I haven't seen any posts on this topic. I am still in shock. AZN is the only station on TV that I watch and now there is no further need for a TV in my opinion. Everything else is basically unwatchable. Of course I didn't like the advertisements, but the Korean, Chinese, and Japanese films and dramas were what I subsisted on.

I just don't understand why one Asian station cannot remain on the air. There are so many hispanic stations, why can't we have at least one Asian station?

I am in Virginia and we have Verizon FIOS TV. Could it be that in other parts of the US, AZN is still broadcasting?

Is anyone in the Asian community working to get AZN back on the air?

I am not Asian, but the station was vitally important to me. It is the station on which I was introduced to Jewel in the Palace, Emperor of the Sea, Dae Jo Young, The Road Home, Raise the Red Lantern, Love Truly, and countless other wonderful items.

Please let me know if your organization is mounting an effort together with other groups to get AZN back on the air. I just found your website this morning, so may have missed this discussion.

Thank you, Suzanne


Edit by Theresa: Topic moved

Karma for your first post and welcome.

This topic was discussed HERE <---- Click the link

 

Hey Suzanne!



Unfortunately, IMHO, Comcast (AZN's parent company) failed to support the station and basically starved it to death.

As much as we wanted AZN to be offered in our area--they totally ignored the requests.

If video killed the radio star, then Comcast killed AZN.


One less option for those of us who OVE Asian TV.

You might want to consider going with DISH or DirectTV, for Korean dramas at least.

'Course, it'll cost you at least a gallon of gas.

catburt28 wrote:

You might want to consider going with DISH or DirectTV, for Korean dramas at least. 'Course, it'll cost you at least a gallon of gas.

Or you could move to Chicago...The KBS World "Free Zone"...

 

There is a show on now, with professional ballerinas having a "Bending" competition
with some comedians/actresses...Odd, I have to leave for work in 5 hours,
but I can't stop watching....


Funny stuff...

Does anyone have addresses for this uber Comcast office that owns AZN so we can write and complain and try to create a tidal wave of support for AZN.

With all the trash that is on TV, and so many stations dedicated to other interests such as hispanics. There ought to be a way to bring AZN back as a voice for Asian Americans and those that love Asian programing. Now there is only channel 918 with information from Taiwan, but never do they have English subtitles.

Why can't the AZN group ally themselves with another backer if Comcast has tried to kill them?

Frankly, I don't understand it at all. There ought to be a big market in this country for Asian programming. Is it a fact that only satellite TV carries Asian programming?

Thank you, Suzanne

No. Where there are large concentrations of East Asians, there are broadcast stations, such as in California. But, since we all have to go to HD next year, satellite is the way to go.

Has anyone seen DTV's recent series of commercials about cable? Hilarious - and probably true.

OK, even if you all feel satellite is the way to go, has anyone even attempted to mount a campaign to bring back AZN under some other banner?

If not, it appears that you all must watch Korean Dramas by other means - perhaps satellite. Are these satellite broadcast Korean dramas coming directly from South Korea? And if so, do they have English subtitles? If not broadcast directly from South Korea, where is (are) the source(s) of the broadcasts?

Where can I go, who can I write to, what can I do to get AZN back on the air? I am not willing to give up.

Please let's not just scratch the surface. Who can give me some concrete details?

Who are the top 100 Asians in the country who would be willing to back and pony-up funds to support an Asian American station with Asian programming?

Has this been explored? Does anyone care? Remember this is my second day on this website and if these things have been discussed, I'd like to see the details.

Thanks, Suzanne

I sympathize with you Suzanne. I was one of the lucky few in the Philly area who was getting AZN.

Members of this Board watch KDramas in various ways. Note, since most of us are not Korean and don't speak Korean, I am talking about English subbed programs here....

Local Broadcast TV
-Members in the Philadelphia area can watch a few KDramas on WYBE (public Television). Members in LA, Hawaii and Chicago have 1 station dedicated to KDramas. (I believe Atlanta and DC as well but don't quote me on that.)

Cable
-Members in the NY area get MKTV on Cable. Members in Chicago can get MBC thru RCN cable.

Satellite
-Members from across the country can get KBS World from Direct TV I believe. Several members have TAN TV where they can watch dramas from different stations.

Online
-There are several sites such as MySoju and Veoh where you can watch dramas. There are also sites where you can download dramas.

Purchasing
-There are quite a few online stores where you can purchase dramas. One of our partners is YesAsia. I believe YesAsia is the largest. KBS also has an eStore.

Video Club
-This site features a video lending library called the Video Club (VC). You can find the details for joining by scrolling down the front page while logged in. (It is a members only area).



It isn't that we don't care, I think it is just that most of us have other options to watch KDramas.

AZN was owned by Comcast which is based in Philly. There are various ways to contact them.....


Comcast Contact Us Page

 

I don't think there's any hope for resurrecting AZN and don't think there's much hope of getting individual financial support for AZN, since backers probably don't see it as a lucrative venture because of the current availability of East Asian programming on satellite and cable.

Where there are large concentrations of East Asians (as opposed to South Asians or West Asians) there will be broadcast stations which are owned and operated by East Asians. such as California and Hawaii. Jason could give you more details on that. And many cable companies offer East Asian channels as premium (pay extra) channels. Some independent stations in various parts of the US also carry Korean programs with English subtitles. Most of the people here (I assume) watch their Korean programming on such stations in the Philadelphia, Delaware, NJ, and NYC areas. Cable companies will often carry these stations in their local channel packages.

Since you're posting here, I assume your talking principally about Korean Channels, such as KBS, MBC, and SBS (please, not FSTV!). These networks often do have live broadcasts, such as news programs, directly from Korea, and are provided to satellite and cable providers, such as Time Warner, DTV, Dish Network, and TAN. They also have programming which is geared toward audiences (primarily Koreans and Korean speakers of 2nd and 3rd generation) living outside of Korea. These would be KBS World, MBC America, and SBS International. I, myself, have the TAN satellite service, which carries a selection of KBS and MBC programming, and MBC America. Many programs are subtitled, but most aren't.

Most of the subtitling you see is done here, in the US, by KBFD-TV in Hawaii (the parent company of TAN), and by SBS and MBC in America, and it's done by Korean Americans who are bilingual. That's why it's generally so good. The English subtitling done in Korea is pretty bad, to say the least.

Where are you located? Perhaps we can give you more specific information about what's available if we know where you are.

If you're in the NJ area, you might want to read this:

http://forum.koreandramas.net/topic_5498.html?start=0

Ah! Cross posting with Teresa.

One of the problems is, of course, the Korean networks themselves. They have not been aggressive enough in trying to expand their market in America, directing most of their marketing strategy toward Korean Americans, and thus limiting any potential expansion.

Thank you for your responses. I am in Northern Virginia within 10 miles of Washington, DC.

Suzanne