According to an article in Variety, IATV wants to be the premiere destination for Asian pop culture and will start airing a mix of critically acclaimed films such as "Mississippi Masala" and "Eat Drink Man Woman" (woo hoo!) and older TV shows acquired from other networks like the Japanese spoof "Banzai" (boo!). Martial arts, anime, and stand-up comedy showcase "Comedy Zen" are also part of the broadcast.

New IA Media president Adam Ware said of their overhaul, "The problem IA had was they didn't quite get who their target audience was. In reality, 80% of Asian-Americans speak English. Everybody was playing into a narrow point of view. To me, there's such a fertile ground creatively, it's inherent in us to take chances."

Looking at IATV's current lineup, I see his point. A lot of the dramatic shows are imports from Asia or center around life in Asia, as do the documentaries. Original programming consists of mainly lifestyle and entertainment shows.

What about airing independent films from the burgeoning Asian American filmmaking community or performances from Asian American theatre companies? Or any up-and-coming AA artist for that matter? I'm sure they're starving (literally and figuratively) for some exposure. Give them some air time, I say. It'll be a lot cheaper — and way more Asian American — then buying the rights to some crappy syndicated show that no one watched in the first place.

Check out IATV's availability in your area.