SAT-7 KIDS’ show goes live

By June 23, 2010

Egypt (MNN) — Across the Middle East, over one million people
are under the age of 17. With such a youthful population, SAT-7, a Christian
satellite television service to the Middle East and North Africa, knew they
needed outreach for kids.

In 2007, SAT-7 launched their SAT-7 KIDS program,
broadcasting from Morocco to Afghanistan and reaching thousands of kids with the
message of Christ in Arabic, Farsi and Turkish. And recently, SAT-7 began
partnering with NILE SAT, which offers a bigger satellite platform and a chance to
double or even triple their audience.

Since its inception, Rex Rogers with SAT-7 USA  said their kids
programming has gained popularity, but three shows in
particular–Bedtime Stories with Rita, The Naji Show and Why is That?

The latter show is about to undergo
changes because of how popular it's grown. Rogers said kids have fallen in love
with the show's host, Mr. Know. "It's [an] Egyptian fellow
named Essam, and he answers questions for the children on the air–could be
anything from 'Is Spiderman stronger than Superman?' all the way over to 'My
father died and I wonder where he is.'"

Through this programming, Essam is sharing biblical truths
with viewers and gaining their trust: "There's a lot of kids out there
that are hungry for leadership and hungry for a role model," Rogers said,
and Essam is filling this role for thousands of kids–and even teenagers.

Back in February, 3,000 kids showed up at a Cairo, Egypt
book fair to say hello to Mr. Know. Now, SAT-7 KIDS is giving viewers another
chance to closely interact with one of their favorite characters.

Up to this point, the show has mostly been pre-recorded in
Lebanon. That is about to change: "Well, it has been a recorded program …
We're going to start live programming because it just gives the kids–or for
that matter, adults–a sense of real time interaction. They can call in; they
can email; they can text messages, and we can respond to them, with their permission,
on air and answer their questions directly," Roger said.

This will be SAT-7 KIDS first-ever scheduled live show. Shows will now take place in Egypt–Essam's home, making it more convenient for
him as well.

However, live programming is not without its challenges, as it
costs more; every little detail of logistics is important, and unexpected
circumstances may arise. But overall, it is better programming, which will
better relate to the audience, Rogers said.

Pray for SAT-7 KIDS as they kick off this live show. Pray
that all of the production elements will run smoothly and that this change will make SAT-7 even more accessible to
kids, teenagers and even parents across the Middle East.

Also, you can help supply some of the necessary funds to support live programming and the rest of the work SAT-7 by clicking
here
. Or, a new donation opportunity, you can text "SAT-7" to 20222
and donate $10.

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