Radio and consumer affairs: A comparative study of China and the United Kingdom Professor Guy Starkey, Bournemouth University gstarkey@bournemouth.ac.uk Dr Ying Yu, University of Oxford ying.yu@wolfson.ox.ac.uk   The Radio Conference 2016: Transnational Radio Encounters, Utrecht, June 2016

The importance of communicating consumer rights to citizens So individual citizens may know their rights and how they will be treated in the legal system To encourage better behaviour of commerce towards consumers This can be interesting and compelling content for media organisations Bringing them closer to their audiences – the media organisation can seem ‘on their side’ Increasing audiences, who want to find out more

In the UK (and some other Western countries) there is a long tradition of the media as champions of consumer rights For example, in the press (The Daily Mail) The mis-selling of Personal Protection Insurance resulted in large repayments to consumers

Including on television For example, That’s Life (1973- 1994). It was scheduled on the BBC’s main channel on Sunday evenings, with very high peak- time audiences. 442 episodes.

Including on television (2) Another example is Watchdog (1980-). It is still broadcast weekly on the BBC’s main channel, using different styles and formats. Its purpose is always to champion the consumer.

And, of course, on radio: You and Yours A popular daily, live consumer affairs radio magazine programme First broadcast in 1970 BBC Radio 4, Monday to Friday 12.15-12.55pm In peak time, with large audiences Produced at the BBC North production centre in Salford, Greater Manchester – but a large national audience

Plus, a financial consumer programme Weekly on Saturday mornings with large peak-time audiences First broadcast in 1977 Items include pensions, benefits, savings, loans, interest rates, investments, fraud etc Also, a weekly phone-in edition with calls from listeners asking for advice

China National Radio, 天天315 (Tian Tian 315) Monday to Friday 12:15-13:00, Saturday & Sunday 12:00-13:00 National coverage, on FM and AM, including CNBN The programme title means every day is consumer right’s day. (March 15 is World Consumer Rights Day, known as ‘315’ in China. Tian Tian means ‘every day’ in Chinese.)

Interview with 天天315, June 2016 同时作为国家媒体，我们也有责任成为消费者合法权益的守护者。 As a national broadcaster,天天315 feels a responsibility to be the guardian for the consumers. The programme ethos is that the entire society has to look after consumers’ rights every day, not only on March 15. 原因：随着经济的发展，各种新的消费方式层出不穷，难免会暴露出一些的问题，《天天315》节目会建设性地向监管者、企业和消费者提出意见、建议，力求解决问题，有利于营造公平、公正的消费环境。 Rationale: With the rapid development of Chinese economy, more and more consumer problems are exposed. The programme puts questions to regulators, business and consumers. Meanwhile the programme is trying to investigate resolutions and suggest others, to promote a fair and justified consumer-friendly environment.

Interview with 天天315, June 2016 (2) How many people work on the programme? 节目监制：1人 主持人：1人 专职记者：1人 兼职记者3人 One producer, one full time presenter, one full time reporter, three part-time reporters. How many listeners do you have? 没有准确统计，从全国覆盖来说，在2亿左右。 Estimated: 200 million. What is the demographic profile of the audience? 没有针对节目的听众分析。从经济之声的受众群体来看，成年男性、中高收入群体占比较大。 There is no accurate research. The demographic of the Sound of Economy shows adult male and medium and high -income demographics are the largest.

Interview with 天天315, June 2016 (3) How many items do you have in each programme? 周一至周五节目的构成：消费者投诉+记者调查+电话连线专家分析案例，一般一期节目涉及一个问题，偶尔是两个，如果是两个，一般有一定共性。 周六日节目：将嘉宾请进直播间，现场讨论2至3个话题。 Monday-Friday consumer complaints, reporters’ investigations, and a phone-in to an expert. Normally one issue, or two related issues. Saturday and Sunday, a live broadcast with a few experts to discuss two or three topics. What kind of consumer issues do you cover? 讨论何种消费者问题，或选题依据与兴趣 平时节目主要针对消费者投诉，投诉来源于节目的微信平台或电台的新闻爆料平台。周末的选题主要针对消费热点、难点。 Weekdays - mainly consumer complaints, selected from the programme’s social media platforms. Weekends – a focus on the hot issues and particularly problematic issues.

Interview with 天天315, June 2016 (4) Which consumer stories have provoked the biggest response from your audience? 何种问题消费者反应最强烈 具有普遍性的、涉及知名企业的节目，消费者更为关注。 Listeners are more responsive to stories involving well- known businesses and a wide range of consumers. What outcomes have resulted from your programme - for example, has any law been changed? 节目确实起到了下情上传的桥梁作用。在中国依法治国的大背景下，很多涉及消费的法律法规都加快了修订步 伐，法律法规的日趋完善也是各方共同努力的结果，包括消费者、消协组织、法律专业人士、媒体等等。 The programme is a bridge between government and consumers. More and more consumer codes and regulations are being reviewed, thanks to the collaboration between consumers, consumer associations, legal experts and media.

Interview with 天天315, June 2016 (5) How do companies react to being on the programme? 被曝光的问题大都能够得到解决，企业一般都会回应。也有少数企业反馈不积极。 Normally companies respond to the programme after their problems are exposed. However, some still ignore us. How do government officials react to being featured on your programme? 比较重视 They take seriously the issues raised by the programme. Are there consumer issues you avoid? Why? 对于比较复杂的问题，要调查清楚、全面，掌握证据后再报道。报道力求客观、公正。在较多涉及个人隐私的问题方面，会更加慎重。 The programme reports consumer issues in an objective and impartial way, based on clear, comprehensive and evidence- based investigations. We are cautious about personal privacy.

The next stage of the research Further interviews with the UK and China production teams Content analysis of the output of the programmes in the two countries Comparative audience data analysis Thank you for listening!