Arab television today / Naomi Sakr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sakr, Naomi.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Television broadcasting--Arab countries.

Television broadcasting.

Television broadcasting of news--Arab countries.

Television broadcasting of news.

Television programs--Arab countries--Plots, themes, etc.

Television programs.

Television broadcasting policy--Arab countries.

Television broadcasting policy.

Arab countries.

Physical Description:

x, 262 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : I.B. Tauris, 2007.

Summary:

Much is at stake for everyone in the future of television in the Arab world. Political and social upheavals in this central but unsettled region are increasingly played out on television screens and in the tussles over programming that take place behind them. As changing laws in some Arab states allow private terrestrial stations to join a still-growing throng of satellite channels, Arab Television Today makes sense of the industry's evolving structures and content choices in both entertainment and news. It shows how owners, investors, journalists, presenters, production companies, advertisers, regulators and media freedom advocates influence each other in a geolinguistic marketplace that encompasses the Arab region itself and communities abroad.

As Arab Television Today demonstrates, Al-Jazeera with its globally recognised brand remains only one player in a very crowded field, where the true motives and intentions of those jostling for position are rarely divulged. Naomi Sakr opens out this field and examines the conflicting impulses that stimulate and constrain competition for viewers. She assesses the impact of competition on power balances between different groups in the television sector and between them and the viewing public. Are the business strategies of leading firms really irrational and unsustainable, as some observers maintain? Are programme formats, like those behind the Super Star or Star Academy singing contests, helping or hindering the development of local production capacity? Do new licensing regimes for television channels reflect a fundamental shift towards more open and honest communication between governments and citizens? Does the high profile of certain women on television signify deeper adjustments in society? Probing internal and external interventions in the Arab television landscape, this book offers a timely, compelling and accessible sequel to Naomi Sakr's Satellite Realms, which won the Middle Eastern Studies Book Prize in 2003.

Contents:

1 Publicity Machine or Complex Industry? 1

2 Law and Policy on Ownership and Content 15

3 Conflicting Influences on Arab TV Journalism 49

4 Women in the Public Eye: 'Advancement' via TV? 85

5 Facing up to Reality: Entertainment Programming Rationales 109

6 Calculations Behind News, Sport and Talk TV 137

7 Business Strategies of Leading TV Firms 165.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-248) and index.

ISBN:

9781845115647

1845115643

9781845115630

1845115635

OCLC:

154703634