Phoenix rises after poor state coverage of attacks
The abysmal coverage on mainland state television of the terrorist attacks and the aftermath has proved a bonanza for Internet sites and the Hong Kong-based Phoenix television channel, to which Chinese have turned for live news.
When the attacks happened, state television gave less than 10 minutes' coverage as official channels waited for guidance on how to handle the event.
Phoenix, which broadcasts in Putonghua to nearly 42 million households on the mainland, broadcast live for 36 hours, dropping advertising and using material from news agencies and US networks.
Internet sites, especially those of US and European news providers, also had an unprecedented surge of visitors, with some sites unavailable because of the level of traffic.
'The September 11 attacks were a milestone in the Internet in China,' said Min Dahong, a media expert at the China Academy of Social Sciences.
'The only previous comparable event was September 9-12, 1998, for the impeachment of [former US] president Bill Clinton. It was the first time Chinese relied on the Internet more than traditional media.'
Li Xing, a deputy professor with the News and Broadcasting Institute of Nanjing Teachers' University, said state television coverage of the attacks was disappointing. 'People wrote on Web sites as a headline, 'The attack on the US brings down Chinese television with it',' he said.
'Most people got the news from the papers the next morning. Everyone on the Web was very critical of the television coverage. It is all too slow.
'A country as large as China needs a channel like CNN. In an event of this importance, we should not have to broadcast according to the original schedule.'
The biggest winner in the media war was Phoenix. It is available in hotels with three stars and above, compounds where foreigners live and homes with a satellite dish.
As the news broke, students put money together and booked rooms in hotels to watch Phoenix's live coverage - as they have done during other major events.
The live satellite feeds from the US and the loss of advertising revenue cost Phoenix a substantial amount, but chairman Liu Changle said it was an investment.
'There is no question that it greatly raised our profile, like buying an enormous advertisement,' he said.
Mr Liu said his aim was to make Phoenix the CNN of the Chinese-speaking world. Many in the industry say Phoenix's coverage of the attacks helped it in much the same way as CNN established itself during the Gulf War.
But Mr Liu has to walk a thin line between providing better coverage for his audience and not upsetting media regulators in Beijing, who may be wary of his success in attracting viewers away from official channels.
'China's television has too many duties and obligations,' the Caishen (Millionaire) magazine said.
'Now is an era where information flows freely and the media have an enormous appetite.
'If you are not ready for war, you not only lose the commercial market but also the trust of the audience.'
