The Sikh Channel - Worlds 1st Dedicated Sikh Tv Channel

[Harsimrat Singh]

This is excellent! We need a Sikh Channel, and the timetable looks great, i like the idea of English Kathaa as well!!!! :D

[KIRTANSEVAUK]

What kinds of funds/donations are you wanting?

We will publish all costing on our site in the coming weeks, we require at present no donations but pledges for financial assistance, time, skills etc.

This channel is non commercial in the sense that we will never go encrypted.

We would like to emphasise our main aim is to do prachaar and spread Sikhi as far as we can, making profit is not the reason for this project nor is it on our list of priorities. We need to be financially viable for this project to become a success and become a reality, and this will only happen through the sangats support and thats why we are also looking for investors for this channel, as this project requires large amounts of cash, therefore backing of companies will aid us in our success.

If this is a Sangat project, what processes are there to ensure transparency in the funds donated? Who are the directors of "The Sikh Channel Limited"? How will the Sangat exercise control, accountability and influence on the channel?

We would like to clarify that this is the sangats channel in the sense that we want the sangats input on what type of programming they want to see, what they like and what they don't, this is something that other channels like lashkara, channel punjab and etc Punjabi have lacked in.

We will gather this information via forums, social networking sites and people can contact us directly.

If it's a non-profit making company, can you please register it so, to ensure that there are no dividends to any individuals? It would be helpful if you could appoint independent and educated youth auditors to oversee the fundraising and expenditure.

As we will have investors we cannot do this!

I fully support the project, but am in favour of full transparency if, as is claimed, it is the Sangat's channel. Look forward to your answers to these fundamental questions

[GuruManeyoGranth]

Sorry - I'm not satisfied with your response. I'm sure others won't be either. I'm not knocking the seva - it needs to be done, BUT:

On the one hand you say it is not a commercial enterprise, with the only aim of doing Parchaar. On the other hand you have investors, are not willing to declare the company as non-profit making and not willing to subject the channel to independent objective scrutiny. If it is a not-for-profit company, all it means is that all profits are re-invested in the channel.

If the company has some commercial aims, it's best to be straight with the Sangat, and declare it upfront. Nothing wrong with being commercial per se, only when you say that it is the Sangat's channel, with the Sangat's money, but Sangat has no control over those who run the channel - that's disingenuous!

If I was to become an investor, which presumably is what the Sangat is doing when it provides capital/donations to the channel, what say will I have on the operations of the channel? Is it like any company shareholder process? How do I become a shareholder?

I don't mean to discourage you, but you should be more careful with the language you are using if you cannot actually make through sure that the relevant procedures are established to make the channel belong to the Sangat!

Waheguroo

[guptveer1469]

I agree with GuruManeyoGranth veer.

[Zindagi]

I think its quite self explanatory

They have said their main is prachaar - thats all we should care about

They have explained their meaning of the sangats channel

Personally i dont know why your making a big thing out of it

We should be supporting them instead of as usual finding faults

We need a sikh channel they are trying to get one,

People with closed minds are the reasons why we dont progress

[GuruManeyoGranth]

I maintain that I support the objective of Parchaar and a Sikh Channel. I'm just asking them to call a fork a fork, and a spade a spade.

Waheguroo

[KIRTANSEVAUK]

Waheguru Ji

Anyone who wants anything clarifying please feel free to call me on 077 939 76 746

I will be more than happy to answer anyones questions

[KIRTANSEVAUK]

I would like to clarify the following points so it is clear

The aim of the channel is not for commercial gain (which is what i should have said) we will have to have investors as they be vital in making this project financially viable. If thats makes us a commercial channel then fine we are a commercial channel

We have never said that we are a non profit organisation for this channel, however making profit is not our priority.

We said its the sangats channel, in the sense that we want your collective input in making it a success.

[naujawanidotcom]

I think GuruManeyoGranth has asked some valuable questions above and KSUK has to his credit addressed them also. Zindagi, there is a point in asking these questions as if you are giving over your hard earnt cash, blind parchar is not a good enough reason, you want to know who to and what for. Take the current digital radio station financial model as an example. People support Punjab, Akash, Amrit Bani and Sukh Sagar through donations and sponsorships to keep them on air. In doing so they pay the costs of running those stations and also the wages of the people owning those stations. If the station becomes successful (a la Punjab) then the owner alone reaps the dividend having initially been supported by the sangat. (BTW Personally I find the idea of selling an ardas quite irreconcilable to the sikh ethos however we do it every day in our Gurdwaras throughout the UK so why not these guys?!) Having been on the inside of 2 of the above radio stations before launching naujawanidotcom I can honestly say I see little professionalism and benefit for the World from there endeavours. That is my opinion, not fact. Topics of real substance are not discussed at length, taboos are not challenged, progression is not made. That is why we launched Naujawanidotcom to try and achieve these goals. We have made some in-roads but admittedly not as much as we'd hoped. This is a very tough industry. However, this tv station hopes to buck the trend. If they go the route of employing professionals with experience in broadcasting rather than 'have a go desi's' they might get somewhere and I wish them well. But like a lot of people here I won't be pledging money until I know what my shareholding will be in the prospective company!!

[+Singh_is_King+]

WJKK WJKF

This is an excellent initative (but, I would say that anyway !).

I setup a TV channel a few years ago successfully and let me tell you at the very least the following costs:

1. TV licence £50k

2. Site costs p/ year (simple) £40k

3. Equipment (studios/ decks/ cameras/ play/ mix equipment) (BASIC) £30k (presume competive pricing/ refurbed/ bankrupt hardware) £40k

4. Staff and maintenance £40k

TOTAL £170k (c. $370k) first year costs with £40k ($65k) per year thereafter.

How will you fund this and against what assets (given the economic climate, banks are super critical to lend)?