NATV (Native American Television Inc.)

[Okwes]

NATV
Native American Television Inc.

Will you let another year go by without Our own television Network?

ABOUT US

---------------------------------

NATV is the acronym for Native American Television, Inc., a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit news and multimedia technology training organization. NATV�s primary focus for day-to-day news and information is its digital website, Native Online, located at www.natv.org. This section provides visitors with a more detailed picture of NATV, featuring our Mission Statement, Objectives, Historical Background, and our transition to a Digital future.

---------------------------------


MISSION STATEMENT

NATV�s mission is to serve Native America by using 21st Century multimedia technology to inform and educate our fellow Americans about Native American issues, history and culture, while providing educational technology training to tribal community students in Digital Studio Production, Web Development, Journalism and Governmental Awareness.
NATV�S OBJECTIVES
NATV is committed to achieving the following objectives:
1. To create a nationwide grassroots network for gathering news and information about and from tribal communities throughout the Nation;
2. To enhance and strengthen the technological capabilities of all Native American news organizations to report on issues, events and personalities from Washington, D.C.;
3. To establish a technology training center and institute in Washington, D.C. to offer professional certification to
Native American students in areas of Digital Studio Production and Web Development, and educational courses in
Journalism and Governmental Awareness.
NATV BACKGROUND
NATV is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, incorporated as Native American Television on June 8, 1990. Founded by the late Charles �Chuck� Kaster, NATV was established for the purpose of training Native American students in news reporting while producing quality television programming about Native American issues, history and culture. For over a decade, NATV operated primarily from Chuck�s basement where he had established a media center to train Native American students in studio production and field work. Off-site and in the field, NATV covered numerous Native American events, such as Native American PowWows held on the national mall in Washington, D.C.; the opening of the Smithsonian Institution�s American Indian Museum; and the American Indian Inaugural Ball of 2001. In 1996 and 1997, NATV worked closely with the Pequot Indian Nation to produce videos of their Schemitzun PowWows, and during the summer of 2005 reported on the National PowWow held at Washington�s MCI
Center.

As a news gathering organization, NATV has covered a multitude of issues of importance to Native America such as Education, Environment, Health Care, and Housing, in addition to the more controversial issues of Gaming, Sovereignty, and Trust Reform. On numerous occasions, the organization has provided video production assistance to other organizations that are also involved with Native Americans such as the American Indian Society and the National Congress of American Indians. There is every expectation that NATV will continue to provide these same quality services in the future, but with a greater emphasis on technology.
TRANSITION TO A DIGITAL FUTURE
When NATV was formed, television was the predominant communication vehicle for viewing news in American and throughout the world. NATV�s sole mission was to train Native American students in television broadcasting, news reporting and studio production. Today, with more and more news organizations moving toward 24/7 multimedia coverage, NATV will be using the Internet as a major communication tool to provide online video, news and commentary about Native American issues, history and culture as it moves toward establishing America�s first Native American cable television station in the Nation�s capitol.

Dedicated to keeping founder Chuck Kaster�s dream alive of educating and training Native American students, NATV�s multimedia Washington Semester technology training program in Digital Studio Production, Web Development, Journalism and Governmental Awareness does just that.

Given the importance of students developing job skills that will enable them to become more competitive in a global job market, NATV is attempting to answer the educational �Call to Arms� articulated by author Thomas L. Friedman in his popular bestseller �The World is Flat.� In terms of technology training, NATV is committed to �No Native American Child Left Behind.�

Just as acquiring technology skills in Web Development and Digital Studio Production will enhance a student�s ability to obtain technology-related jobs, NATV�s Journalism and Governmental Awareness curriculums will enable students to develop a more thorough understanding of the News Media as well learning how the American federal government works. With studio production and training facilities strategically located in the Hall of States�just across the street from the U.S. Capitol building�NATV is convenient to national newsmakers, policymakers, and other news media.

CHUCK KASTER STUDIO
The studio, located in Suite 524 of the Hall of States in Washington DC, now bears the name �Chuck Kaster Studio,� to honor the memory of NATV�s founder who died in September 2002. �Chuck always wanted to have a permanent facility to train Native American students in news gathering and studio production. This studio, which will house America�s first Native American cable television station in Washington, D.C. will be a major first step in fulfilling Chuck�s dream and in recognizing his commitment to helping Native Americans� said Executive Director Randy Flood.

ABOUT US

---------------------------------

NATV is the acronym for Native American Television, Inc., a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit news and multimedia technology training organization. NATV�s primary focus for day-to-day news and information is its digital website, Native Online, located at www.natv.org. This section provides visitors with a more detailed picture of NATV, featuring our Mission Statement, Objectives, Historical Background, and our transition to a Digital future.

