— In an unexpected, and possibly illegal action, the management of UHF Channel 18 cancelled a one-year contract for air time with Tel Aviv TV after only four broadcasts of its weekly, two-and-half-hour variety and news show, according to Tel Aviv TV president Dan More.
The explanation, according to More, came in a letter that stated the contract was being cancelled to allow the station to carry a Spanish language sports show. More quoted the letter as saying, “although we feel that your show has great potential, we are forced to favor the overall benefits of this new sports package for the station.”
More noted that this is not a similar situation to the annual cancellation of new shows by the major tv networks. Tel Aviv TV had purchased the air time in question and — unlike network shows — was under no obligation to generate additional revenues for the station.
Tel Aviv TV’s programming, which has already received widespread viewer acclaim, was tailored for the Los Angeles Jewish and Israeli community. It provided up-to-date news from Israel, Israeli feature films in English and Hebrew, documentaries, Jewish and Israeli cultural events, current events in the local Jewish/Israeli community, Hebrew lessons, cooking classes, live entertainment, and sports events.
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