Columbia University's nine Pac Rim market study.

The Freedom Forum Media Studies Center at New York's Columbia University has undertaken an ambitious survey it calls The Unfolding Lotus - East Asia's Changing Media. The exhaustive report, covering newspapers, radio and television, was undertaken by Jon Vanden Heuvel and Everette E. Dennis, the Center's director, and involved frequent visits to the area where in-depth interviews were conducted.

Following are their country-by-country findings when it comes to television, which is experiencing explosive growth:

SOUTH KOREA

Population 434 million; 207 TV sets per 1000 pop.

Under dictator Chun Doo-Hwan two private companies - TBS and Dong-A - wree forcibly merged and became the vast Korean Broadcasting System (KBS). Munhwa Broadcasting Corp. was forced to sell 65 per cent of its shares to KBS. The Christian Broadcasting System, (CBS) was limited to religious subjects

In 1988, the technologies of KBS and MBC were significantly upgraded and a year later the key Committee on Korean Broadcasting was set up. In late 1989, The Seoul Broadcasting Corp. took to the air.

MBC's single channel is the most popular in South Korea, followed by KBS's two channels (KBS also operates an educational third channel). SBC is liked but suffers from uneven reception quality. TV broadcasting is banned between midnight and 6 am and between 10 am and 5:30 pm. A 20 per cent quota limits foreign imports, leaving the remaining 80 per cent to be filled by local production. Japanese programming is not permitted. Five satellite channels are available to Korean viewers and South Korea plans to launch its own satellite in 1995. Cable is still largely in its infnayc. The government plans to eventually grant cable licenses in 50 cities.

CHINA

Population 1.2 billion; 26 TV sets per 1000 pop.

As a source of information, broadcasting is of equal if not greater importance than print. About 150 million Chinese own a TV set. All TV broadcasting is controlled by China Central Television (CCTV). It broadcasts on three channels for about 30 hours per day. Channel 1 and 2 cover its repeaters by satellite. Channel 3 is terrestrial and can be received only in the Beijing area. About 60 per cent of CCTV's programming is entertainment and sports, much of it produced at the Chinese TV Production Center, but there are foreign movies. The Chinese rigorously screen all foreign films for sexual content. News is broadcast three times a day, and often draws on CNN and Japanese footage. While there are commercials, the largest part of the CCTV budget comes from the state.

Chinese viewers, particularly in the central and southern coastal sections of China, can and do receive signals from Taiwan. In southern China, thanks to a new crop of dish antennas, Hong Kong telecasts are widely viewed. However, the Chinese government has recently banned the purchase of dish antennas.

TAIWAN

Population 20.5 million; 333 TV sets per 1000 pop.

There are three networks: Taiwan Television Enterprises (TTV), China Television System (CTS) and China Television Co. (CTV). All are semiprivate with government affiliations. Some 70 per cent of all programming must be of domestic origin. The networks frequently rebroadcast U.S. network news shows.

Taiwan produces a majority of the Chinese-language programs, sports, game shows and series are popular. Anticipating the growth of cable, Taiwan is currently buying a large volume of foreign programs. There are no current laws regulating cable and some 30 per cent of all Taiwanese households have cheap, illegal cable hookups, often presenting films and other shows pirated from satellites. A cable law is currently before the legislature which expects to license 50 cable systems, each with about 30 channels. CTS, has expressed interest in entering the cable field, partly because cable is expected to give the established networks a run for their money.

HONG KONG

Population 5.8 million; 263 TV sets per 1000 pop.

More than 98 per cent of Hong Kong's households have one or more TV sets and 67 per cent also have VCRs, making it one of the most avid TV-watching societies in Asia. The city has two private TV stations -- Television Broadcasts Ltd. (TVB) and Asia Television Ltd. (ATV). In addition there is the government-owned Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), which focuses on public affairs and education. Both TVB and ATV are obligated to operate an English-language channel, and the government limits the amount of advertising that can be aired.

TVB and ATV each operates a Cantonese-language channel in addition to an English one. The Cantonese programs are by far the most popular.

Hong Kong, which sees itself as a kind of "Asian Hollywood," not only exports a good many shows, but also provides video versions which then can be dubbed into Mandarin and Vietnamese. TVB program sales alone ran to $25 million this year, and the sales volume is rising by some 15 per cent a year.

Cable in Hong Kong is dominated by the license issued to Wharf Cable, which plans a 14-channel system. Star TV, owned by Rupert Murdoch, also makes its headquarters in Hong Kong and transmits over satellite, which has very wide footprints all over Asia and beyond.

There are also reports that the government plans to privatize RTHK, a move strenously opposed by Beijing, which takes over here in 1997. Hong Kong also has 15 radio stations but the ultimate future of broadcasting is of course entirely dependent on conditions imposed when the takeover takes place.

JAPAN

Population 123.6 million; 607 TV sets per 1000 pop.

TV penetration in Japan is virtually 100 per cent, with more than six TV sets per every 10 people. The vast majority of broadcasters are in private hands. The five big commercial TV networks include Nippon Television (NTV), Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), Fuji Television, TV Asahi and TV Tokyo Inc. There is also the huge NHK public broadcaster, a pay-TV network, slowly-growing cable, and 11 small, independent TV stations.

