Entity Type: PRC Media Group

Shanghai Media Group, also known as Radio and Television Station of Shanghai (上海廣播電視台), is one of China’s largest state-owned media conglomerates, headquartered in Shanghai. Formed in 2001 through a merger of Shanghai’s People’s Radio Station, East Radio Shanghai, Shanghai Television, and Oriental Television, SMG operates a comprehensive portfolio including Dragon Television, multiple specialized channels, and radio stations. The group launched China’s second English-language news channel, International Channel Shanghai (ICS), in 2008. SMG owns Yicai Global (formerly China Business Network), which received a $193.5 million investment from Alibaba Group in 2015 for a 30 percent stake. In 2020, the U.S. State Department designated Yicai Global as a foreign mission of the Chinese government. SMG has partnerships with Disney for film development and produces content across news, entertainment, sports, and financial programming, spanning television, radio, and digital platforms.

Established on June 7, 1949, Jiangxi Daily serves as the primary mouthpiece of the Jiangxi Provincial Communist Party Committee, and is proud to claim that the calligraphy for its masthead written by Mao Zedong. The paper, which claims a circulation of 200,000 copies, began international distribution in September 1984 — though independent verification of these circulation figures is unavailable. According to Baidu Baike, citing the China Journalism Yearbook (中国新闻年鉴), the newspaper employs 656 staff members, including 216 editors and reporters. The newspaper, like all CCP-run outlets, states explicitly that it adheres to “correct public opinion guidance” and propaganda directives.

The Guangming Daily, founded on June 16, 1949, is a major national newspaper directly under the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, and administered by the Central Propaganda Department. Initially established by the China Democratic League (中國民主同盟), the paper later became a joint publication of various democratic parties before coming under direct CCP control in 1982. Before it brought directly under the CCP, the paper was a favorite of intellectuals in China, and contributors included the philosopher and historian Feng Youlan (馮友蘭) and the writer and translator Ba Jin (巴金). Following the 1957 Anti-Rightist Campaign, when 18 staff members were labeled “rightists,” including the liberal Chinese journalist and editor-in-chief Chu Anping (儲安平), the paper came under the direct supervision of the CCP’s Propaganda and United Front Work departments. Today, the Guangming Daily Media Group operates multiple publications and reportedly maintains 37 domestic bureaus and correspondents in 23 countries.