Friends who follow the news may have discovered recently that the host lineup of CCTV's "News Network" has been continuously updated in the past two days, and two new hosts, Pan Tao and Bao Xiaofeng, have been added.
Pan Tao (right)
Bao Xiaofeng (left)
Suddenly two generals were "new" in a row, and the attention of "Xinwen Lianbo" also skyrocketed.
The reason why the replacement of the host of a program can have such a great impact is actually because in the minds of the people, the hosts of "Xinwen Lianbo" are not ordinary hosts. They often represent the image of the country and are known as the "face of the country."
Today, let’s take stock of those “national faces” we are familiar with. Before taking inventory, some basic common sense needs to be explained.
"News Network"
"Xinwen Lianbo" was formerly known as "National Television News Program Lianbo".
Starting from January 1, 1978, the program was officially renamed "Xinwen Lianbo". The program duration is usually 30 minutes. Since September 1, 1982, important news has been first released in "Xinwen Lianbo", thus establishing the program's important status as an official news release channel.
At that time, "Xinwen Lianbo" started broadcasting on time at 7 p.m. every night, as it does now. But at that time, CCTV did not have the ability to broadcast live broadcasts, and "Xinwen Lianbo" still needed to record in advance before broadcasting.
Xing Zhibin and Zhao Zhongxiang
Since then, the broadcast time and format of "Xinwen Lianbo" have been basically determined. Since its launch, it has been billed as a "vane" program. Its content contains the code to interpret China's social changes. Together with the front page of the "People's Daily", it has become the first-hand source of information for people to discuss the country's reality and future.
01
first generation
The changes in the hosts of "Xinwen Lianbo" also directly reflect the changes in China's television media over the past 40 years. Among the hosts, there is also a clear generational division. The first generation of "News Network" hosts represented by Xing Zhibin and Zhao Zhongxiang were still called "announcers" at that time, and also included Li Juan and Liu Jia, the early hosts of "Xinwen Network".
Li Juan
Xing Zhibin and Liu Jia
In the era of Li Juan and Liu Jia, the identity of the host was closer to that of the announcer. Before there were no professional and technical colleges to train them, the announcers were directly transferred from the radio stations of the year.
Li Juan was transferred to CCTV from China People's Broadcasting Station in 1973. She has been engaged in broadcasting work for 35 years. While hosting "Xinwen Lianbo", she interviewed foreign leaders in China many times.
As the first male television announcer in the history of New China, Zhao Zhongxiang, who we are familiar with, once recalled in an interview: "The early "Xinwen Lianbo" announcers did not show pictures and broadcast in voice-over. The first was live broadcast, and later it was recorded broadcast."
The first time the image of an announcer appeared in "Xinwen Lianbo" should be at the end of the year and the beginning of 1978. Zhao Zhongxiang said, "The equipment and technical means at that time were not advanced, and there were not even electronic screens. Since the birth of "Xinwen Lianbo", the broadcast mode has not changed, but the content has become more colorful, accurate and timely year by year."
02
second generation
In 1983, Lu Jing, Luo Jing, Zhang Hongmin, Li Ruiying and others entered "Xinwen Network". The hosts of "Xinwen Lianbo" have officially entered the second generation.
Lu Jing and Luo Jing
Starting from this generation, the hosts began to have a professional background. Almost all the announcers of "Xinwen Lianbo" graduated from the Communication University of China with a bachelor's degree in broadcasting.
On January 1, 1996, "Xinwen Lianbo" realized live broadcast for the first time, with Li Ruiying and Luo Jing taking the lead in broadcasting for two weeks.
Li Ruiying and Zhang Hongmin
Not long ago, retired Zhang Hongmin was sitting on the roadside eating ice cream, and was secretly photographed by netizens and became a trending topic. This trending search reflects everyone’s high level of attention to the “national face”. The retired host can be trending even after eating a popsicle. It also implies the deep “expectation” that ordinary viewers have for the identity of the “Xinwen Lianbo” host.
After decades of companionship, these faces that we see almost every day have become the most popular people in the country, and they attract more attention than celebrities.
As old partners, Zhang Hongmin and Li Ruiying also chose to take a back seat on the same day.
On May 28, 2014, Zhang Hongmin confirmed that he and Li Ruiying would step back behind the scenes and bid farewell to "News Network". After that, he and Li Ruiying went to the CCTV Announcer and Host Business Steering Committee to engage in training.
Before retiring, in 2009, Li Ruiying was promoted from the leader of the "News Network" broadcast team to the deputy director of the broadcast department of the CCTV News Center, in charge of the news broadcast anchors of CCTV.
Luo Jing was admitted to the Broadcasting Department of Communication University of China in 1979. In 1983, he went to work at CCTV as the announcer of "Xinwen Lianbo", and his broadcasting was calm, steady and authoritative. His voice is also known as the "national voice". Artists born in the 1980s still remember his voice, which accompanied him throughout his youth.
On August 31, 2008, Luo Jing broadcast on the Xinwen Network program for the last time; in September, Luo Jing was diagnosed with lymphoma, and suspended work and was admitted to the hospital for treatment; on June 5, 2009, Luo Jing's condition worsened, leading to the death of heart failure and ineffective treatment. He was 48 years old.
