Security Messures in Radio and TV Station

Besides the censorship in blogging media, it is not surprising that the security meessures in traditional medias are very stick in China. In this blog entry, I want to share some first hand information about radio stations, and TV stations.

Radio Stations

I recorded my experience of the last visit to Shanghai East Radio Station in this blog entry:

The Security Check

Shanghai Radio and East Radio are two major (if not the only two) radio stations in Shanghai. It was not easy to enter the building. Radio station is always a sensitive location in China. The security check was intensive. I waited in the line for quite some time before I arrived at the window of the gate outside the building. It was cold outside and three security guards were looking at me to fill a form with my name, gender, telephone number, home address, company name, the person I visit, the room number, and deposited my national ID card.

After phone confirmation, I got the electronic ID card at the expense of my National ID card. :-) I can only claim my national ID after I come out of the building, with the ID card, and the signed form by the host.

It is not so high tech as I expected, …., until I entered the recording room.

TV Stations

The Shanghai TV Station’s security check seems not as intensive as the Shanghai East Radio Station during my last visit.

I also need to deposit my National ID card at the service center to get a RFID card, and use the card to enter the building. Also, at the entrance of each floor, there are locked doors, that my guest card don’t have access – that means you have to get someone to host you in the building.

For the real studio, there are also gates with security sensors. You need to swap your card. Of cause, not my guest card.

Most of the video programs are recorded, so it will be “safe”. In case something happens, they still get a chance. (Something means some thing unexpected)

Live Broadcast

There ARE live broadcast from both TV and Radio. That is a big challenge. In the current media environment in China, any small mistake, as long as it is politics related, in wording on public media may easily cost the job the head of the station. So they are very sensitive to the live broadcast.

According to my friend who is a host of live broadcast program, every word we hear from the radio is about 7 seconds delayed from the actual sound. The 7 seconds are critical in case someone intentionally say something “bad” on the live program, the producer can easily “cut” the voice, so it is not broadcasted at all.

However, I do need to confirm this during my later visit to the station for live broadcast.

4 thoughts on “Security Messures in Radio and TV Station

  1. can you tell me how to improve english listening? may i know your experince ? thank you!

  2. At the US radio station I used to work for, guests had to sign a register in the lobby and then we had to escort them upstairs, but they did not need to show any ID. We had an unarmed guard in the lobby. Staff need to use a security card to get in and out. I never heard of anyone trying to get in to do some kind of sabotage or take over the station, but we did have people who would come in pretending to be couriers, etc. who stole purses or equipment, so that’s when they put in the security.

    We have the seven-second delay on radio stations too, but only when listener phone calls or other live events with a crowd are being broadcast. It is assumed that broadcasters or invited guests would not say one of the bad words (although every once in a while they do!). Of course, what constitutes a bad word might be different in the US and China. We have seven, which the comedian George Carlin did a famous monologue about. They are all words considered to be obscene, though you will hear every one of them every day on the street in almost any American city.

  3. I know that the live broadcast bans to stop a second,or the worker will be reduced wages o(∩_∩)o…

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