http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/28/business/28hunan.html?8dpc　　　　Upstart From Chinese Province Masters the Art of TV Titillation 　　　　Sign In to E-Mail This 　　Printer-Friendly 　　Single-Page 　　Reprints 　　Save Article 　　By DAVID BARBOZA　　Published: November 28, 2005　　CHANGSHA, China - They called it "The Mongolian Cow Sour Yogurt Super Girl Contest," and for much of the year, this "American Idol" knockoff was one of the hottest shows on Chinese television.　　　　Skip to next paragraph 　　 　　Natalie Behring for The New York Times　　The game show "Who's the Hero?" features contestants in weird stunts. 　　　　 　　Natalie Behring for The New York Times　　Game shows like "Grand Ceremony for National Game" and "Who's the Hero?," above, are luring viewers and advertising revenues for Hunan TV. The programming successes have made Hunan TV one of the most powerful television properties in China. 　　By the time it ended in August, more than 400 million viewers had tuned in, making it one of the most-watched shows in China's television history and creating another blockbuster hit for a group of daring television producers here at Hunan TV in south central Hunan Province.　　　　No one really knows why a search for a new female pop star gripped much of the nation. But analysts here say that in addition to capturing the pulse of the nation's increasingly trendy youth, the producers allowed people to do something quite remarkable in China: cast their own vote, albeit for a pop idol.　　　　Here at the headquarters of Hunan TV, on the outskirts of this dusty, provincial capital, the station's producers say their formula for success is simple: creating zany, off-beat and even risqué entertainment programs in a country still dominated by bland and predictable state-run television programming. 　　　　"We do a lot of market research," says Li Hao, director of the chief editing department at Hunan TV, which produces the shows. "We try to find out what people like, what they want to watch."　　　　Hunan TV, which only began broadcasting nationally by satellite in 1997, is now one of the most powerful television properties in China, behind only China Central Television, or CCTV, the country's biggest broadcaster, and the Shanghai Media Group. 　　　　Hunan TV is flourishing at a time when government support for Chinese television is dwindling, creating a burst of commercialism as stations compete for viewers and advertising dollars. The station has found its niche in producing entertaining and rowdy variety shows, and other satellite stations in China are eagerly copying its formulas. 　　　　"They've been at the forefront of making meaningless but entertaining TV for a while, and 'Super Girl' is their climax," says Hung Huang, chief executive of the China Interactive Media Group, or C.I.M.G., a media and publishing company in Beijing. "They're also very good at ripping off American TV shows, like dating shows and game shows, and then reinventing them." 

　　　　Hunan TV is also facing increasing competition from foreign media companies trying to break into a market that already has MTV and Nickelodeon cartoons. The News Corporation, which is controlled by Rupert Murdoch, came here two years ago and agreed to jointly finance and produce television shows with the Hunan station. But Hunan TV could benefit from new restrictions placed on foreign film and television companies in August by the Chinese government.　　　　Hunan TV's long-running game show, "Citadel of Happiness," is one of the most popular shows on Chinese television. And another hit, "Who's the Hero?" features people doing weird stunts, like biting the caps off beer bottles with their teeth.　　　　These shows resonate with viewers. They have even attracted the likes of multinational corporations, including the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo, which are suddenly seeking prime-time advertising slots.　　　　"The huge success of this 'Super Girl' program really woke people up," says Bessie Lee, chief executive at Group M, a media agency that places advertising on Chinese television. "Now, everyone wants to advertise with them."　　　　Like all television stations in China, Hunan TV is owned and controlled by the government. But Hunan provincial officials have allowed producers here to experiment, and test the bounds of what is permissible on television. 　　　　A result has been news programs that cut from today's top news story to old movie clips; variety shows with lively, unconventional hosts who do stand-up comedy, sing, dance and even drag celebrities and audience members on stage to compete in silly games.　　　　Occasionally, however, Hunan TV is reeled in by censors. Two years ago, government officials pulled the plug on a slightly erotic weather show that featured several scantily clad beauty pageant winners cooing the weather forecasts while lying on a sofa or bed.　　　　The station's producers do indeed seem to have an eye for what is popular. They produced an anticorruption drama called "Absolute Power," which was a hit with viewers. They were also quick to purchase the rights to a Korean soap opera that is popular with Chinese viewers.　　　　Still, many are asking how a TV station from the less-developed Hunan Province can produce such a string of national hits.　　　　"Normally, the more economically developed the region, the better the TV station," says Bai Ruoyun, a researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a specialist in the Chinese media. "Hunan TV is an anomaly in this sense. It's puzzling. But they've gone so far in creating titillating programs appealing to the lowest common denominator."　　　　Hunan TV's rise really began in 1997, when the station introduced its satellite channel hoping to reach more remote parts of the province, as well as a national audience. Almost immediately, its dating and game shows were a national sensation. 　　　　"China didn't have many entertainment programs at the time," said Mr. Li at Hunan TV. "And we soon discovered that we had even larger potential nationally, rather than within the province."