The merger of cultural, tourism, radio and television institutions has made a comeback, and the policy logic and the pros and cons have been weighed

No. 4200 Sanchuanhui Cultural Industry

In 2024, the reform of provincial-level institutions will continue to advance, and the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism will officially change its name to the "Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism" and update the information of the members of the "leading group"; the Chongqing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau will be officially established and included in the institutions directly under the municipal government (bureau level)...... Recently, topics such as the integration of provincial cultural tourism and radio and television departments have become hot topics, especially the two different path choices of division and merger have also caused extensive discussion.

author

 | Figs (author of Sanchuanhui Cultural Industry, researcher of Sanchuanhui Cultural Tourism and Sports Research Institute)

Editor | time

Edit | peninsula

来源 | 三川汇文化产业（ID：schwhcy）

On March 27, the eighth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th Anhui Provincial People's Congress deliberated and approved the reform plan of the provincial government agencies. According to the plan, at the level of the reform of the constituent departments of the provincial government, the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism will be reorganized, and the responsibilities of the Provincial Radio and Television Bureau will be included in it, and the brand of the Provincial Radio and Television Bureau will be added at the same time. It is worth mentioning that the original Provincial Radio and Television Bureau is no longer set up separately.

This trend of reform has already been traced before. On February 29 this year, the Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism issued a relocation announcement, indicating that due to work needs, the department will officially move from the old site of No. 1 Zhongshan Road, Hefei City to the Provincial Radio and Television Center (No. 666, Longtu Road, Hefei City) for co-office. This move indicates that the Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Provincial Radio and Television Bureau have initially achieved integration in terms of organizational structure.

At the same time, the "Leadership Profile" column in the latest "Institutional Setting" on the official website of the Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism shows that Zhu Xunyi, the former deputy director of the Anhui Provincial Radio and Television Bureau, has taken up his new post as a member of the party group and deputy director of the Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the director of the Provincial Radio and Television Bureau. According to public information, Zhu Xunyi has served as deputy director of the Anhui Provincial Bureau of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television since 2014, and was a member of the party group and director of the Anhui Provincial Radio and Television Bureau before the adjustment. This also marks the simultaneous advancement of the leadership adjustment and institutional reform of Anhui's radio and television and cultural tourism system.

Looking back on history, the public information of Anhui Provincial Institutional Reform in 2018 shows that the Anhui Provincial Radio and Television Bureau was officially established on November 20, 2018, and its nature has changed from the original public institution directly under the provincial party committee and provincial government to an institution directly under the provincial government. In this change, Chen Ye, the former Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Anhui Provincial Bureau of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (Provincial Copyright Bureau), was transferred to the Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Anhui Provincial Radio and Television Bureau. According to the latest public resume information, Chen Ye has been appointed as the deputy director of the Culture, Culture, History and Learning Committee of the Anhui Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in January 2023.

Since the beginning of the year, the pace of reform of provincial-level institutions has been accelerating, and the new trend of functional integration between the cultural and tourism departments and the radio and television departments has become the focus of attention from all walks of life. The pros and cons behind the choice of the two different paths, separation and merger, have aroused extensive discussion and attention. The reform practice of Anhui Province undoubtedly provides new ideas and references for exploring the integration of functions of the cultural, tourism, radio and television departments.

I. A retrospective of the previous major institutional reforms of the national radio and television department

Since the establishment of the Broadcasting Bureau in November 1949, along with the institutional reform of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the radio and television institutions and their names on the mainland have also undergone several changes, but they have always revolved around the core of "broadcasting". In May 1982, with the popularization and popularization of television, the word "television" was added to the name of the organization, and the Ministry of Radio and Television was officially established. In 1986, it was further expanded on the original basis and the expression "film" was added, so the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television came into being.

It was not until March 1998 that the first session of the Ninth National People's Congress passed a decision to abolish the former Ministry of Radio, Film and Television, reorganize the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, and officially include it in the sequence of institutions directly under the State Council. According to the "Circular of the General Office of the State Council on Printing and Distributing the Functional Allocation, Internal Institutions and Staffing Plan of the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television," the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television not only undertakes the important responsibility of national radio and television propaganda, but is also the authoritative organ for managing the national radio, film and television undertakings, and is responsible for both news and propaganda work and industry management affairs.

However, with the continuous development of society and the rapid development of media technology, it is difficult for a single management agency to meet the increasingly complex needs of radio and television services. Therefore, in the institutional reform in 2013, the responsibilities of the General Administration of Press and Publication and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television were integrated, and the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television was established, which was later renamed the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. This measure has effectively promoted the coordinated development of the press, publication, and radio and television fields.

