New Tang Dynasty Television
New Tang Dynasty Television is a U.S. television broadcaster, founded by Falun Gong practitioners, based in New York City with correspondents in over 70 cities worldwide. The station was founded in 2001 as a Chinese-language broadcaster, but has since expanded its language offerings. The company retains a focus on China in its news broadcasts, and frequently covers topics that are censored in mainland China.
History
NTD was founded in 2001 by Falun Gong practitioners, with its mission being to offer "uncensored news" about China that state-controlled media would not cover. The station has a regular focus on the promotion of traditional Chinese culture, and devotes extensive news coverage to alleged Chinese human rights issues. It takes a critical stance on what it considers to be abuses of power by the Communist Party of China.Since its founding, NTD has expanded to include English, Spanish, Japanese, French, Russian, Persian, Hebrew and several other language editions. Its content offerings include news and analysis, arts and culture, travel, entertainment news, health and lifestyle, and children's programming.
The station's critical reporting on the Communist Party of China has prompted censorship by the Chinese government. NTD also alleged that the Chinese government interfered with their reporting and business operations.
NTD began broadcasting via satellite in North America in February 2002. At present, the station's satellite coverage reaches Asia, Europe, and Australia in several languages.
NTD, along with The Epoch Times and Sound of Hope, was founded by Falun Gong practitioners who had emigrated to the West. Many of its staff are Falun Gong adherents who volunteer their time and services. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, president Zhong Lee stated that the company's original purpose was to speak out against the Chinese government's persecution of Falun Gong, but that it "can also play a big role pushing democracy in China." The station covers several issues that are taboo in Mainland China, such as official corruption and public health scares, and also provides a platform for Chinese human rights and pro-democracy activists.
The Christian Science Monitor in 2004 called NTDTV "the first independent Chinese-language TV station in the US". The Wall Street Journal said in 2007 that NTD "serves as a platform for China's pro-democracy dissidents, who have been torn by internal squabbling and lack of organization".
The station's broadcasts are capable of reaching 200 million viewers globally, including 50 million in mainland China, according to the Wall Street Journal.
New Tang Dynasty's revenues in 2017 were $18 million, more than double its $7.4 million revenues in 2016, according to reports from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
Programming
Television
NTD broadcasts 24/7, and offers a variety of original and syndicated programming, including news, arts and culture shows, travel, entertainment news, health and lifestyle, and children's programing.The station is best known for its news and analysis segments, which typically contain criticism of the Chinese government, particularly over human rights abuses, including the persecution of Falun Gong.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the station broke news of SARS in 2003, three weeks before the Chinese government admitted publicly that there was an epidemic. The station offered extensive coverage of democratic elections in Taiwan, and the death of purged former Chinese General Secretary Zhao Ziyang. The Chinese-language station regularly airs a video version of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, an editorial series offering a strong critique of Chinese Communist Party rule, which is often used against the Chinese Communist Party.
Online
NTD broadcasts programming regularly on its moderated YouTube channels. China Uncensored, originally distributed on the NTDonChina channel, is moderated by Chris Chappell since 21 September 2012 and now has its own channel. The program's topics include the latest news about China and the Chinese Communist Party, criticism of the Chinese government and analysis of its state media. It is broadcast on the Mandarin-language TV broadcast of New Tang Dynasty Television with Chinese subtitles once a week. Chris Chappell has claimed that China Uncensored does not receive any payment from NTD as part of the show's content distribution agreement.In 2019, New Tang Dynasty Television released a docudrama produced by Steve Bannon, the former Breitbart News chairman and advisor to Donald Trump. The film, Claws of the Red Dragon, is about the telecom company Huawei and the Chinese government.
Cultural outreach
As part of its proclaimed mission to promote “appreciation and awareness of traditional Chinese culture,” NTD organizes and produces a variety of cultural outreach programs, including Chinese classical dance, martial arts, and culinary competitions. The station frames these activities within a context of reviving "true Chinese cultural and moral traditions that have been lost under Communist Party rule".From 2004 to 2006, NTD produced and televised an annual Chinese New Year Spectacular, a performance featuring classical Chinese dance and music. The show's performances contained ethnic and folk dances, dances depicting Chinese legends and moral tales, solo musical performances, and messaging and imagery sympathetic to Falun Gong, and included "artistic representations of the persecution of practitioners" in China. These shows have since been continued as traveling stage productions by a dedicated organization, Shen Yun Performing Arts.
In 2008, the station began organizing a series of annual competitions open to ethnic Chinese participants in fields of classical Chinese dance, martial arts, traditional clothing design, painting, music, photography, and Chinese cooking.
Censorship
NTD's anti-Communist Party stance and reportage on human rights issues in China has led to interference and political pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and its overseas embassies. In turn, along with dissuading government officials from attending the New Year's show, the Chinese embassy in the United States accused NTD of being used to "spread anti-China propaganda" and "distorting Chinese culture".In January 2007, a theater in South Korea scheduled to host the New Year's performance cancelled their booking at the last minute, which NTD alleged was because China threatened actions against upcoming Korean shows in Mainland China. It has also been reported that NASDAQ broke ties with the station around this time after Chinese pressure.
In June 2008, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders accused Eutelsat of closing down transmissions of NTD on June 16 through its W5 satellite to appease the Chinese government, and appealed to Eutelsat CEO Giuliano Berretta to quickly reverse its decision to suspend NTD's use of Eutelsat. According to RSF, the NTD shutdown was a "premeditated, politically motivated decision". RSF stated that they were in possession of a recording of a purported conversation with a Beijing employee of Eutelsat confirming the allegations. Eutelsat claimed that the shutdown was due to a technical failure, denied the validity of the conversation, and pointed out in July 2008 that NTD is still being broadcast from the Hot Bird positions.
On August 20, 2008, the International Federation of Journalists released a statement calling on Eutelsat to restore NTD and three radio stations including Sound of Hope. The statement accused Eutelsat of bowing down to political pressure, and argued how the approaching Beijing Olympics could have resulted in the Chinese government's increasing pressure to censor the broadcasting of NTD.
The European Parliament also called on Eutelsat to reverse their decision to shut down NTD. Following this, Eutelsat issued a press release and written declaration, denying all charges of censorship against NTD. The company insists that NTD's shutdown resulted solely from the technical failure experienced by W5 satellite, and adds that NTD is being broadcast across Europe via Eutelsat's HOT BIRD video neighbourhood.
In June 2010 the Canadian Prime Minister's Office cancelled a press conference that NTD and Epoch Times would have attended, so that Chinese President Hu Jintao would not come into contact with the broadcaster, allegedly following terms from the Chinese consulate. According to the Toronto Star, such press conferences are usually standard procedure for foreign leaders visiting the Parliament, and the cancellation was seen as an extraordinary measure to keep NTD away from the Chinese President.
NTD Canada
NTD Television Canada officially launched on Rogers Cable on September 30, 2008, on Bell Fibe TV in 2010, and on Shaw Cable on March 28, 2012. It is also available on Novus Entertainment in Vancouver.On July 25, 2012, NTD Television officially launched NTD Canada, a local Canadian channel for Chinese viewers in Canada. NTD Canada is a multilingual service airing programming in Cantonese, Mandarin, English and French, with the aim of reaching out to second- and third-generation Chinese-Canadians who may not speak Chinese as well as they do English or French.