Ashur TV off to a Hot Start!
It has been less than two months since Ashur TV’s coverage started reaching North America, and so far the reception (excuse the pun) by people has been amazing. The chatter and the buzz about the channel is starting to intensify, and it is becoming like a ritual to walk into an Assyrian home and find the family watching Ashur TV.
Many had doubts whether this channel could ever extend its reach beyond the Middle East, let alone reaching the North American continent, which it has done. This wouldn’t be possible without the great efforts and determination of the Ashur TV staff as well as the generous support from people everywhere.
I have been watching this channel on a regular basis for close to two months and I really like what I see so far. Of course, things can always get better and that will come with time and experience.
The channel has appealed not only to our own Assyrian people but to other Iraqis as well, given its neutral look and fair coverage of events in Iraq. In fact, it could very well be one of the most fair channels in all of Iraq, serving both the Assyrian as well as the Iraqi cause as a whole.
Some people may want more programming in Assyrian, and understandably so, but there is a very good reason why you may hear other languages. First, the channel would like to appeal to all segments of the Iraqi society. Media is a tool that Assyrians can greatly benefit from, and make our voices heard. Without a voice, Assyrians will soon become like strangers or even aliens in their own native land. You need a channel like Ashur TV to connect with your people as well as Iraqis in general.
When watching the channel, you often see and hear non-Assyrians expressing their liking and admiration of the channel. In fact, when I watch the channel, I feel so hopeful and start to believe that things in Iraq are much better than what we hear in the media. Of course, Iraq still has its issues and ethnic divisions, but Ashur TV does such an amazing job of trying to bridge the differences. Iraqis should appreciate this channel and the great job it is doing.
It goes without saying, the channel is funded by Assyrians, and it can only stay on air as long this financial and moral support keeps on coming. Did you make a donation yet? if not, you should right away at AshurTV.org
Speaking of financial support, I was so happy to see local Assyrian businesses advertise on the channel. These businesses should be supported and thanked. Let us give them more business than they can handle as an appreciation for advertising on Ashur TV and to encourage other businesses to do the same.
I am hopeful that individual donations will not be the only source to keep the channel going. Soon, the channel will have more businesses advertising on it, thus broadening its budget to be able to do even more. Commercializing the channel is key to its success, as much as the people’s donations are.
Finally, Ashur TV staff in cities all around North America are doing a fabulous job of covering local events and talking to our people in the diaspora. Ashur TV is truly connecting the Assyrian people, and giving us a new hope.
And like I mentioned earlier, when I watch this channel, I feel more hopeful than ever before about the state of our nation and people. Sure media can do magic and make things look better than what they otherwise are, nevertheless Ashur TV is a beacon of hope for Assyrians and all of Iraq.
This is a great article that shows the value of Ashur TV. It is run and supported by our people, which means it cannot be taken away from us and it is free to broadcast the truth of our nation’s plight and our country of Iraq. With so much corruption and ethnic tension in Iraq, Assyrians and the Iraqi general population can rest assured that Ashur TV will offer an unbias broadcast. But we should expect this, and not feel that it is a privilege for our nation. One thing that Zowaa has taught us is that our nation deserves so much. Remember that we are the natives are Iraq which entitles us to certain rights, and we are Iraqi citizens which also entitles us to rights. When the KRG used USAID and oil revenues to build homes for our people, it proped up Sargis Aghajan as be solely responsible for this and used Istar TV to show off what it has done. Zowaa did not attempt to stop the building of these homes for our people, instead it was please that the KRG was living to its expectation from the US to aid our people, and showed Assyrians that we were entitled to these homes and should not feel so obligated to thank Sargis Aghajan for them, because Kurds also had homes built for them, it not better constructed homes, and they were not rejoicing on the street for the KRG or Sargis Aghajan. It is our country so we must also be part in rebuilding it and not just accept our fate in the hands of others. Before the 1980s, there was no schools in Iraq teaching in our language, it was seen as a privilege. Zowaa took the risk and with the help of Assyrian Aid Society, it established many Assyrian schools. Now the KRG and Iraqi government fund these schools as they would for any Arabic or Kurdish speaking schools. Zowaa has helped make Syriac the offical language in our towns in Iraq, now it is normal to see street signs and business written in Syriac. Zowaa has worked hard to get quota seats so that our people’s voice is guranteed in Parliament and that we are part of governing Iraq and not just being governed. Zowaa wants to makes all the things that we see as a privelge today into a right and norm in the future. Zowaa is not one guy or a group, it truly is made up of our people and its power only comes from our nation, which really shows the potential our people have. God bless our nation.