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Compiled
by the editors
May 2004
Abu Dhabi TV announces
"a modest but varied" programming season to parallel
that of other satellite channels. News programming is tapped
to take a back seat compared to variety shows. The absence of
"arts" programming is explained by the station by
reference to its policy of "not going along with everything
that is done by other channels to make money at the expense
of form and content." (Asharq Al-Awsat, 5 May, 2004,
p.18)
The death of Al Jazeera
reporter Rashid Hamid Wali on 20 May is reported. Wali was struck
by a bullet while in his hotel in Karbala during slashes between
supporters of Muqtada Al-Sadr and US forces. Al Jazeera did
not specify the source of the bullet. More than 25 journalists
are reported to have lost their lives in Iraq since the start
of hostilities in March 2003. (Asharq Al-Awsat, 22 May,
204, p.2)
An Al Arabiya reporter
is detained by US forces on May 21 "while covering events."
(Idem.).
June 2004
Emirates Dubai TV
(EDTV) re-launches 1 June, 2004. (Al Hayat, 25 May, 2004,
p.20). (See Dubai TV's
New Look in this issue.)
Al-Sharqiyya, Iraq's
private satellite station, launches 11 June, 2004, with programming
consisting of "political comedy and …independent news
coverage." The station is founded by Saad Al-Bazzaz, editor
in chief of newspaper Al-Zaman, with funding from "local
and foreign investors." Alaa Al-Dahhan is director. (Al
Hayat, 19 June, 2004, p.20).
August 2004
A "new crisis"
is reported in relations between Al Jazeera and the Tunisian
government, which is said to have "disputed" the appointment
of Tunisian national Lutfi Hajji as the channel's new correspondent.
Observers attribute the government's objection to the fact that
the journalist is the founder and chairperson of the country's
first journalists' syndicate. The dispute takes place against
a background of tense relations between the government of President
Ben Ali and Al Jazeera caused by issues such as Al Jazeera's
coverage of Tunisia's 1999 elections and an appearance by Islamist
opposition leader Rashid Al-Ghannoushi on a talk show. (Al
Hayat, 7 August, 2004, p.13).
Iraq's Transitional
Government ordered August 7 the closure of Al Jazeera's office
in Baghdad claiming that four weeks monitoring by a specially-appointed
committee had revealed that the channel was guilty of "incitement
to violence and hatred." A wek earlier Iraq's information
minister, Fallah Al-Naqib, had accused Arab satellite channels
of encouraging kidnapping by showing scenes of hostages threatened
with execution. (Al Hayat, August 8, 2004, p.2)
September 2004
Amr Al-Khafagi is
appointed president of Dream Channel, replacing Sana' Mansour,
who had resigned in protest at "the interference of certain
members of the station's administrative board in certain media-related
matters." (Al Hayat, 20 September,
2004, p.21)
Mazen al-Tumeizi,
a reporter for Al Arabiya, is killed on air by US fire while
covering a demonstration in Baghdad. (Belfast Telegraph,
September 13, 2004)
October 2004
Mark Helmke, congressional
committee on foreign affairs staffer, announces that changes
in the staffing of Alhurra "are being studied." These
would include the promotion of Muwaffaq Harb, Alhurra's editor-in-chief
to the position of vice president of the Middle East Television
Network (MTN) network that manages Alhurra. Congress's Broadcasting
board of Governors is also reported to have decided to bring
Radio Sawa, the US government's Arabic-language public diplomacy
station, under MTN in an effort to "give both Alhurra and
Radio Sawa greater independence in decision-making" as
of November 2004. (Asharq Al-Awsat, 1 October, 2004,
p.5) (See US International Broadcasting
Strategies in the Arab World in this issue)
Qatari and Jordanian
state televisions announced that they would not be broadcasting
Al-Tariq ila Kabul (The Road to Kabul), a 30-part soap-opera
due for transmission during Ramadan. According to the former,
which was financing the series, the soap was "not technically
ready" on the eve of Ramadan. Qatari television officials
denied having yielded to a warning issued over the Internet
by a previously unknown group calling itself The Mujahedeen
Brigades of Iraq and Syria which threatened "all those
who contributed to making this soap opera, actors, producers,
cameramen, if it contains insults to the Taliban." (Gulf
News, 17 October, 2004, p.11). MBC and Orbit both broadcast
the first eight parts but were unable to obtain further episodes
and were reported to be considering legal action against the
producers. (Asharq Al-Aqwsat, 24 October, 2004, p.16)
Al-Arabiya's Baghdad
offices were damaged, at least 6 persons killed, and 19 injured,
in a car bomb attack on 30 October, 2004, that also affected
the offices of Saudi satellite channel Al-Ekhbariya, housed
in the same building. (AlHayat, 31 October, 2004, p.1) A previously
unknown group called The Jihadist Martyrs' Detachments in Iraq
claims responsibility, accusing Al-Arabiya of its "persistent
glorification of the Allaoui government." (Al Hayat,
1 November, 2004, p.7)
November 2004
Taysir Allouni, the
Al Jazeera Madrid bureau chief accused by Spanish authorities
of acting as a pay-master and recruiter for Al-Qa'ida, is re-arrested
November 7. First arrested in October 2001, Allouni was released
on bail for health reasons in October 2003. Authorities referred
to evidence of a probable attempt to leave Spain by Allouni
in the run-up to his trial. (Asharq Al-Awsat, 20 November,
2004, p.9)
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