VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHGB #3856/01 3451326
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101326Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0776

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 003856 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PA FOR OBS GEORGE SANTULLI AND MIKE KIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SCUL SOCI OEXC OIIP KPAO IZ
SUBJECT: RRT Erbil: Nawroz TV Co-Op Makes News 
 
(U) This is a Regional Reconstruction Team (RRT) Erbil reporting 
cable. 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) A two-week TV co-op project in the United States gave 
millions of people in Iraq's Kurdistan Region an extraordinary 
window into the workings of American democracy.  From October 27 to 
November 7, the three-person crew from Kurdistan's Nawroz TV visited 
Washington, Chicago, and San Diego, and broke new ground when a 
Nawroz journalist did a live report from Obama campaign headquarters 
on election night 
-- the first-ever live TV broadcast from the United States by a 
Kurdistan Region media outlet.  The Nawroz crew faced a number of 
hurdles including delays in getting their U.S. visas issued and 
translation support while on the program.  The TV producer hired by 
the Office of Broadcast Services to work with the Nawroz crew 
successfully overcame these glitches, combining her extensive TV 
experience with a large dose of patience to make the project a 
success.  As of December 10, Nawroz TV has aired nearly 20 separate 
items shot during the co-op.  End summary. 
 
Context 
------- 
 
¶2.  (U) With the strong support of Embassy Baghdad's Public Affairs 
Section and PA's Office of Broadcast Services (OBS), RRT Erbil's 
Public Diplomacy Section sent a three-person crew from Nawroz TV, a 
major Kurdistan Region satellite station, to the United States for 
an October 27 to November 7 TV co-op program.  Nawroz cost-shared by 
paying for the crew's roundtrip airfare to the United States, while 
OBS paid for the crew's expenses in the United States.  This 
included OBS' hiring of an extraordinary TV producer, Cecilia 
Callahan, whose patience and experience played a key role in the 
project's success.  (Note:  See paragraph 6 for a detailed list of 
the co-op's results.) 
 
The Co-Op:  Washington... 
------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) The crew's first stop was Washington, D.C., where they 
focused on the final days of the presidential campaign.  They did 
extensive interviews with pro-Obama and pro-McCain members of the 
Kurdish-American community and covered a large McCain campaign rally 
in the Washington area. 
 
...Chicago and San Diego 
------------------------ 
 
¶4.  (U) Given the choice of being at Obama campaign headquarters or 
McCain headquarters on election day, the Nawroz crew opted for 
Chicago.  After overcoming some technical difficulties, and with 
indispensable assistance, advice, and coaching from Cecilia Callahan 
and AP television satellite support staff in London, the Nawroz crew 
broke new ground:  they did the first live broadcast by a Kurdistan 
Region media outlet from the United States.  The Nawroz crew 
finished the co-op in San Diego, where they focused on the city's 
large Kurdish-American community and how Kurdish immigrants have 
adjusted to life in the United States. 
 
Lessons Learned 
--------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) There were several lessons-learned from this co-op: 
 
-- JOURNALISTS FROM THE KURDISTAN REGION NEED OUR HELP TO IMPROVE 
THEIR TECHNICAL/PROFESSIONAL SKILLS.  Had it not been for the 
patience and experience of Cecilia Callahan, this TV co-op would not 
have been a success.  The Nawroz crew was dedicated and 
hard-working, but clearly not as skilled as their counterparts from, 
for example, Baghdad.  Ditto for Nawroz satellite technicians in 
Erbil, who required significant coaching in order to be able to 
downlink a satellite signal from Chicago. 
 
-- APPLY EARLY FOR VISAS.  Had it not been for the persistence, 
professionalism, and dedication of our colleagues in Embassy 
Baghdad's Consular Section and Office of Provincial Affairs (OPA), 
the Nawroz crew would not have been able to travel to the United 
Qthe Nawroz crew would not have been able to travel to the United 
States in time for the program.  Journalists from Iraq need to apply 
for their visas at least four months ahead of their planned 
departure. 
 
-- MAKE SURE SOMEBODY ON THE TV CO-OP CREW SPEAKS EXCELLENT ENGLISH. 
 One member of the Nawroz crew spoke only basic English, so Nawroz 
arranged for additional translation support from the Kurdistan 
Regional Government (KRG) office in Washington.  However, when 
Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani visited the United States 
at the same time as the Nawroz project, the KRG had to call the 
interpreter in to support the Barzani visit.   Working with OBS and 
Cecilia Callahan, the RRT was able to provide last-minute 
translation support, which the head of the Nawroz crew said "saved 
the project." 
 
Results 
------- 
 
¶6.  (U) Here is a detailed list of co-op products that have been 
broadcast by Nawroz TV, which reaches an estimated viewing audience 
of five million people (broken down by each of the project stops): 
 
WASHINGTON: 
 
 
-- Interview with NEA DAS Richard Schmierer (also published in 
Haremi Kurdistan magazine) 
 
-- Interview with KRG Washington office representative Qubad 
Talabani 
 
-- Interview with the head of the Washington Kurdish Institute, Dr. 
Najmadin Karim 
 
-- Interview with the KRG Washington office's director of cultural 
affairs, Najat Abdullah 
 
-- A special report about how Halloween is celebrated in America 
 
-- Interview with the head of VOA 
 
-- Interview with the head of VOA's Kurdish service 
 
-- Interview with staff of VOA's Kurdish Service 
 
-- Interview with anti-WMD protesters in front of the White House 
 
-- Interview with supporters of McCain and Obama in the Washington 
area Kurdish-American community 
 
-- Report on McCain campaign rally in Virginia 
 
-- Interview with McCain campaign volunteers at the rally in 
Virginia 
 
CHICAGO: 
 
-- Live election-day coverage from Obama campaign headquarters in 
Grant Park 
 
-- Interviews with Obama supporters in Chicago 
 
-- Interview with Obama's barber 
 
SAN DIEGO: 
 
 
-- Report on Kurdish Human Rights Center in San Diego. 
 
-- Interview with director of the Kurdish Human Rights Center. 
 
-- Interview with a Kurdish-American professor at the University of 
San Diego 
 
-- Interviews with members of the San Diego Kurdish-American 
community 
 
Comment:  Hats Off to OBS 
------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (U) This project would not have happened without the strong 
support of OBS' George Santulli and Mike Kiel.  Their patience with 
the crew through a range of technical and translation difficulties 
was much appreciated.  Moreover, their selection of Cecilia Callahan 
as the producer for this project was spot-on.  Cecilia was extremely 
diligent, holding several conference calls with the Nawroz crew 
before the start of the project, adjusting the schedule when their 
departure from Iraq was delayed by visa difficulties, and being 
extraordinarily gracious when the KRG Washington office unexpectedly 
pulled the plug on its translation support.  We at RRT Erbil and the 
Nawroz crew are in her debt. 
 
¶8.  (U) RRT Erbil also wishes to acknowledge that this historic 
co-op, which gave millions of people in the Kurdistan Region an 
extraordinary window into the workings of American democracy, would 
not have been possible without the support of Embassy Baghdad's 
Public Affairs Section. 
 
CROCKER