Fuji is in the lead, attracting about 23 per cent of viewership in the key Tokyo areas during primetime. NTV has a 19 per cent audience share and Asahi comes in third with 16 per cent. Advertising income at all the networks has plummeted as a result of Japan's economic crisis (Asahi was down 75 per cent in 1992).

Unique to Japan, Dentsu, the world's largest advertising agency, has a stranglehold on TV advertising. "It can almost determine the line-up of primetime programming in Japan," said the Freedom Center Report, adding that, as in many countries, "this leads to commercial fare that many would consider devoid of intellectual value."

NHK virtually matches the BBC in its worldwide ties and importance and rates as one of the world's most highly respected public broadcasters. It operates two terrestrial channels and two DBS channels. It's predicted that commerical broadcasting in Japan is in for enormous expansion beyond the five current commercial networks during the coming decades though this is not seen affecting NHK with its public service programs.

NHK also runs Satellite Channels 1 and 2 capable of reaching remote islands and mountainous areas. Channel 1 often carries American news and business shows. Channel 2 is used for experimental transmissions like Hi-Vision.

There are some 150 small cable operators in the country. By the year 2000, only about 16 per cent of Japanese households will be connected to cable.

In addition to NHK's two existing CBS channels, Japan Satellite Broadcasting Corp. also runs Wowow, the first private TV channel in the country. It has more than a million subscribers and offers, apart from sports and shopping programs, a wide variety of foreign movies. For the moment, Wowow is losing money.

As in the U.S., the networks now carry Sunday morning news/discussion and interview talk shows.

THE PHILIPPINES

Population 62 million; 36 TV sets per 1000 pop.

The Philippines consists of 7,109 islands, which underlines the problems of television except when the signal comes via satellite.

The country has a high-quality public TV system in addition to five private networks. The report said TV in the Philippines mirrors U.S. conditions in 1940 -- a luxury for those who could afford it. A large percentage of the population has no electricity and even if they did, they couldn't afford the price of a set. Less than 50 per cent of Philippines own a TV.

The public network -- People's Television is on the air for about 96 hours a week. The most profitable channel is Channel 2 (ABS), owned by the Lopez family. It shows mostly local programming. Channel 5 is a privately-owned start-up network. Channels 9 and 13 were owned by Marcos loyalists and are currently operated under government sequester. In addition to the six networks, there are some 25 local stations beaming programs around the country, plugging in mostly to the main networks.

Cable is still in its infancy, with about 56,000 subscribers in the Manila area. Plans are under way to create an agency similar to the FCC in the States. It would set the standards for the future broadcasters.

SINGAPORE

Population 2.7 million; 205 TV sets per 1000 pop.

The Singapore Broadcasting Corp. (SBC) was privatized on October 1, 1994. The Television Corporation of Singapore now owns and manages Channels 5 and 8, while Television Twelve owns and manages Channel 12.

The government, which operates a highly restrictive media policy, has a monopoly on TV broadcasting. Programs are often subtitled in three languages. CNN material is carried two hours a day on SB 12. Because, according to the report, Singaporean TV is "admittedly dull," many viewers tend to turn to the three Malaysian channels. In fact, one of them is now the most-watched channel in Singapore. Private ownership of satellite dishes is banned except for newspapers and financial houses.

A new satellite pay-TV service is now in operation and feeds CNN, HBO and the Mandarin-language channel. Foreign films are censored before they can be shown.

According to the Freedom Center study, "Singaporeans do not have a high regard for American-style television programs."

MALAYSIA

Population 17.3 million; 131 TV sets per pop.

The country has two state TV channels and a private channel. Radio-TV Malaysia (RTM) was established in 1963 and gets its revenues from a mixture of advertising and user fees. The private channel, TV3, is a publicly-listed company which lives primarily off advertising. The government party owns most of the shares in TV3 and its shows are pro-government. Private ownership of dish antennas are illegal. Western news cannot be received, on the air or over cable.

The government plans to start a "Subscriber News Service," which will buy CNN and the BBC but will run the material only after it has been censored. A TV4 channel, and a cable operation also are in the planning stages. However, they will all be directly or indirectly controlled by members of the government.

"Malaysian values" are stressed. All sex and violence scenes are banned from Malaysian TV. Much potential American TV programming is seen as "undermining family values" by the Malaysian authorities.

The Malaysian advertising market is described as "vibrant" in a fastexpanding economy, but TV expansion is seen as slow. Still, more than half of Malaysian TV shows today come from the U.S., Britain and Japan.

THAILAND

Population 55.1 million; 82 TV sets per 1000 pop.

Broadcasting until recently was completely under state control. The TV umbrella organization is NBS of Thailand. There is also Channel 5, operated by the Tai Army, and there is a public station, Channel 9. Two private groups -- Bangkok Entertainment Co. and Bangkok Broadcasting and TV Co. -- run Channels 3 and 7 respectively under license from the government. Channel 11, an educational station, is operated by the government.

Controversy on Thai television is very rare. There are independent production companies that produce game shows and dramas. Cable TV is privately owned and still in its infancy.

The Thai government has announced plans for two new satellites.

News coverage in Thailand, despite restrictions, has been greatly influenced by CNN, reported the Freedom Center study, and TV journalists are copying the CNN style.