CNet News has reported the closure of Channel A, a web service designed especially for Asian Americans. Originally conceived as a social issues magazine, Channel A gradually lost sight of its editorial ambitions. The site killed off last week was little more than an Asian-themed shop. One explanation for the venture’s failure is that its readership was too narrowly targeted, making it difficult for sales staff to shift ads, goods and services. However that view fails to account for the continued survival of other minority web communities like PlanetOut. CNet offers a more convincing explanation, suggesting that executives working at cross purposes contributed to the site’s demise. Editor Steve Chin defended Channel A’s community origins right down to the wire, but chief executive Peggy Chiu said in no uncertain terms that all she wanted was an Asian Pottery Barn or Martha Stewart on the web. Once again the increasing commercialization of the internet itself is played out in miniature.
