New Multicultural TV Programs Span Bay Area

Flip on Channel 1 and the Spanish-speaking community, the Filipinos, the Taiwanese, the Vietnamese and the Indians now have a television channel devoted to their community, thanks to co-founders Ravi Kapur and Warren Trumbly.

Even better, the programming is offered for free.

Once the FCC transitioned from analog to digital television in 2009, Kapur and Trumbly were able to transmit 20 channels using one stream.

KAXT is the most diverse television channel in the nation, Kapur says, with 12 different news channels and eight audio stations, to serve hyperlocal communities in the Bay Area that never before had their own stations.

A bit of trivia: it's also the only Channel 1 station in the country, according to Kapur.

Though Channel 1 does not have a Portuguese channel to serve the local Half Moon Bay community, Kapur tells Half Moon Bay Patch he would consider creating such a station.

Kapur and Trumbly will launch the first African-American television channel on Sept. 26 to increase their coverage of diverse ethnic communities even further.

Ah, the power of digital.

Keep up with KAXT by visiting their Facebook page here.

-Reporting contributed by Kristine Wong

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