ZALEA TV, BILAN AFTER SIX WEEKS ON THE AIR,
FUNDING AND APPEAL
"20.000 TIMES 250 FRANCS TO ENSURE ZALEA TV'S INDEPENDENCE"

After almost six weeks on the air and on satellite, 24h a day, we can now confirm :

• that an alternative, national, non profit community channel is viable, namely concerning the programs : as well as Zalea's own productions, programs of great quality are flowing in from all over the country, Europe and the world, sent by independent directors, creators and producers. The fact that a TV channel is ready to diffuse these programs has incited others to get back to work and finish or undertake abandoned productions and launch original and independent projects. It's just a beginning, but promises to expand rapidly. Already, some hundred non profit organizations, community groups, NGO's, artists, directors have come to our studios to present their work, or have entrusted their programs to us for diffusion. In fact, we are receiving so many programs that we have already had to reduce the number of rediffusions scheduled to make room for fresh incoming documents.
  
• that voluntary unsalaried action can suffice to ensure the running of a high quality non profit channel. Volunteers very rapidly learn to operate the studio and contribute to the cheerful animation which makes the inter-programs so much fun, with phone calls from viewers, spontaneous happenings and performances, and a radically different angle on news and information which viewers seem to appreciate if we judge by the number of mails and phone calls we've been receiving since the start of broadcasting.
• the technical equipment which we have either borrowed or rented at low price, are quite sufficient (if rather basic) to provide technically acceptable broadcasting, compared to other channels, and more important, creative and novel ways of approaching television.

In short, we are now more than ever convinced that it is possible to reinvent televisual forms and content radically different from anything that has ever existed -at least in France- and that Zalea TV represents an important phase in the emergence of this alternative TV. We now have to deal with the issue of funding, to enable Zalea TV to become a permanent channel.

The present operation (Springtime for Free TV, until September 20, 2001) will cost us somewhere around 500.000F in all. But we must nont forget that we are operating in conditions that we could not possibly keep up in the long term : our offices and sites have been lent to us free of charge, we have no salaried personnel, various companies have lent us or rented at preferential tariffs the audiovisual equipment necessary to broadcast, others have made their services available to us free of charge... We still have to pay for the hertzien broadcast of our programs, the transport of our signal on optic fiber to the satellite operator, video cassettes, certain material and its maintenance and communications...

The final cost, including the salaries of the 5 permanent employees we esteem we need to ensure the channel's daily management in the long term, Zalea TV's working budget will be at least 5 million francs per year (the annual budget of France 2 is over a thousand times higher : the cost of one year of programs on Zalea TV is equivalent to 7 hours of programs on France 2).

It's obvious that the hundred present members of the association could never support these costs. It's also obvious that we should not expect too much from governmental or institutional funding, which generally end up setting limits to independence and freedom of speech. To collect this sum, all we need is 20.000 persons who'll support Zalea TV by donating 250F a year.

We think it is possible to attain the goal of 20.000 "member-donors". It seems to us the only way to transform this first experimental stage into a permanent community service channel. One of Zalea TV's main objectives as an NGO being the defense of free speech, creativity and information in the audiovisual media, we believe it should function with private donations from its members and donors and we hope that all those who feel concern for our objectives will support us in this analysis.

Please feel free to copy and give out this appeal to those around you, to increase its impact. With our thanks.

Michel Fiszbin,
President of the non profit organization (French 1901 law), Zalea TV

To support Zalea TV and become a member-donor,
send your check (250 F or more)
made out to Zalea TV, to the following address:

Zalea TV - BP 50 - 75921 Paris Cedex 19

DON'T FORGET TO CLEARLY INDICATE
YOUR NAME, SURNAME, ADDRESS AND E-MAIL

In return, we will send you a cassette VHS (60') of the high spots of Zalea TV's first weeks on the air.
NB : member-donors who joined us during the year 2000 have already received the cassette VHS (105') introducing Zalea TV's first productions. This cassette, now a collector's item (!), is still available against a check for 200F (including postage).

Don't forget that you are also welcome to send us YOUR
f ilms and documents for broadcasting.