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Charter’s change of Armenian-centric channel draws protest

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Starting Feb. 19, Charter Communications customers in Glendale and Burbank will no longer receive Horizon Television on Channel 385, instead receiving New Wave TV on Channel 389.

New Wave TV, like Horizon, offers 24-hour programming targeted at the Armenian community, but the move has been unpopular with Horizon supporters, who have organized opposition to the pending change.

Ara Khachatourian, editor of the Asbarez newspaper, said losing Horizon would be a blow to the community, which is why he was helping organize a protest at the local Charter office on Saturday.

“The mission with which [Horizon] was started in 1989 was to serve the community and become the voice of the various organizations, churches and community groups in Glendale, Burbank, La Crescenta,” he said. “[Charter is] silencing the voice of the community and deferring to more entertainment”

Khachatourian said Horizon had agreed to renew its agreement with Charter, but was dumped anyway.

Brian Anderson, spokesman for Charter Cable, said New Wave TV would include both news and entertainment programming. He added that moving on from Horizon was a “business decision,” but declined to elaborate.

-- Daniel Siegal, Times Community News

Follow Daniel Siegal on Google+ and on Twitter: @Daniel_Siegal

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