 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 27 May - 2 June 1999 Issue No. 431 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
 |
 |
|
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 27 May - 2 June 1999 Issue No. 431
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
|
|
|
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Living Features Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Up in the sky
By Rania KhallafNileSat's specialised channels seem to be working hard to attract a wider audience, but not everyone is happy with the programmes. The fundamental problem, of course, is the price of the receiver needed to watch satellite TV in the first place. But the question of who the target audience really is has not yet found a unanimous answer.
Hoda El-Egemi, a prominent radio announcer, was a member of the NileSat preparatory committee, and one of many experts who were asked to plan programmes for the family channel. "We were all faced with the same question: who is our audience? This was especially important since the new service is only available to a limited number of people," she explains. Even if this is the case, however, El-Egemi believes that "the ordinary channels offer more or less the same services and programmes [as NileSat]. We should not be blamed for this. Anyway, you have to pay if you want better service," she notes.
As far as the price is concerned, Ma'moun El-Naggar, deputy chairman of the radio department at the Egyptian Radio and Television Union, said plans are afoot to enable transmission directly through satellite dishes, thus making a decoder redundant.
But the content of programmes is also a bone of contention. Criticism has been levelled at the cultural channel because most of its programmes are considered "too traditional", in the words of one viewer. Many argued that the variety channel, headed by veteran presenter Salma El-Shamma', does not offer anything viewers of regular TV do not already have.
"The programmes on the six specialised channels seem to be very similar to each other and to the other TV programmes," notes scriptwriter Mahfouz El-Ansari. "I think the young presenters try to invent bizarre ideas in order to attract a larger audience, ignoring the basic rule: you have to be simple and clear if you want to reach people," he explains. But whatever the form, El-Ansari suggests, the content remains much the same. "I always get bored because I find the same guests being interviewed on different programmes, and apparently saying the same things," he adds. El-Ansari also feels that, because the new channels depend mainly on young anchors and producers, they cannot be taken seriously.
Salma El-Shamma', head of the variety channel, responds to viewer complaints with the statement that Egyptian media has yet to be developed. "Launching new specialised channels is not a luxury. People have a right to distinguished service," she argues. Nor does El-Shamma' believe that the LE2,000 a decoder costs is a very high price to pay. "Our transmission covers the Middle East, parts of Asia, Africa, and North America. The specialised channels should not be compared to the local ones, because our audience is different," she adds. Audience surveys are also being launched throughout Egypt, to give producers a better idea of viewers' preferences, El-Shamma' says.
El-Egemi feels the culture channel is the best of the crop, "because it offers up-to-date information. I liked its in-depth coverage of the Book Fair activities this year," she says. On the other hand, El-Ansari argues, the channel does not actually deal with "hot issues". For example, there has been no mention of the wide-ranging current debate on the transfer of the Islamic Museum collection, he notes. "They have made a big fuss, but actually there is nothing particularly free or exceptional about them."
So do the other channels have anything to offer? Amal Ibrahim, a secondary school student, does not believe that the educational channel, which offers lessons for school students at all levels, will replace the phenomenon of private lessons, although the fault does not lie with the channel itself. "It could be useful at preparatory and elementary levels, but at the secondary level, I must be sure that I am doing well, so I have to have a tutor who will be very well paid and who will therefore make sure that I pass my exams." Ibrahim, however, thinks that the laboratory experiments presented on the educational channel could be useful "because we rarely do scientific experiments in the lab at school". Radwa Salah, her classmate, adds that the time assigned by the channel for the lessons is not convenient. "Also, most of the educational programmes are presented in a very traditional way," she says. Salah, who plans to study pharmacology, still hopes that more science programmes will be scheduled on the educational channel.
Ayman Fayed, who teaches social sciences and philosophy at a school in Al-Daher, a working-class district near the Ramses train station, feels the money allotted to the new channels should have been poured into developing the eight local channels. Fayed, who used to work as a TV scriptwriter for the Orbit satellite service, reserved special criticism for the female anchors. "They want to look like foreigners. Sometimes they are proud of their weak Arabic," he noted contemptuously. He did have praise for the drama channel, however: "It screens short films and documentaries, which are completely ignored by local TV."
According to the Ministry of Education, around 11,500 schools throughout Egypt have been supplied with special receivers, at an estimated cost of LE28 million. However, Fayed thinks that the educational channel is of no use. "Neither my school nor the other schools in Al-Daher have subscribed. The idea itself is not practical, because there are so many students in the classes. When and where will they be able to watch TV?" Fayed is convinced that "NileSat officials have not taken the audience into account." According to an official at the Radio and Television Union, in fact, no feasibility studies were carried out before NileSat started operating; nor have polls been taken since the channels hit the airwaves.
Still, not everyone is dissatisfied with the programmes. Riham Hussein, a tourist guide, likes the variety channel. "Some of the programmes are dull, but they are still refreshing. Unfortunately, I can't discuss the programmes with my friends, because some cannot afford the receiver, and the others prefer to subscribe to other Arab satellite channels," she explains.
Hala Khalil, a young director who has made several short films, thinks satellite TV is a good idea in general. "We are living in the satellite era. Anyway, the experience is still very new. We have to let them try, and we can judge later."
