The "Regulations on the Management of Safe Broadcasting and Television Transmission" were reviewed and approved at the Bureau Meeting of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television on December 4, 2009, and are hereby promulgated, effective from February 6, 2010.
Director of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television: Wang Taihua
December 16, 2009 
Regulations on the Safe Broadcasting Management of Radio and Television
Chapter 1 General Provisions
Article 1: These Regulations are formulated to strengthen the management of safe broadcasting for radio and television, ensure the secure and high-quality transmission of broadcast signals, and safeguard the rights of users who listen to and watch radio and television programs. They are based on the "Regulations on Radio and Television Administration" and the "Regulations on the Protection of Radio and Television Facilities."
Article 2: This regulation applies to technical maintenance, operational management, emergency response, and other related activities conducted by entities engaged in broadcasting, television transmission, coverage, and similar services (hereinafter referred to as "safety broadcasting responsibility units") to ensure the secure operation of their broadcasting activities.
Article 3: The broadcasting and television administration department of the State Council is responsible for overseeing and managing the safe broadcasting of radio and television services nationwide.
Local people's governments at the county level and above, through their radio and television administration departments, are responsible for overseeing and managing the safe broadcasting of radio and television within their administrative areas.
Article 4: The work of ensuring safe broadcasting for radio and television shall adhere to the principles of uninterrupted operation, high-quality transmission, cost-effectiveness, and maximum safety.
Article 5: No organization or individual shall engage in activities that interfere with radio and television signals or jeopardize the safe broadcasting of radio and television programs.
Article 6: A categorized and tiered assurance system is implemented for the safe broadcasting of radio and television. Entities responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting must comply with these regulations as well as with relevant requirements issued by the State Council’s administration department for radio and television. Failure to comply will result in the prohibition of engaging in any activities related to broadcasting, transmitting, or providing coverage via radio and television.
Article 7: The entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall strengthen its institutional framework and implement a variety of measures to safeguard the secure transmission of radio and television programs. The principal person in charge of the entity shall bear full responsibility for the organization's efforts to maintain safe broadcasting operations.
Article 8: The radio and television administration departments, along with organizations responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting, shall establish a reward system to recognize and reward organizations and individuals that have achieved remarkable accomplishments in the field of safe broadcasting of radio and television programs.
Chapter 2: Basic Guarantees                   
Article 9: The entity responsible for secure broadcasting shall establish and improve an organization dedicated to technical maintenance and operational management of secure broadcasting. It must appropriately allocate job positions and personnel, integrate other departments and staff involved in secure broadcasting into the management framework, and ensure the implementation of the responsibility system for secure broadcasting.
Article 10: The management of safety broadcasting personnel by the entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting operations shall comply with the following provisions:
(1) Personnel involved in program broadcasting or the operation and maintenance of technical systems must possess the relevant professional skills and have successfully completed job-specific training and assessments.
(2) Before the new system and equipment are put into use, relevant personnel should receive training.
(III) Personnel engaged in special operations shall obtain the corresponding qualification certificates as stipulated by the broadcasting and television administrative department of the State Council or according to relevant regulations of other countries.
Article 11: The technical system configuration of the entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall comply with the following provisions:
(1) Complies with relevant national and industry technical standards, as well as the tiered configuration requirements stipulated by the broadcasting and television administrative department of the State Council;
(2) Implement appropriate technical measures tailored to the characteristics of the broadcasting system to prevent interference, unauthorized interruptions, and other malicious disruptions.
(3) Quality and effectiveness of program signals broadcasted, transmitted, or transmitted by this unit shall be recorded using methods such as audio recording, video recording, or technical monitoring systems. The recording methods must comply with relevant regulations issued by the broadcasting and television administrative departments of provincial-level or higher people's governments in provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government; recorded information must be retained for at least one week.
(IV) Use equipment, devices, and software that have been legally certified for network access in broadcasting and television systems, and establish a mechanism for equipment upgrades to enhance operational reliability.
(5) Provincial-level and above radio stations, television stations, and satellite earth stations should be equipped with complete and effective disaster recovery systems to ensure the safe broadcasting of key programs under special circumstances.
