President Xi congratulates CCTV on the 60th anniversary of its founding

World Today

CCTV building in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday sent congratulations to China Central Television (CCTV) for the 60th anniversary of its founding, giving birth to the television industry of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and sent greetings to all staff members at the China Media Group (CMG) and TV professionals across the country.

In a congratulatory letter, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, asked CMG to be bold in its reform and innovation, and strengthen mainstream public opinion.

He called on CMG and TV professionals nationwide to strive towards building a world-class new mainstream media with strong guidance, coverage and influence.

CCTV, which was established on May 1, 1958, now operates 41 channels and broadcasts 329,000 hours of content a year. It is the only TV station in the world that broadcasts uninterrupted in all six official languages of the United Nations (UN).

In March, CCTV (including its subsidiary China Global Television Network (CGTN)), China National Radio (CNR) and China Radio International (CRI) were consolidated into CMG.

CMG held a commemorative meeting in Beijing on Wednesday morning to mark the anniversary. Huang Kunming, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, read Xi’s congratulatory letter at the meeting.