Guardians of Culture, Development Communicators, or State Capitalists?

Abstract

This article compares television policy in India and China in the broadcast and DBS areas. First, the authors examine some of the arguments traditionally used to justify state ownership of media, namely development communication, nation-building and combating cultural imperialism. Second, they present a historical review of broadcast television policy in India and China. The authors argue that the governments of both India and China have assumed the roles of state capitalists, while using the rhetoric of development communication and nation-building to justify state control of television. Finally, the article describes Indian and Chinese policy responses to the satellite television challenge, and discusses implications for future research.