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New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) (Chinese: 新唐人電視臺) is a Falun Gong-affiliated Chinese language television broadcaster based in New York City, founded in 2001; it has a strong human rights focus as it tries to deliver hard to access information about human rights abuses in China. The company's stated mission is "to foster mutual understanding between Chinese and Western societies" and promote multiculturalism, peace and compassion.

According to the Wall Street Journal, NTDTV is, along with The Epoch Times and Sound of Hope Radio Station, part of a "media empire" founded by and affiliated with Falun Gong practitioners. NTDTV is known to sympathize with Falun Gong and other persecuted groups in China, and takes a critical line on the Communist Party of China. In January 2005 it aired a video version of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, a political editorial condemning the Party.

NTDTV also puts on an annual Chinese New Year Spectacular, which is a Falun Gong-affiliated event that it says "celebrates Chinese culture". The station's political leanings have prompted "bans" from the Chinese government, leading to a controversy involving French network Eutelsat.

History

In 2001, a group of professionals and businessmen, all practitioners of Falun Gong (FLG), conceived the idea of a television station that would support their voice in regard to Chinese culture and Chinese government policies. NTDTV began broadcasting via satellite in North America in February 2002, and expanded its audience into mainland China in April 2004. At present, the station's satellite coverage reaches Asia, Europe, and Australia in several languages. It claims to be the "first and only independent Chinese-language TV." It broke news of SARS in 2003 three weeks before the Chinese government publicly admitted that there was an epidemic that went on to cause some 350 deaths; it offered extensive coverage on the death of Zhao Ziyang.

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2004 that the journal is registered as Universal Communications Network, which names top FLG spokesman Gail Rachlin as one of its three directors. It said "Where and are controversial is in their unwillingness to identify themselves as having any association with the group, despite ample evidence to the contrary."

The Chinese New Year Spectacular

The Chinese New Year Spectacular is a live show performed in various major cities around the globe annually, and aired globally by NTDTV. It is billed as a "celebrat traditional Chinese culture and tradition." The company employs two troupes, and estimates that approximately 200 performances were scheduled for 2008 expected to cater to 600,000 people. According to the company, the number of people who saw the show in 2007 was about 200,000. The Korea Times reported on January 7, 2007 that a theater scheduled to host the Korean NTDTV Chinese new year performance cancelled their booking at the last minute, which show organizers alleged was because China threatened actions against upcoming Korean shows in Mainland China. However, NTDTV later said that the show was cancelled due to its breaching a restriction against foreign performers.

The show provoked controversy in 2008 when the performances were "imbued with a pro-Falun Gong political message", at Radio City Music Hall and elsewhere. Billboard advertisements, the show’s website, publicity flyers and in newspapers, etc. made no mention of Falun Gong. The Chinese embassy in the United States accused NTDTV of being used to "spread anti-China propaganda" and "distorting Chinese culture". Critics decried the performance for not being 'as advertised' and technically unremarkable; sponsors claimed they had been misled –John Campi of the Daily News agreed to sponsor the show when reassured that the event was not political.; the Star said that the choreography was "consistently banal... The dancers were under-rehearsed and unremarkable."

Eutelsat-NTDTV censorship controversy

The station uses Eutelsat's W5 satellite to broadcast to Asia. Eutelsat attempted to drop NTDTV in 2005, but an international campaign forced it to sign a new long term contract.

Reporters Without Borders ("RSF") accused Eutelsat of closing down transmissions of NTDTV in June 2008 to appease the Chinese government. On 10 July 2008, RSF appealed to Giuliano Berretta, the CEO of Eutelsat, to quickly reverse its decision to suspend NTDTV’s use of Eutelsat. RSF claimed they were in possession of a conversation that was purportedly recorded with a Beijing employee of Eutelsat which proved that the NTDTV shutdown was a "premeditated, politically-motivated decision violating the free flow of information and the convention under which Eutelsat operates". Eutelsat claimed that the shutdown was due to a technical failure.

On 20 August, 2008, International Federation of Journalists released a statement calling on Eutelsat "to reinstall the Chinese-language television station NTDTV and three Mandarin radio stations" including Sound of Hope. According to the statement, Eutelsat's arguments concerning technical problems looked "increasingly bogus". Furthermore, the statement points out how the approaching Beijing Olympics could have resulted in the Chinese government's increasing pressure to get NTDTV off the air.

The European Parliament also called on Eutelsat to reverse their decision to shut down NTDTV. Following a written declaration, Eutelsat immediately issued a press release, denying all charges of discrimination against NTDTV. The company insists that NTDTV's shutdown resulted solely from the technical failure experienced by W5 satellite, and adds that NTDTV is being broadcast across Europe via Eutelsat's HOT BIRD video neighbourhood.

References

1. ^ Haithman, Diane (7 January 2008). "Ties to Falun Gong add controversy to the Chinese New Year Spectacular". Los Angeles Times.
2. Chen, Kathy Chinese Dissidents Take On Beijing Via Media Empire Wall Street Journal 11-15-2007
3. Lum, Thomas CRS Report page CRS-8, list of Falun Gong-affiliated media
4. "New Tang Dynasty". Web.archive.org. 2006-05-10. Archived from the original on 2006-05-10. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
5. History and Vision, http://english.ntdtv.com/. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
6. "Not a Pretty Dish". Wall Street Journal. 17 March 2005.
7. Susan V. Lawrence (April 14, 2004). "Falun Gong Adds Media Weapons In Struggle With China's Rulers". Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition). p. B.2I.
8. ^ Konigsberg, Eric (02-06), "A Glimpse of Chinese Culture That Some Find Hard to Watch", The New York Times {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
9. "Beijing Bullies Korean Government into Blocking NTDTV Show; Now Targeting Corporate Sponsors" (Press release). New Tang Dynasty Television. 2007-01-17. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
10. ^ "Review by the Ombudsman, French Services of Complaint filed by the Falun Dafa Association of Canada" (PDF). 27 January 2009. p. 6.
11. "Enjoy the Holidays and Stay away from the so-called "Chinese New Year Gala" of the New Tang Dynasty Television". Chinese Embassy in the United States of America. 7 January 2008.
12. ^ Susan Walker (Falun) Gong New Year event mere propaganda, The Toronto Star, January 20, 2008
13. Gossett, Sherrie (18 April 2005). "French Company Accused of Pro-Beijing Censorship".
14. ^ Reporters Without Borders: European satellite operator Eutelsat suppresses independent Chinese-language TV station NTDTV to satisfy Beijing, 10 July 2008, retrieved on 2009-01-19
15. International Federation of Journalists: IFJ Calls on Eutelsat To End Bar on Chinese NTDTV Broadcasts, 20 August 2008, retrieved on 2009-01-19
16. Eutelsat reaffirms to European institutions the irreversible and purely technical nature of the incident resulting in the interruption of consumer broadcasting services through its W5 satellite, 15 January 2009, retrieved on 2009-01-19

External links

• NTDTV Official Site
• NTDTV English
• NTDTV French
• NTDTV Vietnamese
• NTDTV Español
• NTDTV Russian
• NTDTV Japanese
• NTDTV Korean
• NTDTV Indo-
• Chinese New Year Spectacular
• The Falun Gong Show: SFist goes to the NTDTV Chinese New Year
• New Tang Dynasty TV at YouTube
• New Tang Dynasty TV in Español at YouTube

• Television stations in New York
• Falun Gong