Bridges TV was a
Muslim television network
A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid- ...
in the United States. It was originally headquartered in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
. Premiering nationally in November 15, 2004, it was the first American Muslim television network to broadcast in the
English language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...
.
[News aljazeerah.info: First American Muslim Television Channel Announced by Bridges Network](_blank)
[ ttp://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/16/buffalo.beheading/?eref=rss_topstories CNN: Founder of Islamic TV station accused of beheading wife (February 16, 2009)/ref> The channel ceased operations March 15, 2012.
Designed to counter negative stereotypes of Muslims, the network received attention from publications and media venues such as '']Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', NBC News
NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...
, the Voice of America
Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
, ''Columbus Dispatch
''The Columbus Dispatch'' is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and it has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since ''The Columbus Citizen-Journal'' ceased publication in 19 ...
'', ''Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...
'', ''San Jose Mercury News
''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidia ...
'', ''Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
The ''Democrat and Chronicle'' is a daily newspaper serving the greater Rochester, New York, area. At 245 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, the ''Democrat and Chronicle'' operates under the ownership of Gannett. The paper's production fa ...
'', ''The Buffalo News
''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by W ...
'' and '' Canadian Press''.[Catholic Online: U.S. Muslim Beheads Wife (2/17/2009)](_blank)
In July 2011, Bridges TV moved to New York City in hopes of broadening its influence across America with help from Soundview Broadcasting. The move crippled the company and was only meant for Soundview to absorb Bridges TV's customers and its small influence in the Muslim American Market. The channel suffered a setback when its founder beheaded his estranged wife.
Content
By focusing its content on the experiences of the estimated eight million Muslims living in North America, Bridges TV differentiates itself from such foreign language programming as Geo TV
Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October 2 ...
(which broadcasts in ), Prime TV (which broadcasts in ) and Arab Radio and Television Network
Arab Radio and Television Network (acronym: ART) is an Arabic-language television network characterized by its multitude of channels. It is based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
History and profile
ART was founded in October 15, 1993 by Saleh Abdullah ...
(which broadcasts in Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
). Around the time of its inception, the network announced that it would seek to feature sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
s that represent American Muslim family life in a positive way and identified ''The Cosby Show
''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class Africa ...
'' as a model for such programming.
In late 2005, Bridges TV started airing "Current Issues", a show produced in Lafayette, Louisiana about Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
and other Middle Eastern concerns. The Palestinian American
Palestinian Americans ( ar, فلسطينيو أمريكا) are Americans who are of full or partial Palestinian descent. It is unclear when the first Palestinian immigrants arrived in the United States, but it is believed that they arrived dur ...
host, Hesham Tillawi
Hesham Tillawi is a writer, TV talk host, and analyst living in Lafayette, Louisiana. He holds a doctoral degree in international relations from Bernelli University (formerly Berne University), He was elected vice of the national executive commit ...
, is known for vocalizing criticism against Israel's treatment of Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
s and Muslims. The Anti-Defamation League called his show "a megaphone for Holocaust deniers
Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements:
* ...
and white supremacists
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...
seeking to broadcast their hatred and anti-Semitism into American homes with a "who's who" of notable American antisemites including David Duke
David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is an American white supremacist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, far-right politician, convicted felon, and former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. From 1989 to 1992, he was a membe ...
, Willis Carto
Willis Allison Carto (July 17, 1926 – October 26, 2015) was an American far-right political activist. He described himself as a Jeffersonian and a populist, but was primarily known for his promotion of antisemitic conspiracy theories and ...
, Edgar J. Steele, Mark Weber, and Bradley Smith.
Another program shown on Bridges TV, "American Pilgrimage", featured Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
Brad Hirschfield
Brad Hirschfield (born 1963)Adam Phillips, ''Voice of America'', December 10, 2009. is a rabbi, author, and president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL). Hirschfield was ranked three years in a row in ''Newsweek'' as ...
visiting homes and mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
s of leading imams and Muslim religious thinkers across North America in cities including Halifax, Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
The series has been described as "groundbreaking" and has been characterized as having a " Charlie Rose meets Charles Kuralt
Charles Bishop Kuralt (September 10, 1934 – July 4, 1997) was an American television, newspaper and radio journalist and author. He is most widely known for his long career with CBS, first for his "On the Road" segments on '' The CBS Eveni ...
" format.
World heavyweight champion
At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...
Muhammad Ali, a subscriber and spokesperson
A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.
Duties and function
In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...
for the network, said: "Bridges TV gives American Muslims a voice of their own on the airwaves for Americans of all races and religions to hear." Network official expressed the opinion that a channel like Bridges TV was long overdue and market research
Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers: know about them, starting with who they are. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining competitiveness. Mar ...
sponsored by the network revealed American Muslims' willingness to pay as much as $10 per month above and beyond their current cable television
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...
or satellite television
Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna comm ...
fee for the channel.
Leadership
Muzzammil S. Hassan, founder and CEO of Bridges TV, expressed belief "that moderate Muslims cannot identify with the extreme stereotypes often depicted in Hollywood productions" and said "They think they are not accurately portrayed...Bridges TV gives American Muslims a voice and will depict them in everyday, real life situations." Hassan also said he hoped the Bridges TV network would balance negative portrayals of Muslims following the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Murder
In February 2009, Hassan was arrested and charged with beheading
Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...
his estranged wife Aasiya Zubair
Aasiya Zubair, also known as Aasiya Hassan (June 17, 1972 – February 12, 2009) was married to Muzzammil Hassan, the Pakistani-American founder and owner of Bridges TV, the first American Muslim English-language television network. In Feb ...
who also worked for Bridges TV.[New York Daily News Muslim TV mogul Muzzammil Hassan's alleged beheading of wife, Aasiya Hassan, may be 'honor killing' (February 17th 2009)](_blank)
/ref> Her decapitated body was found at the TV station. Dr. Khalid Qazi, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council
The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) is a national American Muslim advocacy and public policy organization headquartered in Los Angeles and with offices in Washington, D.C. MPAC was founded in 1988.
According to the organization’s website ...
of Western New York
Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...
and a friend of the couple, said that Hassan "was worried about the station's future...He was stressed" and added " Domestic violence is despicable, and Islam condones it in no way whatever." Shortly after the arrest of Muzzammil Hassan, Bridges TV posted the following notice on their website:
Bridges TV is deeply shocked and saddened by the murder of Aasiya ubairHassan and subsequent arrest of Muzzammil Hassan. Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the families of the victim. We request that their right to privacy be respected.[Bridges TV Accessed 17 February 2009](_blank)
In the aftermath of Aasiya Zubair Hassan's death, Bridges TV shut down its news operations for three months, although it continued to present other programming. The news operation later resumed, and the network continued to operate, although on a smaller scale than previously projected. As of May 2010, the network reported that it was carried in 4 million homes in two dozen markets."Bridges TV survives crime of NY founder's death"
AP at ''Salon.com
''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/ liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events.
Content and coverage
''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including re ...
'', May 3, 2010. Hassan was convicted in February 2011 of second-degree murder.[TV boss Muzzammil Hassan found guilty of beheading wife](_blank)
''BBC News''. February 7, 2011.
References
External links
*
Bridges TV
{{American religious television
Defunct television networks in the United States
Islamic television networks
Television channels and stations established in 2004
Television channels and stations disestablished in 2012