MANY Chinese young people are obsessed with stardom and attention, but not everyone can be a star, and so for many of them, the next best thing is to be a TV host or hostess.

They say those who can, do, and those who can't, teach, but in this case, they go into hosting. And it could be a shortcut to celebrity.

Over the decade, TV hosting has become a very desirable profession. Every year, prestigious theater academies in China attract thousands of applicants for departments of broadcasting and hosting. Classes are packed and oversubscribed.

Earlier this year, the TV hosting department at the Shanghai Theater Academy only enrolled 20 new students from among more than 2,500 candidates from all over China. They took tough tests in recitation, news story presentation, impromptu hosting and debate.

More than 10,000 hopefuls showed up at a local TV hosting contest held by Channel Young last year. Only around 10 made the cut and a few got contracts.

Grassroots adventure and food show host Yang Lyv, a short, tanned, ordinary-looking (some say ugly) fellow, has made it big by being fresh and funny.

"I love TV hosting because I can meet interesting people and have amazing experiences," he tells Shanghai Daily, in a heavy rural accent from his native Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. "Fresh and funny things happen every day, which are energizing and exciting. I learn a lot. Sometimes a TV host is like a good journalist who listens to the hearts of different people."

Most of these young people don't want to be staid anchors, reading the official day's news, but sparkling, amusing, chatty personalities hosting reality TV, entertainment, special events, trendy talk shows, and online programs and events.

Shot to stardom

At least they will rub shoulders with celebrities and may climb the show business ladder.

Maybe they will be spotted by a director and break into movies. Maybe they will become a sought-after celebrity in their own right. Maybe they will make a fortune by doing commercials.

The explosion of entertainment in TV and online programs nationwide means the demand for hosts and hostesses is on the rise. A smart, funny, versatile, opinionated - and even knowledgeable host - makes shows more exciting. The popularity of talent competitions means that opinionated judges play a larger role, crowding out some hosts, but there's still plenty of room.

According to Xu Yong, an admissions officer at Shanghai Theater Academy, TV hosting is less competitive than acting and the position seems stable ad promising. "A good TV anchor can gain quick fame and get to know celebrities," Xu observes.

"Most of our TV hosting graduates receive enviable job offers from domestic TV stations and popular websites," Xu says. Some graduates cant turn to different fields of TV production since the curriculum covers TV directing, interviewing and other skills.

However, in the eyes of famed local TV host Cao Kefan, TV hosting is not as easy as it appears. Cao, who is age 50, is especially well known for celebrity interviews, "Kevin Hour." He says today's wildly popular reality TV shows mainly focus on the interactions between contestants and judges, so the role of the host is weaker.

"The TV host now has less time and a smaller platform to present his distinctive appeal in these shows," Cao says. "He or she must be more concentrated, quick-witted and interesting."

TV hosting is quite competitive and high-pressure, requiring a lot of work and determination. Shanghai Media Group has hired more than 300 anchors-hosts, but few have regular programs and most haven't yet made much of an impression.

Stronger hosts

"Young TV hosts should respect the profession, rather than regarding it as a shortcut to fame," Cao says. "There are not clear boundaries between TV news presenters and entertainment hosts. The successful ones have a few things in common - a big vision, versatility and constant reflection on the social and cultural issues in their lives."

He urges college students interested in hosting to get a double major, giving them solid background in another field, such as economics. This makes them stronger hosts, able to discuss other subjects knowledgeably. It's also a fall-back, just in case they don't become celebrities.

Cao and noted hosts Chen Rong, Luo Xin and Yin Hairon opened TV studios for college internships and research in collaboration with East China Normal University this week. Students will get real-world experience while TV experts from the university will study audience tastes and develop new hosting styles and creative formats for Chinese TV shows.

At one time all anchors and hosts in China were required to be professionals with college certificates, and the accepted male "type" was handsome, gentle and scholarly. The female type was pretty and mild.

Vast changes in society, entertainment and social media have provided opportunities for naturally gifted grassroots hosts who don't fit the mold. They can be funny and irreverent, have their finger on the pulse of what people really think, and they don't have to look like matinee idols or fashion models.

TV host Yang Lyv, who won second-place in a hosting competition, had no professional training. He's got a gift for gab and his comments are lively, cheerful and funny. He hosted the outdoor adventure show "Crazy Heartbeat" and the food show "Hot and Scrumptious."

"The profession is not as easy as I expected," Yang says. "I am not handsome at all. In my first episodes of 'Hot and Scrumptious' I was jeered by some people online who said my appearance had ruined their appetite."

The words hurt, but Yang carried on. He bought a cap and a pair of glasses and his casual approach and interviewing style has won fans among chefs, diners and now the audience. Now he's like the boy next door.

"A good TV host should always be a positive and a fast learner," Yang says, adding that someday he wants to produce his own original programs.

According to Bao Xiaoqun, director of Channel Young, the station no longer recruits from theater academies alone; they look for grassroots talent and TV reporters who make good hosts.

"Compared with stereotyped professionals, grassroots TV hosts have more zest and infectious humor," Bao says. "They fit the style of our grassroots entertainment and lifestyle programs and narrow the distance with the audience."

TV hosts also expand their careers to new media platforms targeting young professionals and college students.

The rise of new media presents more opportunities. Industry observers say that even short news stories on microblogs will be presented by website hosts.

Chen Beibei, an expert in broadcasting and hosting from Shanghai Theater Academy says she and her students are preparing for the future.

"Our students are encouraged to be a good friend of the audience instead of appearing serious like former Chinese mainland TV hosts," she says. "And they have to think fast on their feet and respond to hot social issues."

She urges ambitious young hosts to be patient and cites the example of Zhou Jin, one of the city's most popular entertainment hostesses. After graduating from the academy in the 1990s, her only job was hosting a midnight show of call-in song requests. After seven years she became famous almost overnight after launching her own entertaining wellness TV program "36.7 Degrees Celsius," in which celebrities undergo physical exams. She is both producer and presenter.

Ni Ping, a famous former China Central Television (CCTV) hostess in her 50s, has quit the studio. She shot to fame hosting the CCTV Spring Festival gala, then other entertainment and talk shows. Today she acts, writes and has been a judge for "China's Got Talent" and Channel Young's TV hosting contest.

Ni is very philosophical, saying she welcomes the success of new hostesses. "I love hosting, but I can't be selfish," she says. "And I know it's time to quit when I can no longer wear a snug qipao."