Censors found to have been levying unwarranted fees from TV
drama producers will face stiff punishment, an official from
China's television watchdog said on Wednesday after a vigorous
online discussion address the problem of bribery in the nation's
censorship bodies.
Li Jingsheng, director of State Administration of Radio, Film
and Television's (SARFT) TV drama administration bureau, refused to
respond to statements made by writer Wang Shuo on his blog, saying
that official TV drama censors had leaned on producers to collect
unauthorized fees.
However, Li did say that "once proved, censors collecting
unwarranted fees from TV play producers will be strictly dealt
with."
According to Wang, harking back to the 90s, TV stations have
been submitted to censorship by groups seeking to prevent dramas
deemed vulgar to air. These groups, often made up of retired
artists or industry professionals, have gained power and are able
to shut down a production with little effort. This created a
situation from 1997 onwards, said Wang, whereby producers would
have to bribe censors in order to gain the go-ahead for their
drama.
According to regulations, the SARFT and its provincial
subordinates are solely responsible for censoring TV dramas in
their jurisdictions. Furthermore, all censorship-related expenses
must flow from their administrative budget.
Li stated that "the SARFT and most of its provincial
subordinates strictly obey the rules." However, he admitted that
certain provincial agencies flouted the rules, in part due to the
low number of TV dramas made under their authority, a fact that had
prevented the establishment of a specific censor group with a set
budget.
Li thus sought to explain the phenomenon as the censors'
expenses, such as premises, accommodation and service charges,
being financed by the producers themselves.?
In September 2006, the SARFT put forth a circular, demanding
that all its provincial subordinates bring their own mechanisms in
line with central policy, said Li.
Chinese director Ye Jing was quoted by a local newspaper as
saying that he once had to forl out over 100,000 yuan (about
US$13,000) in "censorship fees" for a TV play which was censored
three times and eventually did not receive permission to air.
(Xinhua News Agency June 22, 2007)