Jan 26, 2004

Arirang: The Korean American Journey will air on New York Public Television Station WLIW 21 on Monday, January 26th at 9 pm. This is a very important event, and the success of this night will influence public television programming in the region hereafter- meaning, basically, if we want shows about Korean/Asian America, we have to prove to them that there’s a market.

Korean Americans are a longtime, widely dispersed presence in the United States. Yet for most Americans they remain a people without a story. The National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA) is proud to present "Arirang," a landmark two-part series that is the first to reveal the history and contributions of Korean Americans in the United States. "Arirang: The Korean American Journey" was written, directed and produced by Tom Coffman.

Koreans first arrived in significant numbers in 1903, working in the sugar fields of Hawai'i, then in the orange groves of California. Starting in November, "Arirang" will be made available nationally to public television by NAATA in honor of the past hundred years of Korean American settlement. “Arirang, Journey (Part 1)” will premiere in the New York Area on WLIW 21 on Monday, January 26 at 9:00 p.m.

Please forward as necessary. Your support of this program helps make Asian and Asian American cultural programming on public television possible. Attached are two press releases for further information. To make a pledge please call 1.800.767.2121 or log onto www.wliw.org [“Arirang” is featured prominently on the front page of both the website and this month’s viewers guide.]. Pledges will also be taken on the air the day of the premiere.

“Pledges will show our programming staff that there is a Korean audience out there that isn’t always served. The viewers get to decide what we put on, and this influences what kind of programs we put on for next year.”
Susan Soberman, WLIW