However, with the deepening of the reform of the cultural system and the quiet rise of the development trend of media integration, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television is once again facing reform. In 2018, in accordance with the "Plan for Deepening the Reform of Party and State Institutions" issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the press and publication management responsibilities and film management responsibilities of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television were transferred to the Central Propaganda Department, and the radio and television management responsibilities were established on this basis. The purpose of this reform is to further strengthen the party's centralized and unified leadership over the work of news and public opinion, and to promote the in-depth reform and development of the radio and television industry.

The newly established State Administration of Radio and Television, as an organ directly under the State Council, is mainly responsible for implementing the party's propaganda principles and policies, formulating policies and measures for radio and television management and supervising their implementation, making overall planning, guiding and coordinating the development of radio and television undertakings and industries, promoting the reform of systems and mechanisms in the field of radio and television, and supervising, managing, and reviewing the content and quality of radio and television and online audio-visual programs. The adjustment and optimization of this responsibility plays an important role in strengthening the party's centralized and unified leadership over the work of news and public opinion, promoting the integrated development of the media, and promoting the prosperity of the cultural industry.

Looking back at previous reforms, especially the institutional reform in 2018, this landscape has been profoundly reshaped. At the central level, the former Ministry of Culture and the National Tourism Administration were merged to form a new Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MOF), realizing the integration of the cultural and tourism sector. At the same time, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television also reorganized, stripped off its press and publication responsibilities and transferred it to the Central Propaganda Department, and reorganized the State Administration of Radio and Television. This separation reflects the importance that the central government attaches to the differences in functions in these fields, and also ensures the professionalism and independence of their respective fields.

Second, there have been early attempts to merge provincial-level cultural, radio, television and tourism institutions

It is particularly noteworthy that in 2018, at the level of provincial administrative reform, various provinces have also set up departments of culture and tourism and radio and television bureaus, as part of the provincial government, to exercise the management of cultural tourism and radio and television affairs. This setting reflects the implementation of the spirit of the central reform, but it does not make uniform and hard rules. Therefore, in the reform of provincial-level party and government institutions in 2018, some provinces and cities such as Hainan, Shanghai, Chongqing, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps took the lead in making similar attempts.

In September 2018, the Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports was officially established. According to the "Hainan Provincial Institutional Reform Implementation Plan", Hainan Province will integrate the responsibilities of the Provincial Tourism Development Committee with the cultural, sports, radio and television management responsibilities of the Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television, Publishing and Sports, and establish the Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports, as a constituent department of the provincial government, and take the lead in completing the integration of provincial cultural tourism, radio and television and sports in the country.

△ Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports (Source: Data map)

In October 2018, the newly established Chongqing Municipal Culture and Tourism Development Commission was officially established. According to the "Chongqing Institutional Reform Plan", the Municipal Culture and Tourism Development Commission, as a constituent department of the municipal government, integrates the responsibilities of the former Municipal Cultural Commission and the former Municipal Tourism Development Committee, and adds the brand of the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau. The Municipal Cultural Commission and the Municipal Tourism Development Committee will no longer be retained. Its functions include implementing the principles and policies of the Party and the state's propaganda, culture and tourism, radio and television, cultural relics and museums, and coordinating the development of culture and tourism, radio and television, cultural relics and museums.

△Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development (Source: Data map)

In November of the same year, Shanghai followed suit and established the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism as a constituent department of the municipal government in charge of the city's culture, tourism, radio and television, and cultural relics. According to the "Shanghai Institutional Reform Plan", the newly established Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism will be branded with the Shanghai Municipal Radio and Television Bureau and the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage. The original Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and Television and the Municipal Tourism Bureau will no longer be retained.

△ Screenshot of the official website of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism

In addition, Tianjin also carried out similar institutional reforms during the same period. According to the requirements of the "Tianjin Institutional Reform Plan", Tianjin has integrated the responsibilities of the Municipal Tourism Bureau with the responsibilities of the Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Television, established the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and added the brands of the Municipal Radio and Television Bureau and the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau.

In March 2019, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps also established the Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism, which is mainly responsible for the culture, sports, radio, television and tourism responsibilities of the Corps at all levels. At the same time, Sanchuanhui Cultural Industry (ID: schwhcy) also noted that 15 sub-provincial cities have also adopted the practice of merging the departments of culture and tourism and radio and television, including Shenzhen, Xiamen, Ningbo, Qingdao, Dalian and other five cities with separate planning and 10 provincial capitals such as Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Jinan, Shenyang, Changchun, Harbin, Wuhan, Chengdu and Xi'an.

