Hegemony and counter-hegemony: the politics of dialects in TV programs in China

Abstract

This study positions dialect TV programs in the realm of communication as a major site of not only political and ideological contestations but also negotiation between the party-state and media organizations in and around communication policies and practices. It goes beyond the control argument to look at the newly formed relationship of interaction and negotiation, which is not only mutually transformative but also opens up different possibilities for political development in China. Supported by close examinations of two dialect TV programs using in-depth interviews and content analysis, this study answers three critical questions: Why has the state regulator failed to stop dialect TV programs? What are the factors that bring about policy changes even though they are minor? Does the use of dialects in TV programs constitute counter-hegemonic forces? We argue that it is simplistic to conclude that the state has failed to stop the use of dialects in TV programs and that negotiation, the newly developed relationship between the state and media organizations, plays an important part in bringing about media policy changes even though they are minor. It also concludes that although they have limitations, dialect programs provide audiences opportunities for alternatives to state messages.

Keywords:

• TV program
• dialect
• negotiation
• hegemony
• counter-hegemony

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the participants in the International Forum for Contemporary Chinese Studies (II), University of Nottingham, 2010, for their invaluable comments. We also thank the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, Nottingham University and the School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University for their support for the project.

Notes

^1. C.C. Lee made a similar comment on Taiwan's use of Mandarin in television in his 1979 work, Media Imperialism Reconsidered.

^2. For the law itself, see http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2003-01/21/content_699566.htm [Accessed 6 June 2011]

^3. See “Code of Ethics for Chinese Radio and TV Announcers” at http://www.sarft.gov.cn/articles/2005/02/07/20070920151122290946.html [Accessed 1 June 2011]

^4. See http://www.sarft.gov.cn/articles/2009/07/20/20090720160439310170.html [Accessed 2 June 2011]

^5. Regulations introduced by the Chinese government in 2000, quoted by Christopher, 2010, pp. 19–26.

^6. We are very grateful to Dr Xu who helped to get two weeks of the news program News by Ahliutou from Hangzhou TV Station, as well as the reception rates of the programme.

^7. The interviewees include the former director of the Editing Office, Administration of Radio, Film and Television in Yunnan, director of Programming, Administration of Radio, Film and Television in Yunnan, four staff members working for Bragging, Yunnan TV Station, and 20 staff members at Kunming TV Station. We are very grateful to the former Editor-in-Chief of Yunnan TV Station, Mr Yang Hong, for helping with the interviews.

^8. The National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) are usually held together annually in China.

^9. See the blog of Peng Peng from Guangzhou Social Science Academy at http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_50a080b10100k76l.html [accessed 20 August 2011].