Article 12: The entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall establish and improve comprehensive management systems covering technical maintenance, operational oversight, and other aspects of broadcast safety.
Article 13: The entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall guarantee sufficient funding for the operation, maintenance, upgrades, renovations, and security measures required to maintain safe broadcasting operations.
Article 14: We encourage the conduct of research and innovation in broadcasting and television safety management and technology, continuously striving to enhance the level of secure broadcasting operations.           
Chapter 3: Daily Management                    
Article 15: The management of broadcast program sources by entities responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall comply with the following provisions:
(1) Radio and television stations must implement review and re-examination procedures—such as program verification, scheduling, and handover processes—to prevent misbroadcasts and empty airtime, while ensuring that the technical quality of program production meets relevant national and industry standards.
(2) Radio and television stations broadcasting live programs must have essential delay mechanisms and contingency measures in place, strengthen monitoring of the programs, and ensure that all personnel involved in live broadcasts adhere to the live broadcast management system and technical equipment operation guidelines.
(III) The entities responsible for the secure broadcasting of radio and television transmission and coverage services must use dedicated channels to transmit all mandatory broadcast programs in their entirety.
(IV) Unauthorized access to, transmission of, or broadcasting of overseas radio and television programs is prohibited;
(5) If a radio or television program is found to contain content prohibited by laws or administrative regulations, immediate measures must be taken to eliminate it or cease broadcasting, transmission, or coverage. Relevant records should be retained, and the matter reported to the competent radio and television administration department.
Article 16: For engineering projects involving the construction, expansion, or renovation of broadcasting and television technology systems, the entity responsible for ensuring safe program transmission must organize relevant experts or commission a professional assessment agency to conduct a safety evaluation of the technical plan prior to implementation. After the completion of the project, an acceptance inspection must be carried out, and the results of the inspection must be reported to the radio and television administration department.
Article 17: Before a newly established radio and television tech
Article 18: If a newly constructed radio and television broadcasting, transmission, or transmission system requires trial operation, the entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting must submit the request to the broadcasting and television administrative department of the people's government at or above the provincial, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the central government level for approval.
The application materials should include the application form, broadcast assurance plan, and other relevant documents.
The pilot period must not exceed six months. During the trial broadcast, evaluations of the responsible entity's efforts to ensure safe broadcasting will be included in the overall assessment of radio and television broadcasting safety—but this excludes non-culpable broadcast interruptions.
Article 19: The technical system operation and management of the entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall comply with the following provisions:
(1) Broadcast, transmit, and emit radio and television signals in accordance with the programs, transmission methods, coverage areas, and relevant technical parameters approved by the broadcasting and television administrative departments of provincial-level or higher people's governments of autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government; services may not be suspended or altered without prior approval.
(2) Broadcast quality and technical performance indicators comply with relevant national and industry standards;
(3) Develop comprehensive safety broadcasting assurance plans and operational workflows for transmission and operation; the safety broadcasting assurance plan must be submitted to the radio and television administration department for record-keeping.
(4) Monitor and oversee signals during key broadcasting stages, keep track of equipment operational status, and promptly identify and address any broadcast disruptions.
(5) During key broadcasting periods and the airing of important programs, provide adequate support in terms of personnel and facilities, and ensure thorough prevention measures as well as emergency preparedness in critical areas and sensitive locations.
(6) Conduct regular self-assessments of broadcast safety risks.
Article 20: The technical system maintenance and management practices of the entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall comply with the following provisions:
(1) Comply with national and industry-related standards, and establish a sound maintenance and management system;
(2) Ensure clear boundaries and well-defined responsibilities among units responsible for secure broadcasting, as well as across different broadcasting stages.
(3) If the entity responsible for secure broadcasting entrusts another organization with technical maintenance or broadcast operations, it must select a unit that possesses the appropriate technical expertise and sign a corresponding service agreement with that entity.
