RRT Erbil: Nawroz TV Co-Op Makes News

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 003856 SIPDIS PA FOR OBS GEORGE SANTULLI AND MIKE KIEL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SCUL SOCI OEXC OIIP KPAO IZ SUBJECT: RRT Erbil: Nawroz TV Co-Op Makes News (U) This is a Regional Reconstruction Team (RRT) Erbil reporting cable. Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) A two-week TV co-op project in the United States gave millions of people in Iraq's Kurdistan Region an extraordinary window into the workings of American democracy. From October 27 to November 7, the three-person crew from Kurdistan's Nawroz TV visited Washington, Chicago, and San Diego, and broke new ground when a Nawroz journalist did a live report from Obama campaign headquarters on election night -- the first-ever live TV broadcast from the United States by a Kurdistan Region media outlet. The Nawroz crew faced a number of hurdles including delays in getting their U.S. visas issued and translation support while on the program. The TV producer hired by the Office of Broadcast Services to work with the Nawroz crew successfully overcame these glitches, combining her extensive TV experience with a large dose of patience to make the project a success. As of December 10, Nawroz TV has aired nearly 20 separate items shot during the co-op. End summary. Context -------------- ¶2. (U) With the strong support of Embassy Baghdad's Public Affairs Section and PA's Office of Broadcast Services (OBS),RRT Erbil's Public Diplomacy Section sent a three-person crew from Nawroz TV, a major Kurdistan Region satellite station, to the United States for an October 27 to November 7 TV co-op program. Nawroz cost-shared by paying for the crew's roundtrip airfare to the United States, while OBS paid for the crew's expenses in the United States. This included OBS' hiring of an extraordinary TV producer, Cecilia Callahan, whose patience and experience played a key role in the project's success. (Note: See paragraph 6 for a detailed list of the co-op's results.) The Co-Op: Washington... -------------- ¶3. (U) The crew's first stop was Washington, D.C., where they focused on the final days of the presidential campaign. They did extensive interviews with pro-Obama and pro-McCain members of the Kurdish-American community and covered a large McCain campaign rally in the Washington area. ...Chicago and San Diego -------------- ¶4. (U) Given the choice of being at Obama campaign headquarters or McCain headquarters on election day, the Nawroz crew opted for Chicago. After overcoming some technical difficulties, and with indispensable assistance, advice, and coaching from Cecilia Callahan and AP television satellite support staff in London, the Nawroz crew broke new ground: they did the first live broadcast by a Kurdistan Region media outlet from the United States. The Nawroz crew finished the co-op in San Diego, where they focused on the city's large Kurdish-American community and how Kurdish immigrants have adjusted to life in the United States. Lessons Learned -------------- ¶5. (U) There were several lessons-learned from this co-op: -- JOURNALISTS FROM THE KURDISTAN REGION NEED OUR HELP TO IMPROVE THEIR TECHNICAL/PROFESSIONAL SKILLS. Had it not been for the patience and experience of Cecilia Callahan, this TV co-op would not have been a success. The Nawroz crew was dedicated and hard-working, but clearly not as skilled as their counterparts from, for example, Baghdad. Ditto for Nawroz satellite technicians in Erbil, who required significant coaching in order to be able to downlink a satellite signal from Chicago. -- APPLY EARLY FOR VISAS. Had it not been for the persistence, professionalism, and dedication of our colleagues in Embassy Baghdad's Consular Section and Office of Provincial Affairs (OPA), the Nawroz crew would not have been able to travel to the United Qthe Nawroz crew would not have been able to travel to the United States in time for the program. Journalists from Iraq need to apply for their visas at least four months ahead of their planned departure. -- MAKE SURE SOMEBODY ON THE TV CO-OP CREW SPEAKS EXCELLENT ENGLISH. One member of the Nawroz crew spoke only basic English, so Nawroz arranged for additional translation support from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) office in Washington. However, when Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani visited the United States at the same time as the Nawroz project, the KRG had to call the interpreter in to support the Barzani visit. Working with OBS and Cecilia Callahan, the RRT was able to provide last-minute translation support, which the head of the Nawroz crew said "saved the project." Results -------------- ¶6. (U) Here is a detailed list of co-op products that have been broadcast by Nawroz TV, which reaches an estimated viewing audience of five million people (broken down by each of the project stops): WASHINGTON: -- Interview with NEA DAS Richard Schmierer (also published in Haremi Kurdistan magazine) -- Interview with KRG Washington office representative Qubad Talabani -- Interview with the head of the Washington Kurdish Institute, Dr. Najmadin Karim -- Interview with the KRG Washington office's director of cultural affairs, Najat Abdullah -- A special report about how Halloween is celebrated in America -- Interview with the head of VOA -- Interview with the head of VOA's Kurdish service -- Interview with staff of VOA's Kurdish Service -- Interview with anti-WMD protesters in front of the White House -- Interview with supporters of McCain and Obama in the Washington area Kurdish-American community -- Report on McCain campaign rally in Virginia -- Interview with McCain campaign volunteers at the rally in Virginia CHICAGO: -- Live election-day coverage from Obama campaign headquarters in Grant Park -- Interviews with Obama supporters in Chicago -- Interview with Obama's barber SAN DIEGO: -- Report on Kurdish Human Rights Center in San Diego. -- Interview with director of the Kurdish Human Rights Center. -- Interview with a Kurdish-American professor at the University of San Diego -- Interviews with members of the San Diego Kurdish-American community Comment: Hats Off to OBS -------------- ¶7. (U) This project would not have happened without the strong support of OBS' George Santulli and Mike Kiel. Their patience with the crew through a range of technical and translation difficulties was much appreciated. Moreover, their selection of Cecilia Callahan as the producer for this project was spot-on. Cecilia was extremely diligent, holding several conference calls with the Nawroz crew before the start of the project, adjusting the schedule when their departure from Iraq was delayed by visa difficulties, and being extraordinarily gracious when the KRG Washington office unexpectedly pulled the plug on its translation support. We at RRT Erbil and the Nawroz crew are in her debt. ¶8. (U) RRT Erbil also wishes to acknowledge that this historic co-op, which gave millions of people in the Kurdistan Region an extraordinary window into the workings of American democracy, would not have been possible without the support of Embassy Baghdad's Public Affairs Section. CROCKER