Sikh Channel Requires Support!

[Singh@]

Fateh

As everybody knows that The Sikh Channel has been broadcasting on Sky channel 840 in UK and Europe.

It costs about £50,000 a month to run this channel and to do this we ALL must support them.

It would be very sad to see this channel to go to subscribtion fee and then go of air like Channel Punjab.

I Appeal as a Sangat Member of The Sikh Faith to Support the Channel and keep it SAFE!

We have just about got a Sikh Channel, It should be our responsibilty to keep it.

If we cant support this channel, let alone Sikh World Tv coming soon aswell, how are we going to cope?

I am not part of the Sikh Channel team, but from looking at thier website, it looks like they are struggling, i myself is healping them as much as i can give, but we have loads of rich Sikh Businesses and People out there.

I would hate to see the channel go into financial difficulties:(

To be honest if i was a millionair i would help The Sikh Channel and other Sikh Channels!

Also i think that Gurdwaras should also HELP!

Please Please lets all help adn tell out friends, families and so on to donate and support them!

I heard it just runs of a one mans business..

Thank You

Please Help:)

Keep Up the good work Sikh Channel!

Fateh

[SaRpAnCh]

Each Gurdwara in the UK give 1000 pounds plus sangats money the channel will be safe

[AK-47]

Are there any published accounts/reports giving the financials of the Channel? Particularly with reference to income and outgoings as well as any constitution governing the running of the channel? i.e. any official documentation?

As the owners also own BritAsia TV (and other channels), and that seems to not have a problem with funding or running the 'risk' of becoming subscription based, it does make one wonder why the sikh channel is facing such difficulty. Since the channel is run from the same studios, using the same equipment and people, other than the license fee, what other costs are there?

Would be good to see a breakdown of the £50,000 that is being spent each month, and how revenue is being raised at present to cover this.

Although I dont watch britasia, i cant remember a single appeal on there for funds?

When the original sikh channel idea was floated there was a lot of concern (and rightly so!) about the financials. In particular how the channel was to be funded, staff paid, what would happen to donations and doners and where the profits (when made) would go, i.e. to the investors of directly and strictly back into the channel. A lot of people were concerned that the developers would ask for donations and 'seva' and then once money would be made would pocket a nice lump sum of cash!

At the time the original team didnt have all the answers to the above, but seemed genuine enough to seek the ansers.

I think the new channel hasnt really adressed any of these points. Before the sangat ploughs cash into this venture, they need to know what they are getting in return (beyond pre recorded t series videos and people doing kirtan which can be seen at the local gurdwara), and what the owners are getting out of it as well. As ever transparancy is the key.

[Matheen]

The fees paid to Sky are pretty high, then there's equipment costs, wages etc. I agree that it would be useful to see their accounts.

Brit Asia is funded through adverts.

[citizen_soulja]

I totally agree with AK47 transparency is the key.

But I think the most important aspect of this is responsibility, we already have many organisations acting to undermine Sikhi, the worst aspect of this is that these organisations are posing as Sikh institutions.

The undermining of Sikhi is overt and covert, open and secret. It could be a continuous attack on a small point or a onetime hit on a big level.

Example of continuous small attacks:

names on the bottom of Sikh Channel with cast distinctions (such an such Gill, Grewall ect) this makes it seem like its ok to believe in these things when it clearly is not.

Example of big attack:

Not acknowledging Shaheeds, distorting our history.

Every Sikh institution, organisation and person has a responsibility to Sikhi and its preservation. We must not misinform, distort or confuse we have a duty to the Panth.

Sikh channel have such an amazing opportunity to unite the Panth and the various Sikh Gurdwaras in the UK, Europe and even the world!!

Sikh channel needs to concentrate on unifying the message, history and philosophy of Sikhi in a way that is acceptable to all Sikhs, we don’t really have a lot of unity at the moment maybe Sikh channel can change this.

(also instead of trying to do everything in English it is important that we push the importance of Punjabi!!! Its ok that we give translations and speeches in English but we have to underline the importance of our MAH BOLI)

http://www.sikhstudentsfederation.com/video/damdama-sahib.html

[AK-47]

The fees paid to Sky are pretty high, then there's equipment costs, wages etc. I agree that it would be useful to see their accounts.

Brit Asia is funded through adverts.

I think it is vital to see both the accounts and the constitution of the Channel.

Lets be honest there is a lot of excellent seva being done by different people around the world, from khalsa aid, to helping shaheed familes and children, to protecting prisoners and ensuring their welfare, kids and adults sikh camps, punjabi schools etc. All of these are in dire needs for funding as well. Sangats money needs to be spent, directed and used wisely. As such, it is our duty to ensure that we know (to be best of our ability) where money goes. A number of groups that I personally know spend countless man hours and money out of their own pockets for doing seva, and any profits they make/donations they recieve go straight back into covering costs and seva, in fact a lot of people want reassurance on this point, so it is a very valid point!

Singh thats kind of my point, if Brit Asia is funded via adverts from companies, then what is the sikh channels business model? Businesses also advertise on the Sikh Channel, so what is the shortfall? I cannot for a second believe that businesses are more likely to put adverts on a (minor when compared to other major bollywood channels) music channel, then on the ONLY sikh channel which will have i would guess (but would appreciate clarity from the channel) many times more viewers. Logically it does not make sense.

Also is the channel being run at arm's length, ie is it being run seperately from the other business interests of the owners? Or is it part of a business group which includes the other channels, and the legal businesses? If we want this to benefit the sangat long term then these are the questions we need to adress right from the outset, especially since the channel has now appealed so openly for funding. It is only fair that it be open about the way it is structured.

