Photo+Journalism
http://www.angryasianman.com/2008/04/farewell-azn.html
It really seems like more people are angry about this station shutting down than people who actually watched AZN on a regular basis.
Why is this?
AZN, quite frankly, sucked. Perhaps it was doomed for failure from its conception. The programming was terrible, presentation bad, and for some reason, I recall that it looked really static-y.
I think it’s the name itself, AZN, that threw a bunch of us off. I mean, didn’t we invent that word in what, middle school? That’s right, a network named after a middle school slang. It’s like trying to call Comedy Central LOL, or Spike WTF. AZN is what the little wannabe gangsters with their left pantleg rolled up with a rubber band from the newspaper called themselves.
Okay, I called myself that as well, though sans rubber band. I was too poor to be cool like that. But I have to admit, my first sn (and current one, aside from my business AIM is “cheapaznz”).
So it comes down to this: despite the fact that none of us ever respected AZN due to its close association with our own silly dreams of middle school grandeur (the ever-elusive thug life), we still liked the fact that it existed. Perhaps it gave us a dose of nostalgia and hope that we like but didn’t really care much about. It’s kind of like watching reruns of Digimon before season 2 rolled around and ruined it all. We know it was horrible and doomed for an end, but while it existed and was okay, we put up with it. (Hannah Montana, anyone?)
But we’re still sad because despite AZN’s lack of quality and interesting programming, at least it was something. Versus now, nothing. Except Imaginasian (ok, one!). And we all know how thinly Asians are spread throughout the media.
Asian Reporter.
Hot exotic female.
Kung fu fighter.
Occasional awesome dancer.
…and thats a wrap.
This is probably why AZN existed, and why it fell. It bought into those genres, and limited itself to them. Nothing else. But Asians want variety. And Asian networks need to market to more than just those Asians who want variety. Asian networks need to market to non-Asians and Asians alike. Why are so many people interested in BET? Well, aside from half of the Asian Americans watching BET to get real, more than just black people watch it.
No one watched AZN, not even the Azns. What a horrible failure.
I hope you’ve learned your lesson, Asian American Media.
Now make some changes.
Whoa! You have a blog! I like your blog. I shall link to it from mine.
I posted these comments on current.com as it’s harshly accurate in it’s assessment of AZN, a doomed idea, but a huge leap in programming.