China urges "ethical" TV ahead of Party meeting

BEIJING, Jan 23 (Reuters) China's broadcasting watchdog has called for only ''ethically inspiring'' television shows during prime-time to foster national harmony in the run-up to a major meeting of the ruling Communist party, state media reported.

A State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) official said programming restrictions to begin in February would ''ensure a better TV environment'' ahead of the 17th Party Congress in the second half of the year, the Shanghai Daily reported today.

The Congress, a five-yearly meeting of senior Communist Party officials in Beijing, is expected to rubber-stamp key changes in the Chinese leadership, which are invariably decided in secretive political negotiations beforehand.

''The country's satellite TV stations should only screen ethically inspiring TV series during prime time,'' the paper quoted television programming official Wang Weiping as saying.

All home-made television series would require vetting by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party Central Committee and by SARFT before they are screened, Wang said.

''The restrictions will go into effect beginning February and will last for at least eight months,'' Wang said.

The report did not spell out what kinds of shows would not be deemed ''ethically inspiring''.

SARFT was not immediately available for comment.

China's television stations are state-owned, but in recent years many local broadcasters have lured audiences and advertising through freewheeling reality shows and costume dramas heavy on political intrigue.

China has expressed concerns over the lack of appealing home-grown content for domestic viewers and has curbed foreign-made shows to bolster more local development.

Last September China banned foreign cartoons during the hours of 1700hrs to 2000hrs and flagged a crackdown on ''vulgar'' reality TV show earlier this month, state media reported.

REUTERS DKA HT1300