Bridges Television Network, a channel catering to North American Arab and Muslim populations, is planning to launch later this year, right before Ramadan on October 15.
The main target audience for this new channel is the estimated population of eight million American and Canadian Muslims, two million of whom are Arab Americans.
"We're going to start with a 4 pm to midnight Central Time programming wheel," said founder of Bridges TV, Muzzammil S. Hassan. He said he would like the channel to go to a 24-hour format in the near future.
Hassan, a former banker in the United States, has recruited an experienced program manager from a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) outlet in Los Angeles. He said Bridges TV has compiled a database of 200-plus independent producers and is in the process of acquiring more than 3,000 hours of English-language content.
The idea, Hassan said, is to target viewers with programming that will have multi-cultural acceptance. The planned programming will feature sports, news, advice, music, talk shows, religion, children, women, food, comedy and drama.
"This is about our American experience with Muslim values," Hassan said. "There are certain things you won't see in this channel in terms of sex and violence and other things that may be inappropriate in our culture. At the same time, it's about living a full life with our interests in sports, sitcoms, and comedy and food shows and travel and legal and financial advice shows."
News and politics would be developed in-house. "Daily news and a weekly political affair type of program is what we'd be producing on our own," Hassan said.
The fledgling channel has received support from a wide array of people, including some major American Muslim organizations and celebrities. US government officials also have expressed support for the idea of an American Muslim channel.
As for the prospective audience, Hassan said more than 7,000 people have become members of the channel, paying $10 a month to support it. "And we have over 40,000 people who signed up to subscribe to the channel once it becomes available," he said.
Although national carriers such as Comcast and Time Warner may agree to offer the channel, it will be local system operators that decide if and when they make room for Bridges TV on their schedule, Hassan said. To address this issue, Hassan has been busy addressing American Muslims across the United States, hoping they will contact their local cable company and ask that they pick up Bridges TV. — (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
