Month of June, 2009

Early reading books used in many western schools years ago were often called “primers” and commonly utilized Bible stories to teach letters.  For example: “A” was for “Adam,”  “B” was for “Babylon,” etc. These kinds of books are no longer used in most schools, but SAT-7 KIDS is using the format to teach young viewers basic Arabic letters and Bible verses at the same time!  The 28, five-minute spots are being produced for SAT-7 KIDS by Blooming Productions in Jordan and will begin airing this summer.

The 23rd Psalm declares that the Lord is our shepherd and that “even when I walk through the valley of death, thou art with me.”  That Psalm is just one of many encouraging scriptures that the SAT-7 PARS team is placing on air to give hope to people who are living with fear and uncertainty within Iran.  Soon after the violence began, SAT-7 PARS team members began thinking about how they could offer hope to their countrymen and women.  SAT-7 PARS is a non-political channel, but it does want to offer a Christian alternative to the usually empty hopes so many place in political parties, none of which can provide the peace and freedom that can only come by knowing the Lord Jesus.  Each day at 12:00 noon, SAT-7 PARS staff members have been meeting to pray for their country, their relatives and for a hopeful future for Iranians.

Reality TV is hugely popular in the Middle East, as it is in the rest of the world, and soon SAT-7 will air its own.  Every month people write SAT-7 to say how much they would like to participate and act in some of the programs.  Now they have their chance!  Over the last month a number of amateur actors have come to a studio to demonstrate their skills and be judged.  The show is called “C707” and the premise is that potential actors have to try out in front of judges.  Many actors have already tried out (some with comic results!).  Those chosen to become part of the cast of “C707” will later travel to Denmark where the new Christian situation comedy will be recorded.  Producers believe this show will be fun, meaningful and grab the attention of more people to watch the final program

The second season of the popular SAT-7 game show “The Answer is in the Book” recently started airing on SAT-7.  This program features real prizes for answering questions about the Bible (last season the overall winner received a new laptop computer). Farid Tawfik, producer of the program, is hopeful that his team will be able to create another Bible-knowledge game show for children sometime this summer.  Children love games, and many regularly participate in SAT-7 contests.  Farid and other in the leadership of SAT-7 KIDS feel the game show will be a great way for children to learn more about the Bible and have fun at the same time!

SAT-7 PARS recently hosted a meeting of its producers who came from Iran, Europe and the USA.  It was an exciting time of fellowship (some of the producers had never met each other before), training and brainstorming about new ideas.  Michael Warren, a well-known TV writer and producer (having worked on several famous American TV programs including “Happy Days” and “Family Matters”) taught producers the Hollywood process for writing scripts for situation comedies.  The producers also attending training sessions on:  presentation skills; camera and lighting techniques; and many other aspects of production.

In early May SAT-7 has began transmitting its first weekly live program from Egypt, one which takes the unique approach of utilizing a different host each week.  These hosts include a well-known Coptic Orthodox priest, several senior Evangelical pastors, and a well-respected Arab Christian counselor.  The program receives dozens of SMS texts each time it is broadcast along with many phone calls and emails.  Its Facebook site has generated over three thousand members in just a month.