China pulls plug on live broadcast

2003-10-14 13:04

Beijing - Chinese authorities will not allow the upcoming launch of the country's first manned space flight to be broadcast live, state television sources and newspapers said on Tuesday.

"It won't be broadcast live. The launching unit doesn't want it to be broadcast live," said an official in the manager's office of the state-run China Central Television Station's Channel 9, an English channel.

"It's the same for all the CCTV channels," said the official, who declined to be identified. "It's been decided. This decision won't change."

The official added: "There will still be a broadcast, but it will be delayed. It will be broadcast as soon as possible."

He said he could not comment on the government decision, but said his station had originally expected to show the history-making event live.

Publicity disaster

Fear of public disappointment and criticism if the mission fails could be the reason behind the decision, analysts say.

With millions potentially watching, failure could mean a publicity disaster for the Chinese Communist Party, which hopes the flight will not only promote patriotism and national cohesion but legitimacy for its rule, analysts say.

CCTV is China's largest TV station and all major news broadcasts and footage first come out of CCTV.

The government mouthpiece People's Daily website also reported the decision.

"China's CCTV has announced its original plan of live broadcast has been dropped," the website said on Tuesday.

The Lanzhou Morning Post in northwest China's Gansu province meanwhile reported that the decision to not show the launch live was "to guarantee the success of the first manned space flight".

Another CCTV employee indicated the government's habit of closely guarding the coverage of important events with a high level of secrecy was at play.

"It's for the sake of secrecy," the employee said.

China is expected to launch Shenzhou V from Wednesday to Friday, but it has yet to reveal an exact launch date or identify the astronaut or astronauts chosen in another sign of the government's culture of secrecy.

- AFP