Article 21: The maintenance and construction management of broadcasting and television technology systems shall comply with the following provisions:
(1) Regularly conduct routine maintenance on the technical systems. If routine maintenance requires suspending the broadcast (or transmission) of radio and television programs, the scheduled suspension period must be reported to and filed with the broadcasting and television administrative department of the people's government at or above the provincial, autonomous region, or municipality level.
(2) Temporary suspension of radio and television programs outside scheduled maintenance periods—whether for maintenance or construction purposes—must be reported for approval in accordance with relevant regulations set forth by the State Council’s administration department of radio and television.
(3) When upgrading or renovating ongoing systems, equipment, lines, and their associated facilities, it is necessary to develop construction plans and contingency measures, sign safety agreements with the construction contractor, and ensure that all safety protocols are properly implemented.
Article 22: The entity responsible for safe broadcasting shall comply with relevant laws, regulations, and technical standards on production safety during broadcasting, transmission, coverage, and related activities.
The entity responsible for secure broadcasting shall comply with relevant laws, regulations, and technical standards on information security, and conduct risk assessments and implement classified protection measures for information systems involved in secure broadcasting.
Article 23: Management of broadcasting and television safety incident reporting shall comply with the following provisions:
(1) Broadcast and television safety incidents are categorized into three types: responsibility-related accidents, technical accidents, and other incidents. These incidents are further classified into three levels—extra-large, major, and general.
(2) After a major or especially serious incident occurs at the unit responsible for secure broadcasting, it must immediately report to the radio and television administrative department of the people's government at or above the provincial, autonomous region, or municipality level.
(3) Extra-large broadcasting safety incidents are investigated by the broadcasting and television administrative department under the State Council, while major incidents are investigated by the broadcasting and television administrative departments of provincial-level or higher people's governments—either at the provincial, autonomous region, or municipality level.
(4) In the event of a safety broadcasting incident, the competent authority overseeing the responsible broadcasting entity shall take legal action based on the investigation results.
Article 24: The entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall regularly submit safety broadcasting statistical reports and updates to the radio and television administration department.         
Chapter 4: Managing the Critical Assurance Period                      
Article 25: The period of critical national security broadcasting safeguards shall be designated by the radio and television administrative department under the State Council, while local periods of critical security broadcasting safeguards shall be determined by the radio and television administrative departments of local people's governments at or above the county level.
Once the critical safeguard period is determined, the broadcasting and television administration department should promptly notify the entities responsible for secure program transmission.
Article 26: Before the critical safeguard period, the entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall develop a contingency plan for the critical period, thoroughly carrying out mobilization and deployment, as well as safety precautions and technical preparations.
Article 27: During critical safeguard periods, the entities responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting must fully implement the measures and requirements outlined in the contingency plan for these periods, strengthen on-duty monitoring, and maintain readiness for emergency response. For key programs and high-priority time slots, senior management should be present on-site to provide direct command and coordination.
The radio and television administration department should strengthen supervision and inspection of the key tasks undertaken by units responsible for secure broadcasting during critical safeguard periods.
Article 28: During critical safeguard periods, the entities responsible for ensuring secure broadcasting must refrain from conducting routine maintenance or any construction activities that could potentially disrupt safe broadcasting. If maintenance is absolutely necessary—such as troubleshooting essential equipment—and there is a risk of causing a temporary halt in the transmission of radio and television programs, prior approval must be obtained from the broadcasting and television administrative authorities at or above the provincial, autonomous region, or municipality level.
Article 29: If routine maintenance periods are canceled due to important security events, radio and television stations should proactively arrange their programming schedules and verify program listings in advance to prevent any gaps in broadcast.   
Chapter 5: Emergency Management                          
Article 30: The broadcasting and television administrative department is responsible for emergency management of unexpected incidents related to the safe broadcasting of radio and television within its administrative area.
The entity responsible for secure broadcasting is tasked with handling emergency responses to unexpected incidents within its own operations, while also complying with the unified management of the radio and television administration department.
Article 31: Emergency incidents affecting the safe broadcasting of radio and television are categorized into four types: sabotage and interference incidents, natural disaster events, technical security incidents, and other events. These emergencies are further classified into three levels: particularly severe (extra-large), severe, and significant.
