Public-private waves
Are Egypt's newest radio stations really private? Hanan Sabra investigates
Two new radio stations have recently appeared on the FM dial. Nogoum FM (FM Stars) and Nile One Radio have been broadcasting Arabic and international music, respectively, since their experimental launch on 31 May. The official launch is expected to take place during the first week of July.
There has been a great deal of speculation regarding whether or not the two new stations are privately owned. According to the stations' managing director, Amr Adib, "The two broadcasts are private and their ownership is completely Egyptian." Adib represents the Gn4me (Good News For Me) group, which manages and runs the two stations. He told Al-Ahram Weekly that ownership of the stations is divided amongst the Gn4me group, CNE (Cable Network of Egypt), and the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU).
Adib said the licence to broadcast -- which was granted to the stations by the Free Media Zone -- "is the first licence given to a private radio broadcast in Egypt in 69 years."
According to ERTU head Hassan Hamed, however, when Egypt's state- owned radio service began broadcasting on 31 May 1934, "a law was issued that forbids the establishment of any private station." Hamed asserted that the stations are merely being managed by the private Gn4me group, but are actually state owned.
Further complicating matters, Omar Batisha, who heads the Egyptian Radio Sector at ERTU, told the Weekly that the new stations are not part of the official Egyptian radio service. "The stations are owned by a private shareholding company," he said. Although Batisha views the stations as competitors to the Radio Union, he is confident that they do not represent a commercial threat.
Both of the new stations are broadcasting around the clock, "using five rented studios at the 6 October Media Production City (MPC)," Adib said. He emphasised that the stations have "nothing to do with politics, religion or news, and are purely entertainment broadcasts which only air songs."
Adib denied, however, that this was why the licence was given. It was more a matter of "trust", he said, and the "group's good reputation". Adib, along with his brother Emad, run a 15-year-old media empire, which includes the magazine Kolelnas, and the economic daily Al-Alam Al-Youm.
"We have been, and will always, abide by the media's code of ethics." he said.
While the stations' anticipated audience is the 12-35 demographic, Adib said they were not trying to compete with the US propaganda station Radio Sawa, which also targets the young. "Radio Sawa's frequency doesn't cover all of Egypt, and their broadcasts include news and politics, in addition to songs," he said, by way of explanation.
Both stations' content derives from local music production companies like Free Music and High Quality, Arab companies like Rotana, which is owned by Saudi Arabia's Prince Al-Walid Ibn Talal, and global giants like EMI, Sony and Universal. "Agreements were signed with the representatives of those companies in Egypt, with exclusive rights being given to both stations to air songs a week in advance of their market release," Adib said. An agreement with Egyptian production company Alam Al-Fann is also in the works.
According to Adib, "music-related programmes and talk-shows will eventually be added to the stations' schedules," and each station will also have its own Web site.
