ESAT

Ethiopian Satellite Television (known as ESAT) is an Ethiopian satellite news network headquartered in Washington D.C., United States.[1][2] It is a nonprofit and independent media outlet mostly privately funded by donors from the broader Ethiopian diaspora.

ESAT
LaunchedApril 24, 2010
NetworkTelevision network
Owned byThe Ethiopian Satellite Television & Radio (ESAT)
Picture format576i (HDTV), 16:9)
SloganThe Ethiopian Peoples' Eye and Ear
CountryEthiopia
HeadquartersWashington D.C., United States
Websiteethsat.com

History

The channel was founded on April 24, 2010 by a group of exiled Ethiopian journalists in Washington D.C. with the objective of providing free access to news and information to Ethiopians at home and abroad.

Programming

Content is mostly focused on political news from Ethiopia, but also covers some international news. The majority of broadcasts are in Amharic (the federal language of Ethiopia) with some programs in Afaan Oromo and English. It has studios located in Washington D.C., Amsterdam and London (UK). In addition to a satellite and online TV service, ESAT also added a daily radio broadcast in September 2011.

Political significance

ESAT from its inception was a source of contrary voices highly critical of the Ethiopian government.[3] It was one of the pivotal media organizations reporting on anti-government protests that swept across Ethiopia starting in 2015 and lasting until 2018. There were one of many media organization banned and charged in absentia for inciting violence and promoting acts of terror by the Ethiopian Government. Charges which were dropped in the summer of 2018.[1] The station has long been linked with the Ginbot 7 political opposition group, something that has not be verified by ESAT itself.[4]

References
  1. "Ethiopia's Ginbot 7 opposition movement suspends armed resistance". BBC News. June 22, 2018.
  2. Endeshaw, Dawit (December 29, 2018). "FAKE NEWS ALERT". The Reporter.
  3. Jeffrey, James (December 10, 2017). "Does KANA TV signal more media freedom?". aljazeera.
  4. Miftah, Mukerrem (November 5, 2018). "Op:Ed: Ethiopia in transition is facing critical challenges". Addis Standard.
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