Article 32: When a sudden safety broadcasting incident occurs, the entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall follow the following principles for handling the situation:
(1) When broadcast, transmitted, transmitted, or received radio and television program signals are disrupted, or when abnormal signals are detected, the transmission of the abnormal signal should be immediately cut off, and, where feasible, the system should switch to a normal signal.
(2) When wireless signals are found to be interfered with, the local people's government's radio management department should be immediately notified to investigate and eliminate the interference.
(III) In the event of an emergency that endangers personal safety or facility security, measures should be taken promptly to resume broadcasting while ensuring the safety of both people and facilities.
(4) When resuming the broadcast of program signals, the principle of "first central, then local; first public service, then pay-to-view" should be followed.
Article 33: The entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall, based on the classification, severity level, and response principles for emergency incidents affecting broadcast safety, develop and promptly revise emergency preparedness plans. They must also organize regular drills and submit these plans to the broadcasting and film administration department for record-keeping.
Article 34: The entity responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting shall allocate necessary funds for the reserve, maintenance, and updating of emergency resources. The catalog of emergency resource reserves, along with details on maintenance and updates, must be submitted to and filed with the radio and television administration department.
In a state of emergency, the organization responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting must comply with the unified allocation of emergency resources by the radio and television administration department, thereby guaranteeing the secure transmission of critical programs.         
Chapter 6: Supervision and Management                    
Article 35: The radio and television administration department shall perform the following duties related to the supervision and management of safe broadcasting:
(1) Organize the development and implementation of operation and maintenance procedures, as well as technical standards and management guidelines related to secure broadcasting;
(2) Supervise and inspect the status of secure broadcasting within this administrative area, and promptly urge the responsible entities to eliminate any identified risks or hazards related to broadcast security incidents.
(III) Organize investigations into exceptionally serious and major safety broadcasting incidents, and handle them according to law;
(4) Establish and improve a robust monitoring mechanism to track the broadcasting, transmission, and coverage of programs within this administrative region, promptly identifying and swiftly reporting any irregularities in program delivery.
(5) Establish and improve the command and dispatch mechanism to ensure coordinated collaboration between the units responsible for secure broadcasting and relevant departments;
(6) Organize assessments of safe broadcasting performance, and based on the results, either reward or criticize the entities responsible for ensuring safe broadcasting.
Article 36: The radio and television monitoring and command-and-control institutions established by the radio and television administrative departments shall, in accordance with the requirements of these departments, be responsible for the daily management of safe broadcasting operations—including broadcasting signal monitoring, the establishment of a secure broadcasting assurance system, and safety risk assessments—as well as the specific tasks related to emergency command and dispatch.
Article 37: Broadcasting and television monitoring and command-and-control institutions shall assign dedicated personnel to a 24-hour on-duty schedule, ensuring they stay informed about emergency incidents related to safe broadcasting and promptly report such events to the radio and television administration authorities. Additionally, these institutions must establish and maintain robust technical monitoring systems to prevent missed or erroneous detections, as well as comprehensive command-and-control systems that guarantee the swift and accurate issuance of alerts and dispatch instructions.
Article 38: The entity responsible for safe broadcasting shall, in accordance with the regulations of the radio and television administration department, actively cooperate with the work of radio and television monitoring and command-and-dispatch agencies, providing them with accurate program signals and relevant information.
Article 39: The radio and television administration department shall establish a system for reporting safe broadcasting incidents, publicizing a dedicated hotline, mailbox, or email address for such reports. Any organization or individual has the right to report any behavior that violates safety broadcasting management regulations.
The radio and television administration department, upon receiving reports related to safe broadcasting, must keep a record. If the report is investigated and verified, the department should notify the responsible broadcasting entity and promptly urge it to implement corrective measures.
Chapter 7: Legal Liability                 
Article 40: Any of the following actions in violation of these regulations shall result in disciplinary action against the directly responsible supervisors and individuals accountable, as prescribed by law; if such actions constitute a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued according to law:
(1) When a major or especially serious broadcasting safety incident occurs, resulting in severe negative impact;
(II) Causing severe damage to broadcasting and television technology systems;
(III) Failing to report, deliberately misreporting, or delaying the reporting of exceptionally serious or major safety broadcasting accidents or incidents.
