The Chinese government has appointed 58-year-old Nie Chenxi, the current deputy director of the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, to serve as the new president of state-run television network China Central Television, Reuters reported.
Nie will replace former CCTV head Hu Zhanfan, who already reached the age of retirement, according to a statement released by SAPPRFT on its official website.
SAPPRFT, together with the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Publicity Department, announced the news at a CCTV ceremony attended by network officials, Xinhua reported.
Nie is ideal for the position because he possesses the necessary political qualities, as well as strong coordination and leadership skills, SAPPRFT said.
The administration also praised the former CCTV president.
"Hu is politically steadfast and has taken a clear-cut stand on cardinal questions of right and wrong, keeping highly consistent with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) inwardly and in action, making great contributions to the development of CCTV."
Nie is the first CCTV president who has no editorial background, Variety reported.
Nie is a computer programming graduate from Fudan University. He was appointed deputy director of SAPPRFT in Oct. 2012, and he will keep that position together with his new job in CCTV.
Last year, Nie wrote an editorial for the People's Daily, where he urged traditional media, television and radio to have self-awareness to merge with new media. He wrote another paper last month, where he discussed the role of the Internet in changing the media landscape for TV, film and radio.
CCTV has been rocked by scandals, including corruption accusations, during Hu's stint as president, but many of these issues dated back long before his appointment, Variety said.