The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) joined thousands of frustrated Armenians across the U.S. and around the world this week in expressing dissatisfaction with NBC’s short and silent coverage of Armenia’s Olympic team during its coverage of the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremonies in London on July 27.
The Armenian Weekly reports that in a letter sent to NBC CEO and President Stephen Burke, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian noted, “We were troubled by the absence of any commentary or background—scripted or otherwise—about Armenia, a nation with a history of thousands of years, and a proud legacy of participation in the Olympic games. In the place of information, your viewers were treated to a single line: ‘Armenia, now walking in,’ and then nothing more about Armenia during the very short on-screen time devoted to broadcasting only a single member of the more than two dozen athletes on the Armenian team.”
According to the newspaper, The ANCA letter called for an explanation and apology, as well as a commitment by NBC to provide meaningful coverage of Armenia and her athletes during the remainder of the games.
The ANCA first voiced the community’s concerns on its Facebook page, at facebook.com/ancagrassroots. These concerns have been echoed by Facebook and Twitter posts from around the world.
