Posted on 12/11/2003 2:37:08 PM PST by yonif
The Israel Broadcasting Authority's English-language news will be available without a satellite to several million people in the United States beginning on Sunday, IBA English News head Steve Edwards said on Thursday.
The IBA English news evening broadcasts that have been running nightly on the IBA's Arabic Satellite network, will be syndicated to local television stations across America by Lesea Broadcasting, a Christian carrier that hosts Middle East TV.
The nightly news broadcasts are available locally on HOT digital cable and YES. But in America, the broadcasts have only been available to the 30,000 subscribers to the Israeli network and people who can access the Hotbird satellite transmissions with a satellite dish.
Now the IBA English news will be able to be seen on local channels in Colorado Springs, New Orleans, Honolulu, Denver, Tulsa, Indianapolis, South Bend, and dozens of stations in cities across America. Lesea will also put the broadcasts on its satellite that reaches all of America and half of Canada.
"This makes the IBA news available to much more people," Edwards said. "It's a great achievement for us. Its very significant for us that we can now reach Jewish and Christian supporters of Israel in America straight in their homes." Along with the change, Edwards said that the IBA news would become faster-moving and sharper, with more reports and more video footage, along with the usual guest interviews and analysis.
The Israel Broadcasting Authority, which is going through a financial crisis and enduring several other problems that have hurt its image, welcomed the greater reach of the English news and encouraged the syndication.
While in the past, the full-length English news was only broadcast locally at 8 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, it will now run every night of the week. The short English news brief run daily at 4:50 p.m. on Channel 1 will continue unchanged. Viewers abroad should consult local listings and cable providers for information.
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