AP Report: TV channels scrap live coverage of Chinese leader over Falun Gong fears

A policeman looks on as local and foreign Falun Gong [practitioners] protest in Hong Kong July 3, 2002, denouncing Hong Kong government blacklisting their [practitioners] from entering the territory. The spiritual movement said more than 100 [practitioners] from 11 countries have been turned away at the airport over the past ten days. [...]

REUTERS/Bobby Yip

CAPTION CORRECTION-CORRECTING DATE Policemen look on as local and foreign Falun Gong [practitioners] protest in Hong Kong July 3, 2002, denouncing the Hong Kong government blacklisting their [practitioners] from entering the territory. The spiritual movement said at least 90 [practitioners] of the controversial group from 11 countries have been turned away at the airport over the past ten days. Hong Kong's security chief Regina Ip earlier denied that there was any blacklist on the Falun Gong group [...]. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

Wed Jul 3, 8:18 AM ET

HONG KONG - Two television channels that broadcast into mainland China scrapped live coverage of President Jiang in Hong Kong this week on worries Falun Gong might [tap into] the programming, a newspaper said Wednesday.

Supporters of the spiritual group Falun Gong outlawed in China since 1999 have interrupted local cable television programs in at least six mainland Chinese cities to put Falun Gong messages on the air in a major embarrassment to Beijing.

The South China Morning Post reported Phoenix Satellite Television Co. Ltd. and China Central Television feared Falun Gong could meddle again, so they provided no live coverage of Jiang speaking on Monday, the fifth anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.

Hong Kong-based Phoenix disputed the report, saying it would have had to reschedule sponsored programming to broadcast Jiang's speech and might have lost advertising revenues. Spokeswoman Wang Duoduo said the decision had nothing to do with Falun Gong worries.

"We were looking at economic factors," Wang said.

A receptionist at state-owned China Central Television's headquarters in Beijing said no one was available to comment.

Phoenix, a satellite network partially owned by News Corp. subsidiary STAR, broadcasts a mass-market mix of news, talk shows, sports, dramas from Hong Kong and game shows from Taiwan.

Its programs are popular among mainland Chinese. To avoid offending communist leaders in Beijing, Phoenix skips coverage on politically sensitive topics including Falun Gong.

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