A Shanghai TV anchor, who was detained for driving intoxicated on Monday, will face a one-year job suspension as well as a series of other punishments from his employer and the city's traffic authority, Eastday.com reported on Thursday.

Mao Wei, who hosts a reality show for aspiring comedians on Shanghai television, was suspended from his post on Wednesday.

Shanghai Media Group, which is Mao's employer and runs major local TV stations, said they wouldn't hire Mao for at least a year.

TV reporters and anchorpersons in China must register with central TV industry monitor to qualify for their jobs, according to China's rules.

Mao was stopped by police at 2:30am on Monday in the city's downtown area and was seized after a breathalyzer test at the scene, which showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 43 milligrams per 100 milliliters, twice the legal limit, according to the city traffic police.

A hospital blood test carried out later showed Mao had more than 80 milligrams per 100 milliliters of alcohol in his blood.

Traffic police said Mao was also fined 1,000 yuan (US$125) and would be handed the maximum 12 points on his license.

His driving license will be held for three months, according to the law, which stipulates that drivers with a blood-alcohol level of more than 80 milligrams per 100 milliliters can face police detention of up to 15 days.

Zhang Fang, Mao's co-host in a lottery TV program, said Mao felt very upset after his lottery show was canceled. However, Mao's other colleagues said he still enjoyed hosting the other TV show and they didn't notice anything different about his attitude.

Dozens of Chinese celebrities, including comedians, sportsmen and action movie stars, have been convicted of drunk driving, some of whom even lost their lives.

(Shanghai Daily January 12, 2007)