FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 24, 2005 

CONTACT:
Hung Nguyen (877) 592-4140

WETA RELEGATES DOCUMENTARY ON VIETNAM TO EARLY MORNING TIME SLOT

Washington, D.C. – The National Congress of Vietnamese Americans (NCVA) denounces the time slot for a documentary on Vietnam during Asian Pacific American Heritage month.  NCVA is disturbed with the decision of WETA, a PBS station, to air the documentary Vietnam: The Next Generation on Friday, May 20 at 1 AM.

May is designated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by Public Law 102-450 on October 23, 1992.  The purpose of the law is to honor the achievements of Asian/Pacific Americans and to recognize their contributions to the United States.

According to the 2000 Census, there are 1.2 million Vietnamese Americans living in the United States.  There are over 43,709 Vietnamese Americans in the WETA viewing area.  NCVA applauds WETA for airing programs on the lives and perspectives of Asian Pacific Americans.  However, the scheduling of Vietnam: The Next Generation is not in-line with the scheduling of programs on other Asian Pacific American communities being aired throughout the month of May.

Complete schedule of programs on WETA during Asian Pacific American Heritage month is found at:

(http://www.weta.org/asianpacific2005.php)

Hung Nguyen, NCVA President, states, “We hope that WETA will reconsider its decision and air this documentary in a time slot that will attract a greater viewing audience.”

The WETA viewing area is the fifth largest Vietnamese American population center in the United States.  NCVA believes that Sandy Northrop's documentary Vietnam: The Next Generation should be aired at a reasonable time to enable viewers an opportunity to watch and comment on the contents of the program.

"2005 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Vietnamese Diaspora.  This is a time of reflection on the past and the present.  Without an audience for Vietnam: The Next Generation, there cannot be qualitative feedback on WETA's selection of programs," says Hung Nguyen.

NCVA encourages the public to contact WETA to reschedule Vietnam: The Next Generation to a more appropriate time by contacting (703) 998-2724 or visiting http://www.weta.org/contact.php and submitting their concerns.

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Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese Americans in a plural but united America –  e pluribus unum – by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil liberties.  (www.ncvaonline.org)