Long-running, Washington DC-based Darshan prepares for national audience.

Falls Church, VA, June 29, 2010 – Darshan, the longest-running Indian-American television program in the United States, launches a new nationally-broadcast show on Saturday, July 3rd on MHz Worldview.

The original Darshan has aired continuously in the Washington D.C. Metro Area since 1987. The new half-hour program, titled Darshan America, will be available throughout the United States on the national independent channel, MHz Worldview.

MHz Worldview is available in over half of the top-20 U.S. television markets - nearly 27 million households - through broadcast and cable affiliates in cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Miami, Denver, and Seattle.

Darshan America will be broadcast nationally each Saturday at 3 PM ET. Like its hour-long Washington D.C. sister show, the new show features host and executive producer Ramesh Butani along with primary co-hosts Aastha Verma and Shilpa Alimchandani. They engage in lively discussions of news-based topics of interest to the Indian-American community.

Guests include business executives, government officials, writers, artists, activists and entertainers. Darshan’s illustrious list of past interview guests includes Oscar- and Grammy-Winning Composer A.R. Rahman; Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal; Filmmakers Mira Nair (The Namesake) and Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham); Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, and many others.

“Darshan has a loyal following because it provides the full and rich Indian-American perspective, a voice of the collective consciousness,” according to host and executive producer Ramesh Butani. “Going national with Darshan America is a natural and obvious step and we’re all excited and proud to appear on a national stage and build a nation-wide audience.”

“Indian-Americans are making waves right now – look at Nikki Haley in South Carolina,” says Co-Host Aastha Verma. “Darshan America provides a great new platform for us as Indian-Americans to share our achievements and inspiration with mainstream America.”

The original hour-long Darshan will continue airing weekly in the Washington D.C. Metro area Saturdays at 9 AM and Tuesdays at 11 AM on MHz Networks 1.

Darshan America will be available on MHz Worldview broadcast and cable affiliates in:

Chicago, IL- WYCC; Philadelphia, PA- MiND TV (WYBE); San Francisco,CA- KCSM; Tacoma-Seattle, WA- KBTC; Cleveland/Akron/Youngstown, OH- WNEO/WEAO; Minneapolis, MN- MPS Cable; Miami, FL- WLRN; Denver, CO- KBDI; Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL- WCEU; Charlotte, NC- WTVI; Nashville, TN- WNPT; Salt Lake City, UT- UEN (statewide); Grand Rapids/ Kalamazoo/Beaver Creek, MI- WGVU; New Orleans, LA- WLAE; Las Vegas, NV- Vegas PBS; Richmond, VA- WCVE; Flint, MI- WDCQ; Charleston, IL- WEIU; Plattsburgh, NY- Mountain Lake PBS (WCFE); Lansing, MI- LCC TV; Moline, IL (Quad Cities)- WQPT; Warrensburg, MO- KMOS; Topeka, KS- KTWU; Rochester-Austin, MN- KSMQ; Charlottesville, VA- WHTJ; St.Paul, MN- St. Paul Neighborhood Network; Stanford, CA- Stanford University Cable, as well as nationally via DirecTV and Galaxy 19 satellite on Transponder 27 (channel 949).

For more information on Darshan and Darshan America, advertising opportunities or to provide announcements of interest, please contact Hansa Butani at 703-671-7777, via e-mail at darshan@darshantv.com or on the web at www.darshantv.com