Brian Conniff, president of the Middle East Broadcasting Network (MBN), recently reaffirmed his belief in the potential of the young Alhurra satellite station, which was launched by MBN in February 2004, “at a difficult time in the middle of the Iraqi war and when anti-American sentiment was running high,” he said.  With its headquarters in Springfield, Virginia, the Arabic language satellite TV station beams into 22 countries, as well as the Middle East, and caters to all audiences by offering news, talk shows and an array of documentaries. As to starting a new channel at such a critical time, Conniff explained, “… We were roundly criticized before we even went on air. There was a lot of bias against the launch but in five years I think we have gone a long way to overcoming that, by just demonstrating we had a good, solid product. Our audience has steadily grown and we are starting to hit our stride.” Supporting his statement, research by AC Nielsen suggests that Alhurra is attracting 27.7 million viewers weekly.

 

Conniff moved on to explain that being funded by the U.S. does not mean the channel is being told what to say or do by the government, and doesn’t entail bias in favor of America:

“… Even in the early years we broadcast criticism of America… we broadcast a lot of information about the Abu Ghraib prison and how people were held accountable. Once the full story is covered, it shows America, warts and all,” he said, implying that viewers should watch the channel and draw their own conclusions, instead of following critics blindly.

In 2009, and within its efforts “to provide objective, accurate and relevant news and information to the people of the Middle East about the region, the world and the U.S.”, Alhurra launched a new program entitled Al Youm, in line with its mission and vision. Managed by Fran Mires, its seasoned executive producer, Al Youm is a three hour primetime show broadcast simultaneously from Dubai, Beirut, Cairo, Jerusalem and Virginia. It tackles regional and international news, and economic, cultural and social issues, and blends them seamlessly into entertainment, sports, technology and human interest stories.

Brian Conniff labeled Al Youm as “… a natural extension of the growing sophistication of the Arab media market…” which allows the show to serve as a strong supporting arm to the channel. And with an encouraging tone, he added, “We believe our channel informs and educates our viewers and enables them to make better decisions about their everyday lives. As long as we have something unique to provide, we will continue.”

 

Al Youm’s viewers are rooting for the show, and along with praising its uniqueness and originality, they have come to express their approval of the program through Al Youm’s Facebook group, showing that Al Youm has lifted Alhurra’s standing in the eyes of the public in an impressively short time.

 

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