Horizon TV Keeps Evolving and Plans Expansion

Friday, May 21st, 2010
by Asbarez

For more than 20 years Horizon Armenian Television has played a
pivotal role in the lives of Armenian-Americans in Southern
California. As with any medium, it is an evolving process, while
remaining a mainstay in people’s homes and lives. Recently Asbarez
discussed Horizon’s evolution and future plans with Armenian Media
Network Business Manager Vicken Sosikian. Horizon is a subsidiary of
AMN.

Asbarez: In a sentence of two, can you provide a brief overview of
Horizon Television?

VICKEN SOSIKIAN: Since 1989 Horizon TV has been the bridge between
everything Armenian and the Armenian people in the western United
States. From its news and analysis, to its cultural and religious
programs, to its music and entertainment, to its documentaries and
educational shows; Horizon TV is the leading source of timely and
relevant information as it pertains to our culture, politics, religion
and education. Today, an estimated 100,000 people tune in to Horizon
on Charter Cable channel 285 and online at –
these figures can be substantiated by information provided by Charter
Cable and our website hosting company.

Asabrez: How, specifically, does Horizon TV provide `timely and
relevant’ information?

V.S.:Here I can provide short descriptions of about a dozen or so
programs featured on Horizon TV. But I’d rather share with you the
role Horizon plays in the Armenian reality.

When the California State Assembly discussed the Armenian Genocide our
reporters were in Sacramento bringing you in depth coverage. When
little Narek Movsesyan and his mother arrived in the US for Narek’s
cancer treatment Horizon was there to convey community leaders’ and
organizations’ call for help. When Turkey and Armenia initiated their
protocols Horizon presented the facts and relayed community
organizations’ call to action. When the White House placed Armenia on
the list among other `terrorist countries’ ANCA hit the Horizon
airwaves and tens of thousands of letters flooded the White House fax
machines – in a matter of days Armenia was rightfully removed from
that list. When Armenians around the world recently commemorated the
95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Horizon was on air live for
12 hours connecting its viewers to the activities held in more than
two dozen Armenian communities in the Diaspora and the Homeland.

When the AYF hits the street to protest the closure of a local health
clinic or to clean up the communities in which we live and work –
Horizon is there. When the Armenian Relief Society launches campaigns
to aid the Armenians of Javakhk -Horizon is there. When our churches
work to spread their spiritual message to the masses Horizon is there.
When the Armenian Chamber of Commerce honors Armenian business owners
Horizon is there. When Davidian-Mariamian Educational Foundation adds
more Armenian classes in public schools Horizon is there. Horizon is
always there to serve the Armenian community by providing timely and
relevant information.

I can go on for quite some time.

Really, Horizon TV is the bridge between everything Armenian and the
Armenian people; and our various programs are a reflection of just
that.

Asbarez: You mentioned that Horizon can be watched on television
through Charter Cable. Is Charter Cable the only cable company through
which we can tune in to Horizon?

V.S.: Currently yes. However, we are working on expanding our coverage
areas as we speak. Our immediate focus is on Time Warner Cable. There
are tens of thousands of Armenian households within the Time Warner
Cable jurisdiction. The areas of Hollywood, Tujunga, Sunland, North
Hollywood, Van Nuys, Encino, Northridge, Reseda, Canoga Park, Valley
Village, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Chatsworth, Valley Glen, and parts
of the South Bay, Santa Clarita, and Orange County are all served by
Time Warner Cable.

It is just not financially sustainable for Horizon TV to lease out a
channel on Time Warner Cable. There is, however, the option of
offering Horizon TV as a paid subscription-type option; where those
who desire watching Horizon TV pay a monthly nominal fee.
Surprisingly, this is also not something Time Warner Cable readily
offers to any TV station. In essence, they want to make sure that the
inclusion of any given TV station in their programming lineup is going
to generate a certain amount of revenue for them. Given that Time
Warner Cable is not very familiar with Horizon TV’s history and
popularity among the Armenian community; the burden falls on us to
show Time Warner Cable that the inclusion of Horizon TV in their
programming lineup would indeed garner interest and corresponding
subscriptions from Time Warner Cable customers.

Asbarez: How do you plan on going about this?

V.S.: To convey this message to the decision makers at Time Warner
Cable, Horizon TV has launched a signature drive; where interested
individuals within the Time Warner Cable jurisdiction can express
their interest in subscribing to Horizon TV through Time Warner Cable.
Those interested in adding their name to the signature drive can
contact their local Armenian community center for the necessary form,
refer to clip-out signature forms in Asbarez, complete an online
webfax through Asbarez.com and HorizonArmenianTV.com or join this
efforts’ `Cause’ on Facebook.

Our long term expansion plans include the inclusion of Horizon TV on
Dish Network, Direct TV, AT&T’s U-verse and on free-to-air satellite
across North America.

Asbaerz: You mentioned Facebook, is Horizon TV really on Facebook?

V.S.: Most definitely! There is a constant evolution in the world of
television. More and more people, especially the young professional
demographic, turn to the internet to keep in touch, stay up to date
with the news, and now, even to watch TV. The flexibility and
cost-effectiveness afforded by the internet is drawing more and more
people away from the conventional TV set and on to cyber-space.

So, in an effort to evolve with the evolution, we always keep up to
date with the latest technologies to serve the needs of as many
Armenians as possible. As such, yes we indeed have a Facebook page –
where our visitors can watch various news clips right on Facebook. We
also have a You Tube channel and a live stream of the complete Horizon
TV program lineup on

Asbarez: Media companies have suffered immensely during the recession,
what was Horizon’s fate in this economic climate?

V.S.: Similar to nearly every company in the country, Horizon TV was
also adversely affected by the recession. While our audience and
ratings increased we still saw a decline in advertising revenue
compared to two or three years ago. Therefore, like most businesses,
we reduced our advertising prices to attract a larger quantity of
advertisers. It’s really a great time to advertise, there are quite a
few special deals available.

However, in the larger scheme of things Horizon TV is financially
stable and the bottom line financial condition of our operations has,
in fact, improved over the last year. This is all to credit of the
dedicated Horizon TV staff and the work of the entire team at Armenian
Media Network, the parent company of Horizon TV and Asbarez Newspaper.

Asbarez: Any closing thoughts?

V.S.: Recently we received a relatively significant donation in the
mail from an anonymous Horizon viewer. Along with the donation the
individual sent a hand-written note thanking us for our work. On the
other hand, time to time, we also receive complaints from our viewers.
We welcome both and are thankful for both. I interpret the
simultaneous praise and criticism as motivation to continuously work
to improve our service to our people

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress