VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBK #0939/01 0850908
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250908Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2398

UNCLAS BANGKOK 000939 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR PA/OBS GSANTULLI 
INFO EAP/PPD VSIDABRAS, R GWELCH, PA RTAPPAN 
SES/O POMAYER; WHA/PPD GMADAMS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC OIIP KPAO TH
SUBJECT: NOMINATION FOR FY08 TV CO-OP: REGIONAL TV STATION FOR 
PROGRAM ON SMALL AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN AMERICA 
 
REF:  SECSTATE 016016 
 
¶1.  Post wishes to nominate Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani for an FY08 
TV co-op on the small agricultural business development in the 
United States.  Post will support the TV co-op by funding 
international airfare and "I" visa fees for the team of three, which 
consists of two production crew members and one translator.  Details 
follow. 
 
¶2.  Program Description: Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani is a regional 
affiliate of the government-owned "Television of Thailand."  It is 
the only television station that broadcasts in Isaan dialect, the 
language spoken by local populations in the northeast of Thailand. 
Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani's programming reaches nearly 99 percent 
of the population in the region, and has an astonishing viewership 
share of almost 80 percent for its locally-generated programming, 
which airs three hours a day from 8:00-9:00am and from 4:00-6:00pm. 
(Note: The remaining 19 hours of daily content is centrally-produced 
in Bangkok or provided by private companies or local government 
agencies through rental of timeslots. End note.) 
 
¶3. Following extensive discussions between Post and station 
management, Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani proposes a ten-part series 
on "Small Agricultural Business Development in America."  The ten, 
15-minute segments will broadcast in both Isaan and Thai languages 
during the weekly primetime news in the nine lower northeastern 
provinces of Si Saket, Surin, Burirum, Yasothorn, Roi Et, Amnart 
Charoen, Mukdaharn, Nakhon Phanom and Ubon Ratchathani. Additional 
stand-alone footage gathered during the co-op will be included in 
separate primetime regional news and special reports aired on 
Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani. 
 
¶4. To undertake this effort, Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani will send a 
two-person production crew to the United States for two weeks to 
visit a range locations, including value-added agricultural 
production and processing enterprises, agricultural business 
development centers and cooperative agribusiness development 
organizations; and local academics and officials responsible for 
administering rural small business funding sources and providing 
technical assistance and business information for small, start-up 
agricultural business ventures.  The crew also would like to visit 
rural agritourism and ecotourism projects so that they may 
incorporate aspects of business and financial planning, market 
research and development, and management techniques for this type of 
small business into their proposed series.  If possible, the crew 
would also like to meet with Thai small and medium enterprise (SME) 
entrepreneurs in the United States as a means of learning from their 
unique-cultural perspective and knowledge in developing sound 
business and marketing plans during the initial start-up years. 
 
¶5. Justification:  In both a social and economic context, small and 
medium-sized enterprises are of overwhelming importance to 
Thailand's economy, especially following the financial and economic 
crisis of 1997.  The majority of the more than nine million people 
living in lower northeastern Thailand are farmers and, since the 
crash over a decade ago, many have had to look to small business as 
a means to cope the new economic landscape (e.g. increased 
competition from its neighbors, difficulties in securing financing, 
etc.).  Research indicates that more than 60 percent of these new 
small businesses fail in the first five years due to a lack of 
management skills and business/financial planning on the part of the 
small business owner.  It is necessary for those taking on a new 
business venture to develop sound business and marketing plans, as 
well as demonstrate financial prudence in order to guide their 
businesses through the difficult initial start-up years.  These 
small business owners must possess and display strong management 
skills and the ability to convince potential lenders to finance 
their new ventures.  This TV Co-op will provide Channel 11 Ubon 
Ratchathani with material to educate viewers on the many issues that 
must be considered before launching a small agricultural business, 
including how to develop business and marketing plans, secure 
financing, conduct feasibility studies and market research, along 
with other important themes. 
 
¶6.  This program presents an excellent opportunity for PA Bangkok to 
demonstrate to our commitment to and support for this huge rural 
population in Thailand.  We continue to actively initiate outreach 
programs to foster better understanding between the United States 
and local communities outside Bangkok, as well as to advance the 
economic condition of these populations.  The efforts, however, have 
been hindered in the past by the lack of language ability among 
media, particularly those in the underprivileged northeast, making 
it difficult for many influential reporters from this area to 
participate in USG-sponsored co-ops and reporting tours.  As 
evidence of the importance we place on this program and reaching out 
to rural populations, Post has agreed to allocate one of its 
locally-engaged staff to serve as a translator/interpreter in order 
to ensure this TV co-op is a success. 
 
¶7.  Crew Names: Mr. Saengthong Anantapak, Producer, Channel 11 Ubon 
Ratchathani and Mr. Samphan Ratanaphirom, Cameraman, Channel 11 Ubon 
Ratchathani.  Saengthong and Samphan do not have a good command of 
English, therefore post will send a locally-engaged staff member to 
serve as translator/interpreter for the crew.  As Chief of 
Production, Saengthong is responsible for overseeing regional 
primetime programming.  His target features and documentaries, which 
reach an estimated audience of more than nine million, aim to 
provide educational and informative programming to help local 
populations develop a means of self-sustainment to achieve a higher 
standard of standard of living.  Post will support the program by 
funding international airfare, as well as "I" visa application and 
issuance fees for the production crew and translator. 
 
¶8.  Program Suggestions: The team from Channel 11 Ubon Ratchathani 
would like to travel to states where they can film locations related 
to and interview subjects involved in value-added agricultural 
production and processing activities, as well as conduct visits to 
agricultural business centers and cooperative agribusiness 
development institutes.  The crew also would like to speak to 
successful small agricultural business and agribusiness 
entrepreneurs, government officials and academics who deal with 
government policy on small agricultural business development, and 
individuals who are engaged in rural agritourism and ecotourism. 
Ideally, they would also like to speak to members of the Thai 
community in the United States involved in any of the aforementioned 
activities. 
 
¶9. Proposed Date of Program: Q3/Q4 FY2008; Depart for U.S. after 
June 15, 2008. 
 
¶10.  POC for this project is AIO Cynthia A. Brown.  Telephone 
66-2-205-4241, 66-2-205-4415; Fax 66-2-650-8919; and 
email:BrownCA@state.gov 
 
JOHN