Guangzhou Television Cantonese controversy

In July 2010, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Guangzhou Committee, in a written proposal to mayor of Guangzhou Wan Qingliang, suggested increasing Mandarin programming on Guangzhou Television's main and news channels. The proposal sparked widespread controversy, met with fierce criticism in Cantonese-speaking cities including Guangzhou and Hong Kong, which eventually triggered a mass protest in Guangzhou. In a formal response, Guangzhou TV rejected the proposal, citing “historic causes and present demands” as reasons for Cantonese-Mandarin bilingualism.

Beijing made Mandarin the nation’s sole official language in 1982, leading to bans on other languages at many radio and television stations. This status was confirmed by the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language, which went into effect on January 1, 2001. This law implements the provision in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China that the state promotes nationwide use of the language.

Due to Mandarin’s status as the official language, use of the country’s other languages in television as well as radio and film is rigorously restricted by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT). Permission from national or local authorities is required for using a dialect as the primary programming language at radio and television stations.

In 1988, the Ministry of Radio, Film, and Television, predecessor of the SARFT, approved the use of Cantonese by Guangdong TV in GDTV Pearl River Channel and Guangzhou TV as a countermeasure against the influence of Hong Kong television in the Pearl River Delta region.TVS-* (TVS2 in Guangdong) is another major channel in China offering Cantonese programming and is the only Cantonese channel permitted to be broadcast worldwide via satellite.

...
Wikipedia