But there are clear indications that this inviolable ascendancy is already relaxing. Sun acknowledged that the state which in name owns and runs all media has permitted certain non-state and even foreign interests to play significant roles in particular media. This is done to improve both production values and business operations. The prerequisite for such participation is that the state must hold the controlling shares in the business. It has been an unspoken fact of media life for some time that some state-owned media, including newspapers, periodicals, radio and television stations, have partnered with private interests, the story said.
Private partners bring capital and expertise to operations, which are often failing.
Although remaining in the shadows, the private partner may sell advertising, organize distribution, assume design responsibilities and even contrive the content of the publication, the article said. Increasingly, private interests are looking to media as a fertile area for growth, largely due to the fact that the media is one of the very last endeavors that the government has let go.