Session 4 ELEVEN

What PD happens in your workplace? What strategies does your organisation have in place to encourage development, change and innovation?

Television is a profitable industry and certainly, the staff work in TV station always get high income. Their high income contains two parts: the basic salary and payment for program (payment for program is just like the bonus in general companies). Basic salaries are mostly similar, but the payments for program would be so different. If you want to get higher income, you must try everything possible to enhance the program quality. See~ it is one part of professional development in TV station.

Actually, I did not know the work system in the past of the TV station I worked in (Channel Zhejiang), I just participate its present. However, I can analyze the development through comparing the program quality and from the angle of an audience & internship staff.

The development can be described by comparing the past and present, and the ‘present’ in the following contains the strategies Channel Zhejiang takes to encourage development, change and innovation.

Past

In the past, the programs broadcast in Channel Zhejiang were mainly two types: TV serials and entertainment program, which were really popular in audience. But the problem is, most TV stations did the same thing and the program content always same to each other. As these programs were bought from outside (eg. from some film and television making companies or film and television program distribution companies) and one program sometime could be shared by two or more TV stations and meanwhile, be broadcast in same time by different channels.

This situation got two shortcomings: the audience finally were fed up with the similar programs even though most of these programs were wonderful; another is, the TV station staff have no passion in working, the TV station became an organization mainly broadcast programs.

Present

A.  Set up payment rewarding system

With fierce competition of Chinese media industry in recent years, almost all TV stations re-integrate the channel resources, try to improve channel resources performance, adhere to the resources complementation, survival of the fittest. In this background, every TV station tries to make programs by themselves and the encouragement for boosting staff’s enthusiasm is rewarding the making group payment. 

B.  A + grade every issue of program

However, staff did not get too much passion in working because, to most staff, the only thing they needed to do is finish making program, no matter how the quality is, they got same pay. Thus, Channel Zhejiang adopted further improvement methods: grade every issue of program and reward each staff/making group different payment according to the grade and also, if one if one always got the lowest grade, he/she/they would be deduct wages. Certainly, who always keep the best would get additional reward. In order to get a higher payment, every one try to innovate and the style of program finally become various and fascinating.

C.  Professional training

Besides, there always be some national TV contest, Channel Zhejiang sure would participate. To most TV station staff, taking part in TV contest is a good chance to improve themselves comprehensively because at this time, the station would select some excellent/potential staff to build a team, and give them overall supports such as professional trainings that mainly focus on the contest. The trainings often offer these selected staff opportunities to touch more advanced technology and directly learn from the top man of television industry.

It is the loge of Channel Zhejiang. As through the development & innovation, Channel Zhejiang becomes the best provincial TV channel in China, and its TV rating always ranking in the top 5 of all Chinese TV Channels, Chinese people then name it ‘China Blue’. It is really a highest praise for a TV station/channel.