[Singh@]

Fateh Ji

We have loads of orgs that do camps and sikh aid etc, but we only have ONE channel and thats just about!

I aggree with the acounts stuff etc...

Adverts ont he Sikh Channel dont add upto 50,000

Live shows from the studios is not free, a fee is needed

From what i can understand that for a UK and Europe based Channel that broadcast on SKY it has very strict rules applied by Ofcom and the Gov.

If those rules are not abided by then they take the channel of you and also they will make it harder for anyother Sikh channel to go ahead.

Becus Sikh Channel has jut started broadcasting Ofcom watch it 24/7, so that nothing is wrong.

Normaly Ofcom just watch it on its launch and then they leave them to it, then Sikh CHannel can do more to educat what happen in 1984 etc.

Doing all this at the start of the channel is not a good idea as im sure they dont want thier channel to be taken of air.

Bul Chuk Maff!

Fateh

[khalsa_lioness]

WJKK WJKF

Firstly, i totally agree that before the sangat pour their savings into the running of the Sikh Channel, accounts and statements should be made available for the capital involved. It is very easy to state the Channel requires money. Every Gurdwara when doing weddings declare they require money for the building fund because they dont have enough money. We all know this is a load of crap because they must average about 20 weddings a yr easy (the big ones) and yet despite how much money is donated, we dont really see any difference other then the committee seem to drop nice cars.

Secondly, as has been mentioned, the Sikh Channel is also the owner of Brit Asia - i do not watch it since they stopped the Gurbani slot in the mornings but this channel does not appeal for any financing. It seems that the Sikh Channel knows the general sangat will donate as they are over whelmed we actually have a Sikh Channel. Same as a Gurdwara knows the sangat need to have their name mentioned in ardaas, they like to promote donations.

Thirdly, Sikh Channel / Brit Asia are both funded (owned) by "Dont Delay, Claim Today". Is it possible, the solicitors is running low on cash and therefore is again using the Sikh Channel to make an extra income? They advertise their own business which is fine but something the sangat are not aware of is the people behind the channel do not really get fair treatment.

I know someone who actually started working as a IT support person for the solicitors side of the business but was quickly moved to the call centre for the claims line. From there was moved into working for the Channel. He worked there for around 3months but never received a days wage as the solicitors have an unwritten policy - if your from an asian background, you get paid by cheque which always bounces where as if you are actually a white / black person, you get a properly salary. Eventually after working around 14hours days he decided he had enough and left - still saw no wages. He could not contest it as mentioned, they are a solicitors and to most legal companies, are known to cheat their asian employees as most will leave and move to a white owned company where they do get paid.

Sangat ji, to be truthful, we need to ensure the money the Sikh Channel like to promote is actually going into the channel for new media and not the same repeated stuff over and over (including the adverts which actually get repeated twice in a row!!). We need to ensure the capital that is raised only goes into the channel and not to other elements of their businesses.

I do like the channel, infact my family watch it all the time so we do appreciate the seva involved but the people behind appear to be behaving in the same manor as a Gurdwara does - take advantage of the good nature of Sikhs who believe they are doing seva by donating money. Dont Delay have a reputation of ripping people off, i can only hope, they are not using this in the channel to take advantage.

Apologies if people find parts of this post offensive, but behind the closed doors of the Channel, there are things people should know if they dont already.

WJKK WJKF

[AK-47]

Again Singh, before asking for funds, the Channel needs to express what its shortfall is.

The number £50,000 has been mentioned, but we dont know what its for. As I said, from what visitors to the channel have mentioned the channel is run from the same building, using the same equipment and cameras etc as BritAsia. Since BritAsia seems to have survived for this long, how is it that Sikh Channel is struggling when it hasnt had to face the same type of overheads? I dont mean to be a pain, im just very curious about how the channel operates, since some of the singhs i know as well as others on this forum have struggled with the channel on a few points.

The cameramen that were recording at the Hyde park event said that they were all their on internships, i.e. working for free. So staff costs cant be all that much either it seems. The kirtani's that do live kirtan all do that free as well etc.

Personally i hope the channel does do great, but for it to deliver to the full potential, it needs to make sure that everything is honest and clear from day one. As one channel has opened, it will probably only be a period of time before someone else opens one (not me in case ur thinking lol i can barely afford the tv license to watch the tv at all!) and the more competition the better it will be for the sangat in regards to programming and variety. But if the channel seriously wants large investors/donations then it has to be open about its operations, it has this duty to the sangat at least.

[Singh@]

Fateh Ji

As a sangat member, i would like to say that Brit Asia and Sikh CHannel are not owen by the same person or company. Claim Today i think have a part in the channel but they pay the same as other businesses do to advertise on the channel.

Brit Asia is a music channel and it hardly has any shows on there its prbz like a those mtv channels etc.

Brit Asia has alot more advertising on there and becuase its harldy does any live events like the Sikh Channel they dont pay for special licensses and extra equimpent nor staff.

To run a "normal" channel on sky is 50,000.

To say stuff on SikhSangat about who ownes the channel etc....

anybody can say that..."oh this guy runs a channel and half of the money goes into his pocket"

What if SikhWorld Tv comes on.., they are pledging aswell...but they dnt own any channels..

I think that we have a thinking that is like e.g. brit asia just plays bhangra etc and now they have sikh channel ohh thats realyy bad! (i know that sikh channel is not owned by brit asia!

When we dont have nothing we mone about it and when we get it we dnt like it!

Fateh