machine room area of 600 square meters and a television transmission tower 68 meters high, and other auxiliary equipment was installed. In September, during the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, the station relayed the live activities of the prefecture celebration to the people of the whole prefecture.
(4) 7602 FM Television Relay Station
In 1984, Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture 7602 Station moved to Huaguoshan, Dongmenpo, Jishou City, and in January 1985 it officially relayed programs from the Central Station, Hunan Station, and Xiangxi Television Station. In 1986, an 83-meter-high transmission iron tower was installed. By the end of 2005, it had 7 television transmitters with 2.75 kilowatts and 3 FM transmitters with 1.1 kilowatts, relaying programs from Hunan TV, the Education Television Station, CCTV-1, CCTV-2, and Xiangxi TV. It covered Jishou and part of Fenghuang, Luxi, and Guzhang.