Chinese State TV To Set Up European HQ In Chiswick Park

The broadcaster is planning to hire over 300 journalists

Chinese state broadcaster CGTN is hoping to hire more than 350 London-based journalists for a new base in Chiswick Park.

The state broadcaster has embarked on a recruitment drive to set up a European hub in Chiswick.

CGTN reportedly wants to be operating out of London by December 2018, with a launch workforce of a dozen executives and more than 60 journalists.

 
The broadcaster's HQ in Beijing

A job ad for an "Operations Editor", recently stated that CGNT will be "shortly opening up a Production Centre at Chiswick Park, London, to house a digital and television hub, producing news, online, and other content to feed into our global English language platforms". Other jobs were posted for technical engineers based in the Acton area. The job ad states that:

"CGTN’s aim is to provide objective, balanced, and impartial news and current affairs content, reporting the news from a Chinese perspective. We aim to differentiate ourselves from leading Western media organization by pursuing a larger international vision; focusing on nations, regions, and stories often ignored by western media."

Over the next 18 months, up to 300 more producers and journalists will reportedly be hired for the station to be based in Chiswick. According to one person approached for a role, the salaries are "well over" the average for journalists in London.

CGTN did not return repeated requests for comment according to the reports.

The 24-hour news service broadcasts mainly in English, but also broadcasts in Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian – was established at the end of 2016. It was reportedly part of an effort to rebrand six of China's state-owned channels. The network's existing regional headquarters are in Beijing, Washington, DC, and Nairobi.

June 17, 2018