By 2024, with the deepening of the reform of provincial-level institutions, Zhejiang Province has also joined the ranks of the integration of culture, tourism, radio and television. In January this year, the website of the former Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism was officially renamed as the "Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism". Subsequently, the eighth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress deliberated and voted on the appointment and dismissal of relevant personnel, and Chen Guangsheng was appointed director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism. This series of actions marks a substantial step forward in the integration of culture, tourism, radio and television in Zhejiang Province.

△ Chen Guangsheng, Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism (Source: Screenshot of the official website)

At the same time, some members of the leadership team of the former Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Radio, Film and Television also changed their positions. For example, Zhang Yan, former director of the Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Radio, Film and Television, has been appointed deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, and Xu Xiao, Zhang Guangzhou, and Yao Limin, former members of the party group and deputy directors of the Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Radio, Film and Television, have also served as deputy secretary of the party group, deputy director of the provincial department of culture, radio, television, and tourism, and members of the party group and deputy director respectively. Although the "Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism" has not yet been publicly listed, the leadership team of the new organization has been quietly formed.

△ Xu Xiao, deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism (source: screenshot of the official website)

However, it is worth noting that not all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) have chosen the development path of the integration of culture, tourism, radio and television. Taking Chongqing Municipality as an example, the newly established Chongqing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau was officially established in January this year, as an organ directly under the municipal government, under the leadership of the Propaganda Department of the Municipal Party Committee. This move shows that Chongqing and other provinces still choose a relatively independent development path in the field of radio and television.

3. Separation and integration in the reform of provincial-level radio and television institutions: each has its own advantages and disadvantages

Merging the functions of the departments of culture, tourism and radio and television, such as the practice of Zhejiang Province, can indeed be regarded as an exploration and trend. This consolidation helps to achieve the optimal allocation and sharing of resources, improve administrative efficiency, and avoid overlapping functions and waste of resources. At the same time, the merger of cultural tourism and radio and television can also promote the in-depth integration of culture, tourism and radio and television, promote the innovation and development of new consumption patterns of cultural and entertainment tourism, and provide the public with richer and more convenient cultural products and services.

△Recruitment announcement issued by Zhejiang Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security (source: screenshot of the official website)

However, the merger is not without its challenges. The expansion of the organization may bring about an increase in the difficulty of management, and the integration of functions between different departments may also take a long time and process. Judging from the practice of the integration of cultural and tourism institutions in 2018, some problems worth pondering have emerged at the provincial level. For example, some major provinces of cultural and tourism economy pay too much attention to the development of cultural industries and tourism, and relatively ignore the important position and role of cultural undertakings, which restricts the promotion of the innovation and development of the public cultural service system to varying degrees.

In contrast, Chongqing's choice to set up a separate radio and television department also has its own unique considerations. The separation can enable the radio and television departments to focus more on improving the business and management level in this field, and avoid functional conflicts and interference with other departments. At the same time, the division will also help enhance the independence and professionalism of the radio and television departments and better meet the needs of the development of the radio and television industry. However, separation may also lead to the dispersion and inadequacy of resource integration, which may increase the administrative and operating costs of the institution.

△Chongqing Radio and Television Bureau was officially established (source: screenshot of Baidu Encyclopedia)

As for the approach of Anhui Province, it is an innovation on the basis of merger. Through the reorganization of the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, it has been assigned to the responsibilities of the Provincial Radio and Television Bureau, and the Provincial Radio and Television Bureau has been added, so as to realize the functional integration of the cultural tourism and radio and television departments. This "additive" integration not only retains the professionalism of each individual, but also realizes the sharing and optimal allocation of resources. At the same time, through high-level personnel adjustments, such as Zhu Xunyi serving as a member of the party group and deputy director of the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and director of the Provincial Radio and Television Bureau, it has also effectively promoted the integration of cultural tourism and radio and television operation mechanism.

△ Screenshot of government affairs news of Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism

To sum up, Sanchuanhui Cultural Industry (ID: schwhcy) believes that whether it is a merger or a division, different provinces, cities and levels need to formulate scientific and reasonable reform plans and development paths according to the actual situation and the needs of different stages of development. The merger can bring advantages in resources and efficiency, but it is necessary to pay attention to the cause and industry, the balanced and integrated development of different fields of culture, radio and television, and tourism, and the separation can ensure the independence and professionalism of the radio and television departments, but it is necessary to pay attention to the coordination and cooperation with the cultural and tourism departments.

epilogue

According to the Plan for the Reform of Party and State Institutions issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council in March 2023, the reform tasks at the central level have been fully completed by the beginning of 2024, while the reform tasks at the local level will be successfully completed by the end of 2024.

Judging from the current trend, the integration of cultural tourism and radio and television is a development direction that cannot be ignored. With the successive implementation of the reform plans of local government agencies, the "cooperation" and "division" of radio and television and cultural tourism will gradually become clear.