Whatcha Watchin’? WorldLink TV

by LaTaYea

Are you bored with the same old television sit-coms and re-runs? I mean, yes, I love Lucy, but enough's enough! If you want something you can really sink your teeth (and heart, mind, and soul) into, then check out Link TV. Launched in December 1999, Link TV (a.k.a. WorldLink TV) has offered millions of Americans unique programming that provides global perspectives on many world issues, broadening the minds of viewers with some of television's most interesting and unique shows and seeking to create local activism across the planet. Link TV is "committed to educating American viewers by offering in-depth programs on issues of regional and world importance," according to their website. "We expose our audience to people they would never meet, to cultures they might never understand and to issues they have yet to consider." Link TV is operated by Link Media, Inc.—a California 501(c)(3) non-profit organization composed of several independent programming companies—and is supported by more than 20 foundations and contributions from thousands of individuals.
        Link TV focuses on "presenting issues not often covered in the U.S. media. … Link TV's programming consists of first-run documentaries, foreign feature films, global news reports and eight hours of world music each day." A sampling of Link TV's programming includes: Chat the Planet: Baghdad 2-Way—Nine college students from Baghdad and twelve from Ohio talk to one another via satellite television about politics and war, school and parents. The Global Banquet, By Invitation Only—A two part discussion of corporate farming and its global effects. Ready, Steady, Trade—Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson is challenged to create a world-class meal from ingredients that reporters have bought from some of the world's poorest farmers—from voodoo villages in Haiti to tomato fields in Ghana. The Active Opposition—Hosted by actor Peter Coyote, serves as a regular outlet for the socially engaged. The series confronts and questions the status quo in government, in the media and elsewhere, and asks difficult questions which mainstream media outlets don't dare ask. Calling the Ghosts—An extraordinary first-person account of two women caught in a war where rape was as much of an everyday weapon as bullets or bombs.
        Mosaic: World News From The Middle East—Mosaic features selections from daily TV news programs produced by national broadcasters throughout the Middle East. The news reports are presented unedited and translated, when necessary, into English. Improbable Pairs—The film that is a study of pairs of people who have made peace with each other against truly extraordinary odds. Democracy Now!—a national independent news program, hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Good-man and Juan Gonzalez and produced out of the Downtown Community Television Center, a community media center in New York City's Chinatown. The Hidden Half—a feature film that explores the plight of Iranian women.
        World music is also a feature with ethnic music and videos from all over the world. For example, From the Heart of the Masters—Jack DeJohnette is considered one of the US's greatest living jazz drummers. Foday Musa Suso has pushed the limits of the Kora (African Harp) in his excursions with Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, the Kronos quartet and Phillip Glass. When these two virtuosos [DeJohnette and Musa Suso] come together to play music, it's a special event!
        Also soon to be featured is a two-hour CosmoPop concert with Gabriel of Sedona & The Bright & Morning Star Band recorded live at Future Studios right here in Sedona, Arizona.
        Presently, the Link TV (WorldLink) "channel is available as a basic service in over 22.4 million U.S. homes that receive direct broadcast satellite television (DBS)," and free subscriptions are available for K-12 schools. Link TV has a selection of programs via streaming on their website and hopes to obtain cable distribution in the near future.

For more information about Link TV contact:
www.worldlinktv.org
info@Linktv.org
1-800-333-347 (Echostar Communications)
1-800-531-5000 (DIRECTV)