---------------------------------


MISSION STATEMENT

NATV�s mission is to serve Native America by using 21st Century multimedia technology to inform and educate our fellow Americans about Native American issues, history and culture, while providing educational technology training to tribal community students in Digital Studio Production, Web Development, Journalism and Governmental Awareness.
NATV�S OBJECTIVES
NATV is committed to achieving the following objectives:
1. To create a nationwide grassroots network for gathering news and information about and from tribal communities throughout the Nation;
2. To enhance and strengthen the technological capabilities of all Native American news organizations to report on issues, events and personalities from Washington, D.C.;
3. To establish a technology training center and institute in Washington, D.C. to offer professional certification to
Native American students in areas of Digital Studio Production and Web Development, and educational courses in
Journalism and Governmental Awareness.
NATV BACKGROUND
NATV is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, incorporated as Native American Television on June 8, 1990. Founded by the late Charles �Chuck� Kaster, NATV was established for the purpose of training Native American students in news reporting while producing quality television programming about Native American issues, history and culture. For over a decade, NATV operated primarily from Chuck�s basement where he had established a media center to train Native American students in studio production and field work. Off-site and in the field, NATV covered numerous Native American events, such as Native American PowWows held on the national mall in Washington, D.C.; the opening of the Smithsonian Institution�s American Indian Museum; and the American Indian Inaugural Ball of 2001. In 1996 and 1997, NATV worked closely with the Pequot Indian Nation to produce videos of their Schemitzun PowWows, and during the summer of 2005 reported on the National PowWow held at Washington�s MCI
Center.

As a news gathering organization, NATV has covered a multitude of issues of importance to Native America such as Education, Environment, Health Care, and Housing, in addition to the more controversial issues of Gaming, Sovereignty, and Trust Reform. On numerous occasions, the organization has provided video production assistance to other organizations that are also involved with Native Americans such as the American Indian Society and the National Congress of American Indians. There is every expectation that NATV will continue to provide these same quality services in the future, but with a greater emphasis on technology.
TRANSITION TO A DIGITAL FUTURE
When NATV was formed, television was the predominant communication vehicle for viewing news in American and throughout the world. NATV�s sole mission was to train Native American students in television broadcasting, news reporting and studio production. Today, with more and more news organizations moving toward 24/7 multimedia coverage, NATV will be using the Internet as a major communication tool to provide online video, news and commentary about Native American issues, history and culture as it moves toward establishing America�s first Native American cable television station in the Nation�s capitol.

Dedicated to keeping founder Chuck Kaster�s dream alive of educating and training Native American students, NATV�s multimedia Washington Semester technology training program in Digital Studio Production, Web Development, Journalism and Governmental Awareness does just that.

Given the importance of students developing job skills that will enable them to become more competitive in a global job market, NATV is attempting to answer the educational �Call to Arms� articulated by author Thomas L. Friedman in his popular bestseller �The World is Flat.� In terms of technology training, NATV is committed to �No Native American Child Left Behind.�

Just as acquiring technology skills in Web Development and Digital Studio Production will enhance a student�s ability to obtain technology-related jobs, NATV�s Journalism and Governmental Awareness curriculums will enable students to develop a more thorough understanding of the News Media as well learning how the American federal government works. With studio production and training facilities strategically located in the Hall of States�just across the street from the U.S. Capitol building�NATV is convenient to national newsmakers, policymakers, and other news media.

CHUCK KASTER STUDIO
The studio, located in Suite 524 of the Hall of States in Washington DC, now bears the name �Chuck Kaster Studio,� to honor the memory of NATV�s founder who died in September 2002. �Chuck always wanted to have a permanent facility to train Native American students in news gathering and studio production. This studio, which will house America�s first Native American cable television station in Washington, D.C. will be a major first step in fulfilling Chuck�s dream and in recognizing his commitment to helping Native Americans� said Executive Director Randy Flood.

Your Help Is Needed Now!
Every Dollar Counts, If you and a friend send in just $10.00 and encourage others to do the same. NATV can be up and running across multiple cable networks by October of 2006.
Are you ready for real Native Television?
Then here�s what you can do:


DONATIONS

---------------------------------

Corporate, Foundation and Individual contributions are greatly appreciated. Donations are crucial to funding NATV�s day to day nonprofit operations in the studio, in our field operations, and for our educational training curriculum.