In 1989, Yang Liu, Ji Yu, and Zhang Zheng were recommended to intern at CCTV's "News Network". Due to their outstanding performance, the three of them naturally stayed in the "News Network" team.
In the same year, Li Xiuping came to CCTV.
Li Xiuping and Yang Liu
Li Xiuping bid farewell to "News Network" in March 2015, retreating to the second line and working behind the scenes.
Familiar "national faces" during this period also include Wang Ning, the husband of "Scarab" Liu Chunyan, and He Hongmei, who is still kind and generous at the anchor station.
On November 4, 1989, Wang Ning was transferred from Qingdao TV Station to CCTV's "News Network" and officially became the announcer of "News Network" 20 days later. He has worked as a substitute for CCTV news programs such as "News 30 Minutes", "Evening News", "News on the Hour", etc., and has accompanied party and state leaders on many trips to report.
In April 2017, 52-year-old Wang Ning officially left the anchor station of CCTV's "Xinwen Lianbo".
He Hongmei, who served as the anchor of "Xinwen Lianbo" from 1995 to 1997, currently hosts the lunch program "News Thirty Minutes" that is broadcast concurrently on the CCTV General Channel and the News Channel, and serves as the dubbing work for the "Xinwen Lianbo" program.
03
third generation
In 2007, "Xinwen Lianbo" began to inject new blood. Their biggest characteristic is that they are young, making "Xinwen Lianbo" relatively dynamic.
Hosts who joined during this period include Li Zimeng, Kang Hui, Hai Xia, and Guo Zhijian.
In 2015, Kang Hui also hosted the Spring Festival Gala that year. Now, Kang Hui has succeeded Li Ruiying and became the director of the News Broadcasting Department of the CCTV News Center.
Unlike the past hosts who were dignified and relatively low-key in private, this host is obviously more playful. When VLOG first became popular, Kang Hui's personal VLOG was on the hot search. "CCTV F4" formed by him, Sa Beining, Nigmaiti, and Zhu Guangquan was also very popular and popular among the audience.
Yesterday, Kang Hui and Zhu Guangquan joined forces for a live broadcast on CCTV, and took advantage of the live broadcast to sell goods.
05
fourth generation
In 2011, "Xinwen Lianbo" once again injected new blood. The new anchor was young and friendly, and spoke faster.
According to audience statistics, the new anchor's speaking speed has increased significantly when reporting news, reaching about 310 words per minute, which is faster than the previous 280 words per minute. According to data, from the 1950s to the 1960s, the broadcast speed of "Xinwen Lianbo" was 160 to 180 words per minute. In the 1980s, it became 220 to 240 words per minute. After the 1990s, it became 280 words per minute.
Representatives of this year’s anchors include Ouyang Xiadan and Lang Yongchun.
In the "Xinwen Lianbo" broadcast on January 21, 2017, another newcomer was welcomed – Jianqiang.
The strong-willed wife Chunni is also a "famous speaker". Her hosting style is elegant and gentle, and she can be regarded as a pillar of Beijing TV.
Then, there are Pan Tao and Bao Xiaofeng who have just "launched new products" in the past two days. As can be seen from their resumes, it actually takes a long time to train a "News Network" host.
It took Pan Tao 30 years from the beginning of his broadcasting career to the time he became the anchor of "Xinwen Lianbo". After Bao Xiaofeng joined CCTV, he spent 19 years practicing.
This extremely long assessment time is actually a feature of "News Network".
According to data, if an ordinary news anchor wants to be on the "Xinwen Lianbo" broadcasting station, he still needs to go through years of polishing after graduating from a major. For example, Hai Xia and Kang Hui were both assigned to CCTV after graduating in 1992, but it was only in 2007 that they officially became anchors of "Xinwen Lianbo".
It took nearly 10 years for Guo Zhijian to become the anchor of "Xinwen Lianbo". According to his recollection, when he first came to CCTV, the program was live broadcast, which was really challenging and hard. But without these accumulations and experiences, he would not have had the opportunity to sit on the anchor desk of "Xinwen Lianbo".
Both Kang Hui and Li Ruiying said in interviews that "News Network" has people on duty 24 hours a day, and the handover is also very particular. "If the colleague who takes over my shift has not arrived yet, I cannot take off my makeup and have to wait for him to avoid unexpected encounters." "News Network" anchors have almost no days off, and their mobile phones are on 24 hours a day. They are always available for work or on duty at any time, and they cannot relax at all. This is the norm.
People's expectations for the anchors of "Xinwen Lianbo" are obviously beyond ordinary people. This extraordinary attention will inevitably require that the candidate sitting on the anchor desk must have the strongest heart and the most stable professionalism. Decades of hard work and experience have finally resulted in a near-perfect live broadcast report card on the anchor stage.
Nowadays, there are more and more young faces on the anchor stage, and the "national faces" have also changed from serious and dignified to friendly and generous. "Xinwen Lianbo" is also constantly changing with the latest technology, voice and expression style. The anchors change into Tang suits from time to time, and the comments can also have a life-oriented tone. The way of news broadcasting is changing with its own logic. The only thing that has not changed is that "Xinwen Lianbo" still ranks first among the most watched TV news programs in China, and the anchors of "Xinwen Lianbo" still attract much attention.
Which “national face” do you like best?
