WaPo profile of Liu Changle

The Washington Post's Philip Pan has a story this morning about Liu Changle, of Phoenix TV fame. Liu started out as a broadcaster for the state-run media in China, but is now one of the most influential media owners in China. According to the article, Liu has been able to parlay connections with the government and other businessmen (such as Rupert Murdoch) to establish (and protect) himself, and has creating news and entertainment programming that appeals to China's growing "elite" -- or anyone in the PRC with enough money to buy a satellite dish.

The news produced by Phoenix TV pushes the envelope -- for instance, it broadcast the news about Zhao Ziyang's death -- but never goes too far:

But there are limits as to how far Phoenix will go, and Liu encourages self-censorship among his staff. The station covered Taiwan's elections, but never lets anyone express support for the island's independence. It also refrains from critical coverage of party leaders and avoids interviews with dissidents who call for democratic reform.

"Once Liu told me, 'Why should we make Beijing angry? Let someone else do it,' " said Chen Helin, the director of Phoenix's news channel.

Phoenix also broadcasts fluffy shows on the economic triumphs of the provinces, and several of its pundits parrot the party's views with enthusiasm. The station aired one fawning interview with the health minister just days before he was fired for covering up the SARS epidemic. It also produced a show attacking the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement.

Read the entire article here.