It is a strange irony: Jews have been successful in the television business -- but Jewish TV, not so much.I just went to the webpages of each of the three networks mentioned in the JTA piece - TJC, Jewish Life Television and Shalom TV.
It’s not for lack of trying. Right now, no fewer than three Jewish-focused national cable channels are trying to carve out a viable niche within the already small niche for Jewish TV.
It’s a road others have taken in the past, only to reach a dead end.
Jay Sanderson, who served for 21 years as CEO of the Jewish Television Network, knows better than most.
“There’s been dozens of attempts and dozens of failures,” said Sanderson, now the president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. “It’s a cycle that’s been happening for 30-plus years. People want it to happen.”
The current Jewish television channels -- The Jewish Channel, Shalom TV and Jewish Life Television -- have scored some successes. They all launched in the past five years.
To me, the programming is almost universally boring.
Rabbis talking around a table. Re-runs of old Dinah Shore shows and Jack Benny. I mean, come on!
There are some bright spots, especially dubbing/subtitling Israeli TV shows and movies. A couple of original programs might have promise. But altogether, there is very little I can imagine anyone under 50 wanting to see.
Hire me as program director, guys. If I can keep a blog interesting by myself and without any money, imagine what I could do with a budget:
Cooking show: "Tastes like Treif" - how to cook classic non-kosher dishes while making them kosher and delicious
Syndicated Ahmed and Salim
A Jewish Mystery Science Theatre 3000
If I was going to show old dusty sit-coms, I would dub them with new dialogue.
I could come up with ideas all day.