The Layalina Review
VOL. V NO. 10, April 24-May 7, 2009 France 24, the publicly-owned international news channel, is to offer ten hours of Arab broadcasting a day beginning April 28 compared to the four hours it currently offers, reports Media Network. France 24 is “strengthening its presence in geographically strategic zones where the majority of the population speaks only Arabic,” continues the site. The channel said that the new airing would begin with a special program live from Cairo called “The place of France in the Arab world.” Since it was launched, France 24 has continued to grow its market share among its target audience in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, with 88%, 80% and 73% respectively saying that they watch the network, according to a survey carried out by the TNS-Sofres institute. This new format will enable France 24 to pursue its founding principle, and in particular that of its Arabic channel: covering global news from a French perspective, promoting healthy debate and balanced ideas and striving for an open outlook on international diversity and its pressing challenges, according to Market Watch. Additionally, following its success in French and English, France 24’s audience participation site, The Observers, will now be available in Arabic. The Observers, which was launched in December 2007, is a site that covers international news through the eyes of direct "observers;" namely, people experiencing events on the ground. BBC Arabic also recently announced a new agreement with MSN Arabia, further expanding the presence of BBC Arabic across the Arab world, reports the BBC Press Office. International news-seekers can now access BBC Arabic content via the MSN Arabia home page. This will complement the direct access audiences have to BBC Arabic on TV, radio, online and on mobile phones. BBC Arabic breaking news alerts are also offered via mobile operators as a subscription service in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen and the Palestinian Territories. In other news, the Arab Media Forum to be held on May 11-12 in Dubai will hold discussions on Arabic versions of foreign television channels and the working environment for the correspondents of foreign news agencies in the Arab world, reports Express. The session titled “The Arabic Versions of Foreign TV Channels: What Objectives and What Messages?” will analyze one of the most recent phenomena in the media landscape. “The Arab region is drawing increased attention from the Western media on account of its strategic importance and the nature of its issues, ranging from the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Palestinian issue to energy issues, ‘war on terrorism,’ and the Iranian nuclear issue and these have placed the Arab region at the heart of politics and international rivalries,” continues the news site. "The result is the proliferation of representatives from international media organizations who come to cover events and developments in the region," highlights Express. “The concerns of these media organizations have grown wider and include most of the cultural and social situations with a special focus on women, general freedoms and human rights.”
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