State of Anxiety on Film, Radio, and Television (SARFT)

广电总急 (Guǎng Diàn zǒng jí): SARFT is always anxious

(Beijing Cream)

//In Chinese, the abbreviation for the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT)[zh]—the administrative body that directly regulates state-owned media—is 广电总局 (guǎng diàn zǒng jú). By changing the last character from 局 (jú) to 急 (jí), the abbreviation forms the sentence, “SARFT is always anxious.” The humor of the phrase comes from the fact that netizens often perceive SARFT, always on the lookout for politically sensitive and obscene content, as being over-anxious. In addition to regulating the content of broadcast media, the administration also plays a role in regulating Internet content.//

Sample Usage:

胡泳: SARFT: Internet celebrities and the scandalous prohibited from appearing as special guests on TV

广电总局：禁止网络红人、有丑闻劣迹的人物上电视做嘉宾

崔向红: SANGST sure is busy. (May 18, 2014)

广电总急真忙 [Chinese]

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