Asian American Movies and Television, 24/7.

By Lorial Crowder for AIA, August 2004

The ImaginAsian staff on a Friday afternoon.

Suppose there was one channel that offered all access to Asian American television programming. Like Black Entertainment Television (BET) providing programming for African Americans, ImaginAsian TV, also known as IATV, is going to introduce an around the clock line up of Asian news, films, dramas, animation, music videos, children's programming and more.

For now, most of the programs will be viewed in its original ethnic language with English subtitles and there's a reason for this. "85% of Asian Americans want to view proramming in their own language." says ImaginAsian Media's CEO Michael Hong. But he's also hopeful that non-Asians will tune in. "We believe the network will appeal to the general public's fascination with Asian entertainment, cuisine, personalities and culture."

For Michael Huh, the Vice President of Marketing, it's also a little personal. "I grew up just outside of New York City as the only Asian in elementary school, which is still an all too common story. I had little if any, exposure to Asian culture particularly when watching television." He relates. "Now that I have my own children, I hope that IATV will become an integrated part of Asian American culture to help them keep ties with our heritage."

The ImaginAsian Theater in NY.

"It's no secret that the ASIAN AMERICAN community has been vastly underserved by the mainstream media." exclaims Hong. And if all goes well, Asian Americans will no longer have to flip through television shows hoping to spot the token Asian in mainstream network programming. Steven Soldinger of Equity Broadcasting Corp., explains "The Asian audience is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing segments of the communities that are served by our stations. I am eagerly awaiting the August launch of the network and am very impressed with the ImaginAsian TV's current show line-up and future programming plans."

Equity Broadcasting is one of the many crucial partners in this venture. Finding sources of Asian programming was one thing. But without major distributor in the U.S., iaTV could have easily remained a dream. Through its initial agreement with Equity, ImaginAsian TV has gained access to more than 1.6 million households. The network's initial carriage line-up includes KTVY (Channel 7) in Las Vegas, Nevada, KIMG (Channel 23) in Ventura, California and KKTU-DT in Denver, Colorado. Discussions are ongoing for several additional major markets.

Approximately 10 million viewers will have immediate access this coming August. The target audience are Asian Americans between the ages of 18-34 years with ethnic background from China, Japan, India, Korea and the Philippines. "The time has come to reassess the platform in which Asian media is traditionally placed." proclaims Hong. "While it may have been acceptable ten years ago to relegate Asian media to premium tiers, it is our belief that in most major markets today, a channel of this quality and reach should be available as a basic service."

ImaginAsian TV will feature Asian pop stars, documentaries, soap operas and of course, anime.

The idea for an all Asian cable channel was first introduced to Hong in 2003. "I was working on a script and about two thirds of the way done when one of my partners approached me and asked if I was interested. I said 'No, I'm working on my script.'" But when he realized that he would need a backer for his script, Hong agreed to help put the deal together in exchange for help in producing his own work. Imaginasian Entertainment was introduced July 2003 in New York. There were pnly 8 staff members during the first few months. A year later they have had their hands full with 50 employees making it necessary to move out of a small space by Herald Square to larger offices in midtown, just around the corner of Times Square.

As part of its efforts to bring Asian culture to mainstream America, the ImaginAsian Entertainment has also opned a new Asian American arthouse theater and cultural center. Located on East 59th Street and 2nd Avenue, the ImaginAsian will be the only theater in New York City dedicated to first-run Asian and Asian American films.

iaTV staffers working in a casual atmosphere.

"The launching of The ImaginAsian is a dream come true. I envision New York metro area residents and visitors coming to the theater, sipping on some bubble-tea in the lobby, checking on their email and then sitting down to be entertained by watching a first-run Asian film." Said Hong.

As it's first event, the theatre co-hosted the 27th Annual Asian American International Film Festival organized by another New York media organization, Asian Cinevision. And as it's first regular feature, the ImaginAsian will be open with the new comedy from New Line Cinema "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle."

ImaginAsian TV and the ImaginAsian Theater is sure to be one of the definitive and history making television experiences for Asian Americans. Asian or not, get ready for a new explosion of art and culture from Asia and Asian America.

ImaginAsian TV
19 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
http://www.imaginasiantv.com

The ImaginAsian Theater
239 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10019