This exploratory study sets out to determine the TV news program preference, the gratifications people derive from TV news, the extent to which people are dependent on TV news for information, and the origins of that dependency. The influences of the demographic variables gender, age, income, and education on these three dependent variables were also ascertained. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of adults in the Chinese major cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Changsha who responded to an online survey.

The results showed that Chinese audiences prefer to watch the TV news channel closest to them and that they perceive TV news programs as credible. They mainly watch TV as part of their daily routine and to help them keep up with the world. The findings indicate they depend on TV news for information about current affairs, and that their dependence on TV news mainly has social-environmental origins. The results also suggest that gender had a bearing on channel preferences and that TV news dependency and its origins vary with age. Differences exist in media preference, gratifications sought, TV news dependency and dependency origins according to income and education levels. Moreover, significant differences were found among the three cities in terms of the gratifications audiences sought from TV news, dependence on a particular news channel, and the origins of that dependency.

The results suggest that the uses and gratifications approach and media dependency theory developed in the west can be applied to explain Chinese TV news audiences' viewing preferences and behaviors.