James Chau, 26, a British Chinese, was born in London. Formerly a reporter and anchor with the Hong Kong-based Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB Pearl), he joined CCTV in February this year, where he now presents CCTV News and World Wide Watch.

"A lot of people say China is the future, but really China is the present,?Chau said. "A lot of exciting things are happening right now.?

He thinks it is an exciting challenge to be part of the changes at CCTV 9, which are positive and forward-thinking.

To call CCTV 9 a mouthpiece of the Government is stereotyping, he believes.

"CCTV 9 gives a unique perspective on international events,?he said. "Like any other news station, we have a sizeable team of journalists, in China and around the world, who go out and file their stories.

"It is not regurgitated reports. They find their news.?

"The station is very open to suggestions,?he commented. "They are very conscientious of the quality of their work.?

He thinks it is only inevitable that any differences in CCTV 9's style and presentation should reflect the country's vast social and cultural makeup.

Chau thinks the relaunch has made the packaging "tighter, faster and a lot more punchy.?

He added: "If the viewers don't find it interesting, I would say 'give it a chance?because the content, too, is continually diversifying.?

Edwin Maher from New Zealand was a journalist and news presenter with ABC Melbourne for 20 years. He is on a one-year contract with CCTV 9 as a news anchor and voice consultant.

"The standard of broadcasting at CCTV is very high, I've been really impressed by what I've seen and heard.?

He finds various anchors at CCTV 9 have British, American and neutral accents depending on where they come from and where they went to school.

"But a variety of voices is always good, as long as they speak clearly,?he said. "Having an accent is often an advantage, because it makes a person's voice distinctive, rather than bland. It would be awful if everybody sounded the same.

"I've read bulletins and heard bulletins. I think there is criticism of China as well as defence of China. I think they are striving to give a balanced view and give both sides a story.

"There is probably a long way to go, but it is definitely happening and has started for sure.?

Helena Iveson, from England, got her master's degree in journalism at City University. She has just started working as a sports news presenter. It is her first job as a TV anchor. She works every other day from 8 am to 11:15 pm.

"It was very nerve-racking the first time because CCTV has such a big audience all-around the world,?she recalled. "And now I realize it's very interesting, a great experience. I like sports, so it's the perfect programme for me.?

She added: "The standard of English is as if I am working for the BBC.?

She also likes the variety of sports they cover.

"We do a lot of international news as well as domestic news and it is a very interesting programme to be involved in the buildup to the Olympics.?

She thinks CCTV is very similar to CNN and the BBC. The channel aims to be as lively as ESPN, she said.

Robert Farr, 40, is from Southeast Kent in England. He has been a copy editor with CCTV 9 for nearly a year.

"If changes are made by a native speaker and changed back again by somebody, that's frustrating,?he admitted. "Also, there are so many things on local media we can't say.?

He is also frustrated by delays in the reporting of politically sensitive news.

But he realizes that he might be just as frustrated working at a Western media outlet for completely different reasons: too many negative reports about countries like China.

"Another frustration is we rely far too much on Reuters and Associated Press,?he said.

"AP stories are very often against Palestinians, which means we become biased unless we correct them.?

But he says they don't always have time to find out the other side of the story and make corrections.

"So sometimes I feel that we, CCTV, a Chinese broadcaster, are broadcasting far too much, sometimes, American propaganda, instead of the Chinese view of the world.?

He thinks the only difference between CCTV's international news and that of CNN's international news is that CNN has got more resources and more money to do it better.

"But they don't present enough alternative views,?he said.

He finds the level of professionalism of his colleagues varies considerably. There are one or two reporters in CCTV that are surprisingly good, he says.

"There is no way, at the present development of China, CCTV 9 can match CNN,?he said, "But in the future, that could change dramatically.?