Chinese authorities have suspended an educational television network in the eastern province of Jiangsu for broadcasting a program they consider "vulgar," the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, or SARFT, said Friday.
The state agency said in a communique that the Jiangsu Education TV Station violated "government regulations" and has been taken off the air because of a vulgar program in its lineup of shows.
The network was held responsible for the broadcast of an interview program called "Bang Bang Bang" in which, the note said, "there are no end of uncalled-for insults."
The program, broadcast on Nov. 24, shows three guests and some members of the studio audience engaging in "ugly discussions that have an extremely bad influence on the audience," the communique said.
The television regulatory agency also said that the Jiangsu channel went beyond its supposed mission of providing instruction and started producing programs "outside of educational subjects," in violation of current rules.
SARFT has ordered China's networks to promote "positive" content in their productions, while complaining that there are too many entertainment programs on local channels.
Authorities previously clamped down on the controversial - and successful - production "Interviews before Execution" after five years on the air.
The program, highly criticized abroad, brought into Chinese homes the last words of convicts before their death by hanging, and had an audience of some 40 million viewers.