Arab Media Group to launch new TV channel on culture

The new channel will comprehensively cover cultural developments in the UAE in a focused manner so that local and Arab viewers get a glimpse of the happenings, he added.

The announcement came during a Ramadan Majlis that Dubai Press Club organized at its premises in the Dubai Media City. The Majlis, which a host of senior media persons attended, discussed the issues pertinent to the media industry in the UAE in general and the Arab world in particular. Ali Al Hadithi, the Director General of the MBC Group, was the other speaker, besides Al Saigh at the Majlis, which was presided over by Abdullah Rasheed, senior journalist.

Asserting that official censorship of the media is no longer practiced in the UAE, both the speakers pointed that each media organization took care to bring out the content in a way that respected the cultural and social sensitivities of the readers and the viewers.

"I don't remember having intervened in the editorial matters of the media entities within our group for a long time. The editors who run the organizations know what is appropriate and what is not appropriate and I never instruct them as to what they should be doing in terms of content. Those days are over when the management used to be extra-meticulous about what appears in the paper," pointed out Al Saigh.

Responding to comments from the gathering on the program content on TV during Ramadan, particularly MBC, such as the Turkish and Bedouin soaps that won popular acceptance, Al Hadithi said the viewers were the final authority that decides what is good and what is bad. "Of course, we will not let the standards go down under any circumstances. There are mechanisms to gauge the likes and dislikes of the viewers. According to their feedback, we plan and execute our programs," he noted.

Agreeing with Al Saigh on the issue of censorship, Al Hadithi said MBC Group was functioning in Dubai exactly as it used to do in London, before shifting base to the Dubai Media City.

"His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum told us that we could enjoy the same amount of freedom as we used to enjoy in London. Nothing happened so far to belie his promise. Of course, we exercise caution when we have to handle sensitive issues and that is something media organizations all over the world do because they do not operate in a social vacuum,"

he explained.

Pointing out that their newly launched radio station Noor Dubai targeted all sections of the society, Al Saigh said the station was set up with the special mission of communicating the humanitarian and social side of the UAE. "It is therefore appropriate that the new charitable initiative from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum is also named Noor Dubai. A lot of humanitarian initiatives are taking place in UAE all the time. We need to publicize them more so that people are attracted to contribute to them with added enthusiasm," he remarked.

Speaking on whether the technological quality of the media in the UAE is matched by the available talent in the media industry, Al Saigh lamented that the talent available is not up to the technological finesse that UAE media has achieved. "In fact; a job in the media is among the last priorities for the youth these days. Many of the journalism departments in the country had closed down because of the lack of enthusiasm from the students.

Commenting on the popularity of the Turkish sops on MBC and their excessive romantic content, Al Hadithi remarked on a lighter vein that perhaps this indicated that the Arabs were not having enough romance in their daily life! "In fact; the Ramadan programs are often criticized for being very light. But we have to remember that people, tired as they are from fasting, will not have the patience to enjoy very serious programs. What they need to while away their time are programs that entertain them within the limits of the decorum appropriate for the month of Ramadan," he observed.

The discussions also saw active participation from the gathering. Many among them engaged the speakers on a range of issues concerning media in the UAE. Dubai Press Club is planning a number of Ramadan Majalis, in line with its past practice, in order to expose the media community to senior officials from both the private and public sectors.