REPORTER: Sixty-five years ago, it was only a broadcast program in Japanese based in Yan'an of Shaanxi province.

Today, it has grown into a radio station with global influence. CRI now broadcasts in 38 foreign languages as well as Mandarin Chinese and four Chinese dialects. Its daily programming comprises more than 1,100 hours.

CRI Online is one of the major news websites in China, providing news service in 43 written languages and 48 broadcast languages. The number is the highest of a radio service in the world.

Last year, CRI received over two million listeners' letters from 160 countries and regions.

"The need of audience should always be the pursuit of CRI." This is an idea that the director-general of CRI, Wang Gengnian, holds onto.

"We should view the needs of the audience as the criteria to evaluate whether the existence of media is meaningful or not. Getting feedback from the audience is just like harvesting returns of our hard work. Their opinions can directly answer the question of whether we've done a good job or not. I can say without the need from our audiences, there wouldn't be development at CRI."

Today, millions of people across the world listen to CRI's radio programs and log onto CRI's website, learning more about China.

And to become closer to the audience, CRI achieved several milestones this year.

In January, China's first overseas radio channel, CRI Nairobi 91.9 FM, was launched in the capital of Kenya. It broadcasts 19 hours of programs each day in three languages, Chinese, English and Swahili, the local language.

Following that, CRI Vientiane 93 FM in Laos was launched in November, providing over 12 hours of programs per day in English, Laotian and Chinese to local listeners.

CRI is eventually expected to have 100 FM channels overseas.

Wang Gengnian says the future of the radio broadcasting industry is really promising.

"There are many unique advantages that radio broadcasting enjoys. It's cheap and portable, simple to operate, can inform the latest news efficiently and can reach a wider region. Radio language is so oral. No matter how multi-media technology advances in the future, these advantages that radio enjoys will never perish."

Still, Wang Gengnian says, the radio broadcasting industry faces challenges as technological developments happen everyday.

He calls for the earlier establishment of a modern international broadcasting system, which can help to realize the transformation of a single medium into integrated media, including Radio, television, website and newspaper, and broadcasts both internationally and domestically.

Dan Dan, CRI news.