Who needs commercials? The government will take care of funding.

On May 18, 2012, we visited China Radio International (CRI). I was very excited to see how a radio station operates when it is owned by the People’s Republic of China. I did an internship at a radio station in media sales. I found that my understanding of a radio stations operations did not matter for a Chinese radio station. We did a tour of the station, which looked like any other radio station. There were booths for recording, rooms for writing and editing, and reporters running around trying to meet a deadline. As we began to ask questions about how the station operates, the differences became clear. First, someone asked how the stations was raked, who were the target groups, and what were the peak times. Our guide for the radio station said they didn’t really track who listened, but they thought their English programming helps students learn English. In an American radio station, it is important to know who their target audience is and how well they reach that audience. This information is needed to sell advertising and fund the radio station. Then, someone asked our guide how they get money and how they expand funding to grow or update the radio station. Our guide explained that the funding came from the government and they did not need to sell commercial space. The guide also said they always had what they needed and funding wasn’t really a problem. This visit was an eye opening experience of the differences between the US and China. I really enjoyed the visit to the radio station and the chance to learn about government-run entities in China.

For anyone interested in listening to the radio station in Houston area this station airs on AM 1520 AM 1540.

Drew