Article 41: Any violation of these regulations involving one of the following actions shall be subject to a warning and the issuance of a "Notice for Safety Broadcast Rectification" by the radio and television administrative department under the people's government at or above the county level. If the violation remains uncorrected after the deadline, a public criticism will be issued, and a fine of up to RMB 30,000 may also be imposed. In cases of serious circumstances, direct supervisors and individuals directly responsible shall be disciplined in accordance with the law.
(1) The organizational and personnel setup, technical system configuration, management policies, operational procedures, emergency plans, and other aspects fail to comply with relevant regulations, resulting in broadcast quality that does not meet the required standards.
(II) Failure to effectively manage the technical system maintenance units, leading to a major broadcast safety incident;
(3) When responsibility boundaries between units responsible for secure broadcasting are unclear, leading to delayed response in handling faults;
(IV) Poor broadcast and transmission quality that affects users' ability to normally receive radio and television programs;
(5) The entity responsible for the secure broadcasting of radio and television programs engaged in transmission and coverage services failed to transmit mandatory broadcast programs completely via dedicated channels.
(6) Failing to provide complete signals of broadcast and transmitted programs to the monitoring institutions established by the radio and television administration authorities as required by relevant regulations, or interfering with or obstructing monitoring activities;
(7) Obstructing the supervision and inspection by, or accident investigations conducted by, the radio and television administration authorities, or failing to comply with unified dispatching for secure broadcasting;
(8) Failing to record and retain, as required, the quality and effectiveness of program signals broadcasted, transmitted, or transmitted by this unit;
(9) Failing to file the security assurance plan or emergency response plan with the broadcasting and television administration department as required.
Article 42: If radio stations or television stations violate these regulations, the broadcasting and television administrative departments of county-level or higher people's governments may impose penalties in accordance with the "Regulations on Radio and Television Administration" and relevant national provisions.
Article 43: If the radio and television administrative department and its staff members abuse their authority, neglect their duties, or engage in corruption during the management of safe broadcasting operations, and such actions constitute a crime, criminal responsibility shall be pursued according to law. If the actions do not yet constitute a crime, disciplinary measures shall be imposed in accordance with the law.
Chapter 8: Supplementary Provisions                
Article 44: Definitions of the terms used in these Regulations:
Safe broadcasting refers to the integrity of programs, signal security, and technical safety throughout the process of broadcasting and transmitting radio and television content. Specifically, program integrity means that the responsible broadcasting entity accurately and completely transmits the scheduled radio and television programs as intended. Signal security ensures that the electrical and optical signals carrying the broadcast content remain uninterrupted and maintain high quality. Meanwhile, technical safety encompasses the physical safety of personnel involved in broadcasting, transmission, coverage, and related activities, as well as the security of radio and television facilities themselves.
The technical system refers to the collective term for systems, equipment, lines, and associated facilities related to the safe broadcasting of radio and television. It includes: radio and television broadcasting, transmission, and transmission systems, as well as related monitoring and surveillance systems; supporting power distribution systems; and all relevant ancillary facilities (such as equipment rooms, along with air conditioning, fire protection, lightning protection, grounding systems within these rooms, cable and fiber-optic routes in poles and conduits, and antenna masts or towers).
An emergency state refers to a situation where a major or critical safety broadcasting incident occurs, requiring the immediate activation of the emergency response plan to swiftly restore operations or eliminate external threats that could compromise broadcast security.
Article 45: These Regulations shall come into effect as of February 6, 2010. At the same time, the "Provisional Regulations on Technical Maintenance and Operational Management of Cable Television Systems," originally issued by the former Ministry of Radio, Film, and Television on June 17, 1992, the "Administrative Measures for Security Management of Cable Radio and Television Transmission and Coverage Networks," released by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television on April 2, 2002, and the "Administrative Measures for Safety and Prevention in Cable Lines of Cable Radio and Television Transmission and Coverage Networks," issued by the same administration on August 23, 2002, shall all be repealed.