Fifteen Chinese provincial-level TV stations, one-third of the total, have dedicated channels to children's programming, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) said Tuesday.

China Central Television Station, the country's largest state broadcaster, launched a special channel for young people on Dec. 28, 2003. The channel's programs have been broadcast in at least 300 city-level TV stations across the country, said the SARFT.

According to a national plan to enrich the cultural life of young people, all the provincial-level TV stations in China will launch a special channel for children by the end of 2006. So far, the SARFT has approved 23 provincial-level TV stations to open their own children's channels; this is half of the total.
 
(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2005)