China bans rowdy game show for 'wanton' content

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television first ordered the show canceled Wednesday and criticized the clip for showing name-calling, "wanton acts" and for "amplifying ugliness." It said the incident had a "negative influence on society."

On Thursday, the agency issued a second directive saying that Jiangsu Education Television, a regional broadcaster near Shanghai, had to suspend all programming effective Friday because it violated China broadcasting rules by identifying itself as an educational channel while offering entertainment content.

The Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said in a faxed statement that some 30 programs were affected by the suspension, including some distance learning programs, meaning classes were canceled for as many as 150,000 students.

The "Bang Bang Bang" editor also was fired, the Jiangsu provincial government said.

The broadcasting regulator is concerned about vulgar, violent and pornographic videos being aired, and has been tightening rules to make sure that broadcasters and Internet service companies prescreen their content.

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Associated Press researcher Flora Ji contributed to this report.