INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Nomination for Fy08 Tv Co-Op: Regional Tv Station For

Published: Tue 25 Mar 2008 09:08 AM
VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHBK #0939/01 0850908
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250908Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2398
UNCLAS BANGKOK 000939
SIPDIS
STATE FOR PA/OBS GSANTULLI
INFO EAP/PPD VSIDABRAS, R GWELCH, PA RTAPPAN
SES/O POMAYER; WHA/PPD GMADAMS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC OIIP KPAO TH
SUBJECT: NOMINATION FOR FY08 TV CO-OP: REGIONAL TV STATION FOR
PROGRAM ON SMALL AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN AMERICA
REF: SECSTATE 016016
1. Post wishes to nominate Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani for an FY08
TV co-op on the small agricultural business development in the
United States. Post will support the TV co-op by funding
international airfare and "I" visa fees for the team of three, which
consists of two production crew members and one translator. Details
follow.
2. Program Description: Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani is a regional
affiliate of the government-owned "Television of Thailand." It is
the only television station that broadcasts in Isaan dialect, the
language spoken by local populations in the northeast of Thailand.
Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani's programming reaches nearly 99 percent
of the population in the region, and has an astonishing viewership
share of almost 80 percent for its locally-generated programming,
which airs three hours a day from 8:00-9:00am and from 4:00-6:00pm.
(Note: The remaining 19 hours of daily content is centrally-produced
in Bangkok or provided by private companies or local government
agencies through rental of timeslots. End note.)
3. Following extensive discussions between Post and station
management, Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani proposes a ten-part series
on "Small Agricultural Business Development in America." The ten,
15-minute segments will broadcast in both Isaan and Thai languages
during the weekly primetime news in the nine lower northeastern
provinces of Si Saket, Surin, Burirum, Yasothorn, Roi Et, Amnart
Charoen, Mukdaharn, Nakhon Phanom and Ubon Ratchathani. Additional
stand-alone footage gathered during the co-op will be included in
separate primetime regional news and special reports aired on
Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani.
4. To undertake this effort, Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani will send a
two-person production crew to the United States for two weeks to
visit a range locations, including value-added agricultural
production and processing enterprises, agricultural business
development centers and cooperative agribusiness development
organizations; and local academics and officials responsible for
administering rural small business funding sources and providing
technical assistance and business information for small, start-up
agricultural business ventures. The crew also would like to visit
rural agritourism and ecotourism projects so that they may
incorporate aspects of business and financial planning, market
research and development, and management techniques for this type of
small business into their proposed series. If possible, the crew
would also like to meet with Thai small and medium enterprise (SME)
entrepreneurs in the United States as a means of learning from their
unique-cultural perspective and knowledge in developing sound
business and marketing plans during the initial start-up years.
5. Justification: In both a social and economic context, small and
medium-sized enterprises are of overwhelming importance to
Thailand's economy, especially following the financial and economic
crisis of 1997. The majority of the more than nine million people
living in lower northeastern Thailand are farmers and, since the
crash over a decade ago, many have had to look to small business as
a means to cope the new economic landscape (e.g. increased
competition from its neighbors, difficulties in securing financing,
etc.). Research indicates that more than 60 percent of these new
small businesses fail in the first five years due to a lack of
management skills and business/financial planning on the part of the
small business owner. It is necessary for those taking on a new
business venture to develop sound business and marketing plans, as
well as demonstrate financial prudence in order to guide their
businesses through the difficult initial start-up years. These
small business owners must possess and display strong management
skills and the ability to convince potential lenders to finance
their new ventures. This TV Co-op will provide Channel 11 Ubon
Ratchathani with material to educate viewers on the many issues that
must be considered before launching a small agricultural business,
including how to develop business and marketing plans, secure
financing, conduct feasibility studies and market research, along
with other important themes.
6. This program presents an excellent opportunity for PA Bangkok to
demonstrate to our commitment to and support for this huge rural
population in Thailand. We continue to actively initiate outreach
programs to foster better understanding between the United States
and local communities outside Bangkok, as well as to advance the
economic condition of these populations. The efforts, however, have
been hindered in the past by the lack of language ability among
media, particularly those in the underprivileged northeast, making
it difficult for many influential reporters from this area to
participate in USG-sponsored co-ops and reporting tours. As
evidence of the importance we place on this program and reaching out
to rural populations, Post has agreed to allocate one of its
locally-engaged staff to serve as a translator/interpreter in order
to ensure this TV co-op is a success.
7. Crew Names: Mr. Saengthong Anantapak, Producer, Channel 11 Ubon
Ratchathani and Mr. Samphan Ratanaphirom, Cameraman, Channel 11 Ubon
Ratchathani. Saengthong and Samphan do not have a good command of
English, therefore post will send a locally-engaged staff member to
serve as translator/interpreter for the crew. As Chief of
Production, Saengthong is responsible for overseeing regional
primetime programming. His target features and documentaries, which
reach an estimated audience of more than nine million, aim to
provide educational and informative programming to help local
populations develop a means of self-sustainment to achieve a higher
standard of standard of living. Post will support the program by
funding international airfare, as well as "I" visa application and
issuance fees for the production crew and translator.
8. Program Suggestions: The team from Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani
would like to travel to states where they can film locations related
to and interview subjects involved in value-added agricultural
production and processing activities, as well as conduct visits to
agricultural business centers and cooperative agribusiness
development institutes. The crew also would like to speak to
successful small agricultural business and agribusiness
entrepreneurs, government officials and academics who deal with
government policy on small agricultural business development, and
individuals who are engaged in rural agritourism and ecotourism.
Ideally, they would also like to speak to members of the Thai
community in the United States involved in any of the aforementioned
activities.
9. Proposed Date of Program: Q3/Q4 FY2008; Depart for U.S. after
June 15, 2008.
10. POC for this project is AIO Cynthia A. Brown. Telephone
66-2-205-4241, 66-2-205-4415; Fax 66-2-650-8919; and
email:BrownCA@state.gov
JOHN
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