TV journalist believes content is still king in world of social media
Print Edition
ONE of the most recognizable faces on Chinese television, Bai Yansong has established a strong reputation as a news commentator, anchor, journalist, producer and public intellectual.
His sharp criticism sometimes skirts the boundary of censorship, he always frowns but looks caring at the same time, and he is known for witty comments on current affairs.
Bai joined state-owned China Central Television in 1993, when anchors were merely robots who read whatever was on the teleprompter. He is known as one of the first to create his own voice in news reporting, and has since covered major events including the Hong Kong handover in 1997, the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Sichuan earthquake in 2008.
One of the most quoted TV figures on social media, Bai has neither a Weibo microblog nor WeChat account in a time when many celebrities treat social networking as a second job.
“If the content is valuable enough, it will always make its way to me,” Bai says.
In a newly published book “One Person and This Era,” Bai shares his experiences and reflections on 20 years in the business. The book, written by Zou Yu, who teaches at Communication University of China, is the opening of a series of works on famous Chinese hosts and TV figures, published by Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press.
While in Shanghai early this month, Bai recalls dropping by the university and sharing with students his ideas on new media, current affairs and personal growth. He urges them to learn to lose gracefully, instead of being ashamed of losing.
“Why don’t we treat a nice defeat as a kind of success?” he asks students. “Once you have aged and gained enough experience like me now, you start to understand that some of the most memorable things are those failures that made you cry.
“If we always see success as the final destination, how can society stay away from anxiety?”
Q: We are in an era when traditional media is hit hard by new media and when many don’t believe the phrase “content is king” anymore. What is your opinion on this, especially your take on how traditional media should develop?
Bai: I read an article in the recent issue of Modern Weekly, about the appearance and boom of many so-called “big content websites” in the United States in the past year. These sites provide content that is shorter than novels and longer than news articles.
My idea has never changed. Content is always king. It depends on whether you can provide quality content. Many traditional media companies have been caught in panic. They have lost their core competitiveness and have been trying so hard to get close to new media without anything new.
I believe we should keep calm and continue with what should be done — providing valuable content. You can say I’m in the middle of traditional media, but I consider my show a multimedia one that premiers on TV. I don’t call it a TV show anymore.
The Baidu search engine broadcasts my show, “News 1+1” was the most searched news programs last year. As long as we provide quality content, we will attract new media to promote and expand our content.
Q: You’ve mentioned before that a motto is often what one can not achieve. Do you have one?
Bai: Mine is to live slowly, which is so hard to do at such a fast-paced time.
One thing we can’t change is that once we are born, we start the journey to death, a one-way trip. And we often miss all the beautiful stops in life while getting ourselves occupied day and night. I want my life to be fun, because only those who enjoy a fun life can make work interesting.
I remember this quote from an old movie, in which an intellectual said a person’s creative work involves three stages. The first stage is to be touched by something and the last is to express it. But it is the second stage that I remember the most — to pursue the sense of getting touched. A good artist only makes the expression after the long pursuit has made it mature enough to be expressed.
I remember it so well because most people today skip this pursuing stage. They get touched and express it right away, and soon it is forgotten. This stage of pursuing is what China must have today.
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