Cell phone SMS news in Chinese newspaper groups: A case study of Yunnan Daily Press Group

摘要

As a new media form, the cell phone is known as the fifth media form in China, closely following newspaper, broadcast, TV, and the Internet. The SMS (short message services) value-added service is a profitable market in China.ududThe news which is published by the official newspaper groups represents the most authoritative information in China. In recent years, newspaper groups have set up their news SMS services as a way for traditional media to utilise the new media, to provide value-added information services.ududHowever, because this field is a comparatively new, developing market, and there was a lack of management experience and governance rules for service providers (SPs) at the initial stage, many SPs initially exploited an absence of rules to the disadvantage of their customers. A large number of complaints from SMS consumers were voiced in 2004 and 2005, and as a consequence the authorities utilized administrative and technological means to restrict the actions of SPs. This action meant that a number of SMS service providers had to withdraw from the market, and has forced the Chinese market for SMS news services into a phase of redevelopment.ududThis paper outlines the development of SMS news services by the Yunnan Daily Press Group. It also investigates the potential for cell phone media to become one of the main channels through which news is accessed in China.