Mass or master's medium? A case study of Chinese talk shows

This article is based on a research project on the communication model adopted by Chinese television talk shows which, together with other new genres, allegedly reflect progress towards liberalization and diversification of Chinese television in the post-Mao, post-Deng eras. Through an ethnographic observation and textual examination of a range of selected television shows, the author found that although it is making certain changes in the course of the national reform towards a market economy, Chinese television has retained a communication model characterized by the formal qualities inherited from its past and which discourage interaction with the common people and reject their participation. This article contextualizes the author’s examinations of the typical communication model by describing a range of general characteristics of Chinese television, especially the contradictions that it has been subjected to during the current socio-economic reforms.