By Ed Esposito, RTDNF Chairman

My visit to China as part of a contingent of lecturers from commercial and public radio and the University of Missouri School of Journalism provided a great glimpse of life in a nation quickly moving from "developing" -- and a culture where there are interesting differences but still remarkable similarities.

Back home on U.S. soil after eight days in Yunnan Province along with my colleagues Kathy Walker of KOA in Denver, CO; Janet Saidi of KBIA in Columbia, MO; Dr. Ernest Zhang of the Missouri School of Journalism and Missouri graduate student Snow Dong.

We took part in a three-day program discussing U.S. radio and journalism -- a great opportunity to also see how broadcasting is handled in a nation where we have the perception the government controls all. Not necessarily the case, at least as far as I observed. Radio in China has, in large measure, the same concerns as radio in America -- finding the right balance of community service and advertising support to tell the stories of our cities, towns and people.



Not to say the approach is the same: Chinese talk radio, for example, doesn't have the same "entertainment" value one finds here in the States. Talk radio means more interview radio, and the power of using mass media when approaching authority has just has much sway in the People's Republic as it does here.

Our hosts, for example, scored success with local taxi drivers when they pressed the issue of sharing revenue from ads on cabs with the provincial leadership during such a talk show. One driver called in and complained; the government adjusted the policy. Both there in Kunming, the provincial capital and here at home, we'd call that a success.

Their broadcast facilities are advanced, and in particular a museum of radio history in Yunnan Province is comprehensive and rivals any I've seen stateside. There's great interest in the role America has played in the development of radio, and strong ties historically. Kunming was the home base of the famous "Flying Tigers" during World War II, strafing and bombing Japanese positions along the Burma Road in the Pacific Theater.

But my strongest memories of my personal journey to China are the people -- industrious, hard working, strongly committed to their communities and especially proud of the wide variety of their ethnic heritage. I'll address the issue of Yunnan's rich and diverse nationalities in a later blog, but here's a video piece on a small portion of the experience Kathy, Janet and I enjoyed thanks to the warmth and hospitable welcome by our newly-found friends who have far more in common with us than I would have imagined.

(This article originally appeared on AkronNewsNow.com and is republished with permission from the author.)