In thinking about a new series to talk about what initially got me hooked on Korean culture, I thought about starting off with a post about what television networks had a big impact on me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I wanted to talk about a network that had a huge impact on many in just a short period of time. And for me, it was a special time as this network became the gateway to a new world and to new cultures that I had never been exposed to before. That network was AZN. Here is a little background on how it started.

The Beginning

Years ago, there was a channel on cable television in the United States named The International Channel. For me, it was one of my favorite channels on cable. The channel was a news channel that showed news from all over the world. This allowed users to see what was happening around the globe from the perspective of countries outside of North America. Companies like Deutsche Welle, NHK, and France 24 were some of the news outlets that could be seen on this channel. While viewers like myself enjoyed this programming. The focus of this network changed in the year 2005.

The Change

In 2005, The International Channel was rebranded as AZN Television. What was the point of AZN Television? AZN was an abbreviation of the word Asian. The focus on this channel would be to target Asian Americans and those who liked to watch content from Asia. This meant that users could watch content from many Asian subcultures, including ones that didn’t get as much shine as the cultures of East Asia. The best example of this for me was the show Living with Lydia based out of Singapore. If you’ve never seen this show, it’s worth a look if you can find it. I never thought that a show from Singapore would make me laugh and be so entertaining.

But for me, the best part of AZN Television was the fact that they would air Korean dramas every weeknight. I still remember working at a store that closed at 9:00 pm and trying to get out as soon as I could so I would have time to get something to eat and make it home for when the drama came on at 10:00 pm. The drama I remembered being hooked on the most was Winter Sonata. Even though there was Korean population where I lived, Korean television was an add on that cost around $20 a month for just a couple of channels. To know that I could go home and watch something Korean each day with my normal television package was amazing!

The Ending

As times continued, AZN no longer was considered to be a viable network to carry. On April 9th, 2008 at noon Eastern Time, AZN Television went off the air. The reasons sited in an article from Hollywood Reporter included trouble getting the network into more homes and trouble getting enough add revenue. You can click here to see the farewell message from AZN to their loyal viewers.

Legacy

There hasn’t been a network to replace AZN on United States television since it went off the air. And with more and more households having access to the internet, VPNs and content out of Asia, it isn’t likely that we’ll get another channel like AZN in the future. For those of us who supported AZN, we miss it to this day. AZN was a gateway to Asian culture; and for many it was a gateway to the experience of young Asian Americans who were coming into adulthood. AZN exposed people like me to shows that I never would have known existed, as well as to accomplishments of Asian Americans that weren’t told anywhere else. There’s nothing like seeing and hearing stories from the people who live them to give you a true glimpse into how their lives really are. For this reason, and for many other reasons, AZN Television will always be one of the most important television stations I’ve ever viewed. I am forever grateful that I was able to walk through the gateway to Asia that AZN provided. Their legacy will always be that they gave a voice to many who will forever be grateful that it existed.