---------------------------------

All donations will support:
� Technology training for Native American students in Digital Video Production and Web Development;
� Journalism and Governmental Awareness Workshops, and Speakers� Programs;
� General operations funding for NATV�s news gathering operations and online communications;
� Film production and editing costs associated with producing educational programs for and about Native Americans
All donors and sponsors--Corporations, Foundations, Organizations, and Individuals--will receive:

Acknowledgement of their financial support on NATV�s website;
Public recognition at all NATV-sponsored events and workshops;
Citation in all NATV information and marketing materials.
All contributions to NATV are greatly appreciated. Simply download our donation form and mail it with your check, payable to �NATV, Inc.� at the following address:
NATV, Inc.
P.O. Box 16231
Alexandria Virginia 22302
NATV is a 501c3 nonprofit multimedia organization and all contributions are tax deductible.

[blackcrowheart]

Jul 18, 5:06 PM EDT
Group hopes to launch first American Indian cable channel
By DIONNE WALKER
Associated Press Writer
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Flipping through TV channels, Jay Winter Nightwolf noticed something: While blacks, Latinos and other minority groups had niche cable networks, American Indians had no national TV outlet for their issues - everything from tribal sovereignty to language preservation.
The Washington-area radio personality has joined a group of Virginia broadcast journalists and other media professionals to launch Native American Television, joining a handful of groups racing to establish the nation's first American Indian cable channel.
NATV, which the group hopes to launch by year's end, will feature programming aimed at the nation's indigenous tribes: News specials and cooking shows, films and historic documentaries, video of drumming, powwows and even stand up comedy.
A program tentatively titled "Meet Native America" would mirror NBC's "Meet the Press," bringing together a panel of Indian journalists to interview Capitol Hill lawmakers. "Talk to Native America" would explore issues like economic development in Indian country, Nightwolf said.
"It's gonna run the full gamut," said Nightwolf, a Cherokee Indian and weekly host of "The Nightwolf Show."
"We can see the culture, the history, the issues, the everyday life - the smiles and the frowns - of Native Americans."
While a handful of tribes have set up regional channels in the past, a cable network would be a first, according to a spokeswoman at Native American Public Telecommunications.
At least two others haven't gotten past the planning stages.
Indian Country Today on TV would be a televised version of the popular Indian newspaper by a similar name. The New Mexico-based Native American Television Network includes reality TV and talk shows on its proposed lineup.
American Indians in Film and Television estimates that of 41,000 acting roles cast in 2004, roughly 100 were filled by Indians.
NATV was founded in 1990 by the late Charles Kaster, a Washington-area freelance videographer, said Randy Flood, executive director of NATV.
Using his basement as a studio, Kaster trained Indian youth for careers at broadcast stations and someday, at his all-Indian channel, Flood said. Kaster died of cancer in 2002, before he could expand his training program and begin broadcasting.
Flood estimates it will take $3.7 million to launch the channel, money he'll raise through tribal sponsorship and federal grants.
"BET has its own network and Univision appeals to Latinos (but) there's nothing for Native Americans," said Flood, who, like Kaster, is not an Indian. "We want to be able to create a vehicle for tribal communities."
But breaking into the cable market is easier said than done, said John Mansell, a Fairfax analyst with Kagan media research firm.
Creators of Black Entertainment Television and the Latin-infused Univision - cornerstones of the ethnic channel market - both entered during the '70s and '80s, while the industry was young, Mansell said.
Now the market is saturated, and cable companies are wary of adding a channel unless it's a sure hit, he said.
"How many new subscribers is a cable operator going to get by putting out a small niche Indian channel?" Mansell said. "These are questions that the cable operators consider."
Flood hopes to give his company a leg up with a built-in staff of reporters.
Each year, about 30 students aged 18 to 24 will spend eight weeks training in studio production, web development and journalism as part of NATV's Washington Semester program.
"The goal is to set up a cable TV network that addresses all Native American issues - but also to train our own reporters and our own editors," said William Butler, president of the Columbia School of Broadcasting, which will provide the program's curriculum.
"It's a long way down the road."
---
On the Net:
Native American Television Inc., www.natv.org/
� 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.

Your Tax Deductible Donations Are Needed To Fund This Endeavor. Please be generous in you contributions. Together, We Can Make This Much Needed Native Programming Happened. Thank You In Advance.
Jay Winter Nightwolf


WPFW 89.3 FM - Pacifica Radio - "The Nightwolf Show - The Most Dangerous Show On Radio" - The Truth About What Really Happened To The American Indian - Sunday Evenings from 8 - 9 online at www.WPFW.org