Revamped CCTV Morning News show borrows heavily from rivals

• Source: Global Times
• [00:39 July 28 2009]
• Comments

By Lin Meilian

Bright and breezy has replaced boring and bureaucratic on the revamped CCTV’s flagship current affairs program, Morning News.

The new-look show, which is broadcast nationwide from 6 am to 8:30 am each weekday, has been designed to win back viewers after they began leaving in droves because of the outdated model of news presenting by the main State broadcaster.

Stuffy news presentation has been replaced by a more zestful style with eye-catching graphics and a new, youthful anchor Hu Die, 26, who replaces veteran presenter Wen Jing.

Bubbly weather presenters and zappy entertainment reporters add a large dash of panache to the serious events of the day.

Urbane commentators are invited to comment on current events for the first time and lighthearted news has been heavily woven into the story line-up.

Eye-catching color graphics, headlines, subtitles and photos have all been redesigned to give impact and make the show more cutting edge and more appealing. The makeover has made a striking first impression – but not all of it is positive.

For most critics, the new Morning Show is a heavily aped version of the programming styles of the big international players, such as the BBC and CNN.

Net users posted photos of the program on the web next to pictures from CNN, BBC and Taiwan’s popular TVBS, a satellite cable news television channel, saying the new CCTV look was similar to those of long-established broadcasters.

A survey conducted by sohu. com yesterday showed 50 percent of the respondents hailed it as China’s CNN. “It looks like a news program from Taiwan or CNN,” sohu.com reported.

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