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Gov. Gregoire attends ceremony honoring KO-AM

For Immediate Release: May 28, 2008

Station celebrates 25th anniversary

FEDERAL WAY � Gov. Chris Gregoire today attended a ceremony celebrating both the beginning of KO-AM TV�s 24-hour broadcast schedule and the station�s 25 years of service to the Korean community in the region.

�KO-AM TV has been an important voice in Washington since 1983, not just with the Korean-American community, but with other immigrant groups and with the state as a whole. Now, with this state-of-the-art building and equipment, your voice will be even stronger,� Gregoire said.

The station was founded by Chong Che Ko, who moved to Seattle with his wife, Shelly, in the early 1980s. Mr. Ko became concerned about the few informational outlets available to the Korean community in the Pacific Northwest and began the channel as a four-hour weekly broadcast on cable access. The facility upgrades make the station one of the premiere Korean-language channels in the United States.

The celebration also marked KO-AM TV�s 25 years of service to the community. The network continues to operate under its founding principle: to broadcast programming suitable for even the youngest viewer. The channel rejects all advertising related to alcohol and gambling. �This station was built with God�s help,� Mrs. Ko said.

�Given my own work to protect children from the plague of another danger � tobacco � this especially touches me,� Gregoire said. �From day one, you have been a positive force for community building, and I salute you for your great work.�

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