62
|
ISSUE 1 2014
|
THE CHANNEL
think it has been ten years
of growth, of maturation in
many regards. Probably
most importantly we have
developed a programming
strategy that is clear and
focused so that the viewer
knows what he is going to find
when he tunes in. Back in 2004
Alhurra launched in a hurry – it
went from funding to on air in six
months. I came on board in June
2006. Over time we sharpened our
focus and rededicated our efforts to
be a news and information channel –
you cannot do that overnight. Our
fundamental mission hasn’t
changed, just how we have gone
about doing it has evolved.
How do make sure your content is
connected to Arabstreet?
About five years ago we took a
decision to make more original
content from the region. The first
real investment in that was the
programme
Al Youm
[
Today
] with
multiple anchors throughout the
region – in Cairo, Dubai, Jerusalem
and Beirut. In the course of the
three hours we switch back and
forth between those locations. We
changed the format to present news
in a more relaxed way, and we
broadened the definition of what
would go into a news magazine
daily show – not just hard news but
also health, entertainment, arts,
studio guests, field interviews.
Rayheen ala Feen?
[
Where are they
going?
] is another ground‐breaking
show which incorporates elements
of ‘Reality TV’ – we’ve just
launched the 2nd season. Each week
we have a different topic – sexual
harassment, political equality, also
lighter topics – as we follow the
lives of six young people in Cairo
with very diverse backgrounds to
see how that topic relates to them.
And the interesting thing is that at
their core, all these people with
diverse backgrounds have the same
interests and goals in life.
We ran the first season on
Alhurra and then we had an
arrangement with Al Hayat to air
the 13 episodes on their channel.
We’ve had good viewer response
both in terms of Facebook and
social media but also good press
coverage. Even though the show is
set in Egypt it appeals to viewers in
other countries because of the
parallels to what’s happening in
their lives.
How is Alhurra perceived in the
region?
Our purpose is to show all the
different points of view, the
diversity of opinion in America as
well as in the region. I spent a lot of
time explaining to people that even
though we are funded by the US
government there is a firewall, we
have a board, we are not a
propaganda arm of the US
government. We still fight that on a
daily basis but we believe that the
journalistic principles of objectivity
and accuracy will win out over time
“
”
Viewers
want to
know
what’s
happening
in their
backyard
I
As President of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks
(MBN), Brian T. Conniff oversees the operation of Radio
Sawa and Alhurra TV, both broadcasting news and
information in Arabic to the Middle East. Latest viewing
figures confirm a weekly reach of 31m in the Middle East
but challenges remain in a very diverse target area. In
2014 Alhurra celebrates 10 years on air – so where does
Alhurra stand a decade in?
DIVERSITY
