Yang Zhao, the producer of a tech TV program for Chinese broadcaster CGTN, talked with the audience about his thoughts and experiences in the coverage of technological affairs at the first session of the 2021 sci-tech communication salon on August 16.
The event was held online by the National Communication Center for Science and Technology affiliated to the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University.
Yang noted that the production of technology-oriented TV programs is expected to meet the needs of both science enthusiasts and ordinary audiences. Domestic programs should grasp the opportunities brought by the 2022 Olympic Winter Games to demonstrate the attractiveness of technology and sports and to make China’s technological image better known, he said.
Tech It Out, launched in 2017, cover Chinese science and technology for CGTN. Each episode of the program lasts from four to eight minutes and covers such technological and social topics as black holes, new materials, neuroscience, climate change, artificial intelligence, epidemiology and biodiversity.
Yang said that compared with news reports, the program gives him more time to explain the theories and application of new technologies in a detailed manner. In addition to limiting itself to eight minutes at most, the program utilizes advanced filming techniques to present high-quality visuals that aid in its coverage of tech-related topics.
China's infrastructure construction tends to get most of the attention of overseas viewers, Yang said, which means that its technological achievements remain unknown.
Yang said there is a rising trend for media outlets in other countries to attach greater attention to the production of programs related to technological events.
Therefore, Tech It Out is aimed at filling the gap of media coverage in China's technological progress and better presenting its technological image to Yang said TV producers should adhere to solution-based and idea-based approaches, make it easier for the audiences to understand technical terms and concepts, select topics that are closely related to daily life and likely to arouse the interest from viewers, help foreign viewers gain a more positive perception of Chinese technological progress, and shed more light on the tangible benefits brought by modern technologies.
Yang said the upcoming 2022 Olympic Winter Games will bring lots of opportunities and challenges for cross-discipline reporting, which he said should focus on technology-supported athletic training, new materials and broadcasting facilities.
