In a move to diversify Chinese-language cable offerings beyond the current narrow affiliations, petitions of 50 organizations were presented to the Time-Warner cable division headquarters in New York on Jan. 16.
Dayong Li of the Chinese Satellite TV Service Center and Baiqiao Tang, Chairman of China Peace Democracy Federation turned in letters from 50 U.S. groups petitioning Time-Warner Cable to make New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) part of their Digital Cable package broadcasts.
Time Warner currently has three Chinese channels on their Digital Cable roster, with a fourth and final one to be decided upon shortly.
Dayong Li emphasizes the importance of NTDTV becoming a part of the roster.
"NTDTV is the sole independent Chinese television network here in the States not funded by or affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party," said Li.
"In the New York area, many people want to watch NTDTV, but they live in apartment buildings without the ability to install satellite dishes, so Digital Cable is the only way they can receive broadcasts from NTDTV."
NTDTV certainly has established a track record of reporting news outside the bounds prescribed by the CCP regime. NTDTV broke the SARS story in 2003 even while the CCP continuously denied the rising number of SARS cases, and today NTDTV continues to give Chinese-speaking audiences on four continents an insight into China unparalleled by other Chinese networks.
The fourth Chinese network in Time-Warner's cable package is still unknown, but Dayong Li and Baiqiao Tang speculate that Time Warner is receiving pressure from the CCP to not sign NTDTV to their Digital Cable roster.
"There is little reason to refuse NTDTV unless they are being pressured." says Baiqiao Tang. Whatever the circumstances, it is clear that Dayong Li, Baiqiao Tang, and many other Chinese-Americans are hoping Time-Warner will put NTDTV on the list.
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