State-run newspapers in China have reported resistance by villagers to efforts by the authorities to shut down a pirate television station that broadcasts pop music and pornographic videos.

The reports say that the Donglan television station started in the central Henan province and then shifted its transmitter to the neighbouring province of Shandong to avoid detection.

When local authorities tried to shut down the station, hundreds of villagers reportedly blocked them. One report said the station made money by running local advertisements along the edge of the screen during films. The station has already been fined once for showing pornographic films.

Correspondents say unlicensed broadcasters that have sprung up in recent years are threatening the Communist Party's control of the media, which is already under threat from the internet and satellite television.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service