22 - 28 November 2001
Issue No.561
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 22 - 28 November 2001 Issue No.561 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Reaching out
Nile TV will have broadcasts in Hebrew each day, starting next year. The aim is to influence public opinion in Israel. Hanan Sabra reports
Information Minister Safwat El-Sherif has announced that Nile TV will begin broadcasting in Hebrew from the start of next year. The Hebrew broadcasts will take place between 3pm and 5pm daily, with repeats between 1am and 3am, with a news update. The channel already broadcasts in Arabic, English and French.
According to Dorreya Sharafeddin, head of the satellite section of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU), the move is in line with recommendations adopted by the conference of Arab Information Ministers held in September. The conference stressed the importance of having satellite broadcasts in foreign languages in order to reach various audiences. "Since Nile TV was the first Arab channel to broadcast in English and French, it was necessary to add other languages to attract new audiences and clarify Egypt's position on Middle East developments," she said.
For Youssef Sherif Rizqallah, head of Nile TV, the decision is a "breakthrough, a step towards countering Israeli allegations and supporting the Palestinian Intifada." Rizqallah observed that programme and budgetary studies are already under way. He added that in the early days of programming, Nile TV may rely mainly on the expertise of staff from Radio Cairo's Hebrew service.
Rizqallah explained that programmes will feature news, political analyses and talk shows. "There will also be cultural programmes providing information about Egyptian civilisation and Islam in order to place things in their proper perspective. It's a challenge that we accept," he said.
Media expert Saad Labib sees this step as crucial. Israel boasts several satellite channels and "we, too, must convey our message, particularly to those inside the occupied Palestinian territories," he told Al- Ahram Weekly.
Until now, he added, most Arabic television broadcasts have been in Arabic. "We are talking to ourselves. The Arab point of view is not reaching the West," he said.
Qadri Said, a researcher with the Al- Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, said the idea of having a Hebrew broadcast is "very timely, if not overdue." He added that broadcasting in foreign languages means that Egyptians can introduce themselves to the outside world with accuracy, which should boost self-confidence.
Said stressed the importance of planning. "It is important to study what to broadcast and devise a plan for each programme. Delivering a wrong message will be an exercise in futility," he said.
Salama Ahmed Salama, a prominent Al Ahram columnist, agreed that programmes should be well mapped out. "News should present to Israeli society the facts hidden by their media and analysis should be objective," he said.
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