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TV stations accused of defrauding viewers
By Jane Chen |
March 23, 2010, Tuesday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
SOME television stations are accused of defrauding telephone fees by running quiz programs that
invite audience to join by making calls that never get through.
Though the country's TV authority has banned programs inviting audience participation by calling or sending texts, many provincial TV stations still run them, said today's China Youth Daily, citing an official surnamed Wang with Shanxi Province Radio, Film and Television Administration.
A Shanxi citizen surnamed Wang told the newspaper she saw a program on Ningxia Satellite TV that promised prizes of 5,000 yuan (US$732) and a 3G mobile phone to those who called with a correct solution to its puzzles.
She called but failed to get connected for 20 minutes until the program ended. She said the calls were charged at 3 yuan a minute, nearly 300 times the normal phone charges of 0.1 yuan a minute.
"It was complete cheat, as the anchor in the program insisted the telephone line was not busy," Wang said.
She had a similar experience with another program at Shanxi Satellite TV.
The Shanxi TV station pulled its program from the air on March 5, saying it had received too many complaints from viewers.
A worker surname Yang with the station told China Youth Daily the program was contracted to an advertising company. Though appearing to be aired live, it was in fact recorded, meaning nobodyc would ever answer the calls when the program was on air.
invite audience to join by making calls that never get through.
Though the country's TV authority has banned programs inviting audience participation by calling or sending texts, many provincial TV stations still run them, said today's China Youth Daily, citing an official surnamed Wang with Shanxi Province Radio, Film and Television Administration.
A Shanxi citizen surnamed Wang told the newspaper she saw a program on Ningxia Satellite TV that promised prizes of 5,000 yuan (US$732) and a 3G mobile phone to those who called with a correct solution to its puzzles.
She called but failed to get connected for 20 minutes until the program ended. She said the calls were charged at 3 yuan a minute, nearly 300 times the normal phone charges of 0.1 yuan a minute.
"It was complete cheat, as the anchor in the program insisted the telephone line was not busy," Wang said.
She had a similar experience with another program at Shanxi Satellite TV.
The Shanxi TV station pulled its program from the air on March 5, saying it had received too many complaints from viewers.
A worker surname Yang with the station told China Youth Daily the program was contracted to an advertising company. Though appearing to be aired live, it was in fact recorded, meaning nobodyc would ever answer the calls when the program was on air.
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