First American-Punjabi TV Channel Launched

JUS Punjabi, the nation's first American-Punjabi television channel launched last week.¹  The channel features Punjabi language programs, daily news bulletins from both overseas (Punjab, Haryana and New Delhi) and from their office and broadcast facility in Long Island City, N.Y.  Major providers like DISH Network, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision IO, and Verizon FiOS TV carry the new channel. In establishing the company, President and CEO Penny Yogiraj Sandhu hopes “to reach out to the large and vibrant Indo-Punjabi/Sikh community and give them a voice and exposure in their adoptive country.”²

It joins other major South Asian content, including Sony Entertainment Television Asia, TV Asia, Zee TV and Bollywood Hits on Demand.  This development is a good sign for Asian American media, beset not only by the state of the economy but by its very diversity.

"The diversity of languages that makes up the Asian-American community is especially difficult for television and radio, where programming is primarily in the native language, which leaves a handful of broadcasters serving narrow segments of the population. This is especially hard for television programmers, where the cost to entry into the business can be higher than it is in print, and room on cable systems is limited."³

Other major players in Asian American television are the New Tang Dynasty Television, The Filipino Channel, The Saigon Broadcasting Television Network, TVB, and TVK.  Best wishes goes to this new addition to Asian American TV programming!

See related post, "Asian American Media Speaks"

¹  stamfordadvocate.com
²  juspunjabi.com
³  stateofthemedia.org