Month of September, 2008

The value and appeal of live productions is undisputed. That is why our SAT-7 Lebanon Office regularly rented satellite uplink services in the past, in order to be able to include one live program in its schedule per week. Now we are happy to announce that those challenging days are nearly over! The arrival of a brand new, vehicle mounted Satellite News Gathering (SNG) dish will vastly enhance the number and quality of live programs produced in the country.

An uninhibited thirst for knowledge is the single most common characteristic of children across all nations and generations. "Why is That?" is a program dedicated to answering all kinds of questions we receive from our young viewers, mainly between the age of 7 and 14. The program is hosted by Essam Nagy from Egypt, as the amicable character of "Abul 'Urreef" – loosely translated into 'Mr Know' – who is widely known and loved from the popular children's show, "As-Sanabel."

"We've climbed a mountain, we've gone through lots of ups and downs, but because Christ is helping us, we have succeeded," says Sara, SAT-7 PARS Executive Director. On September 12, 2002, six years ago, SAT-7 launched its first broadcasts in Farsi (also called Persian). "We've grown from one hour a week, to six hours of new programming every day on our own 24-hour channel" adds Sara.

Violence is a daily threat to millions of people who live in the Middle East and North Africa. Bombings, riots, wars and domestic violence destroy lives throughout the region. In addition to physical violence, televised violence is also common—local TV channels often show gory details of violent events or utilize drama in films, and even cartoons, to portray martyrdom and death.

New documentary on SAT-7 for a Middle Eastern audience explores how Christian athletes survive victory and defeat.