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MEB Journal
| January / February 2007 |
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Al Jazeera's new frontier
 For those of us that have waited months, and then years, to actually see Al Jazeera on television in English, watching the countdown clock on its test pattern broadcast—first in hours, then in seconds—was truly a surreal experience.
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Creativity and TV drama
Budget, time and the trappings of routine
One of the often repeated criticisms of television stations in the Arab World is that they undervalue creativity, preferring either to import successful formats from abroad,or continuously repeat the same templates until – or even after – they lose their luster.
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Laughing through crisis
Lebanon's satire shows dare to mock the powerful
Just two years ago, it would have been unthinkable for a Lebanese TV station to mock the chief Syrian intelligence officer running the affairs of this country.
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The next ten years
When I think about my career in the television industry, it is hard to believe that when I started, there was only terrestrial and very limited cable television.
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Going mobile
Qatar and the UAE test braodcasts to handheld devices
In ramping up for the Asian Games in December, Qatar launched a mobile broadcasting service covering the entire country.
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‘They want to veil our minds’
Hala Sarhan has been a force in the Arab media for 15 years, since her talk show, Ya Hala, went on the air on ART, the Arab World’s first pay-TV station, in 1990.
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 | Regional channels rush to capture North African market
Dubai TV and LBC became the latest big names to announce specialized North African channels last November. Dubai Media Company announced in mid-November that it would launch Dubai Maghrebiya, a station that would supplement its entertainment package with news coverage focused on North Africa. The station will also offer programming tailored to “connect the 10 million Maghreb citizens living in Europe with their home countries.”
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 | Future TV to get new look, add all-news channel
Lebanon-based satellite channel Future TV is planning to re-launch itself in early 2007 to reclaim its identity as primarily an entertainment channel. It has also divulged plans to launch a 24-hour all-news channel.
The re-launch will identify Future as “the channel of empowerment and optimism,” said its chairman, Nadim Munla.
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 | Women in the workforce
As one of the first camerawomen in the Gulf, Fatema Al Senani usually shoots stories, but often finds herself as the subject.
“I get calls from friends and people I really don’t know very well, expressing how impressed they are with what I am doing,” she says. “I can see myself not only as ‘forging a path,’ but also as a role model, especially in my field.”
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 | OTV navigates Lebanese bureaucracy
OTV’s efforts to become the first publicly-held television broadcaster in Lebanon were at odds with the Lebanese media law, which stipulates that each and every TV investor has to be approved by the government.
“The current Lebanese law governing TV was designed to control who owns the media,” says Roy Hachem, general manager and CEO of OTV.
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 | New on the Screen
Hemaya Universal announced an unnamed channel intended to combat commercial counterfeiting and video and computer software piracy, as part of its region-wide PR campaign. No word on whether the channel would be carried by Lebanon’s network of “unofficial” cable providers.
i2 TV is a full-time mobile technology infotainment channel for people who just can’t face the arduous three-block hike to their nearest cell phone shop to find out about the latest mobile products.
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 | Getting Set
When designing sets for television news, the world’s leading designers operate according to the ancient mantra – form follows function. Designers adapt technology and brand image to the serious tone of news, and yet create a distinct identity that will attract viewers. How? Experts reveal their secrets to MEB Journal.
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