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Alhurra
on the Cairo Street A heated debate rages within
public diplomacy circles over who is watching Alhurra and how the channel
is perceived by Arab audiences. Polls commissioned by Alhurra indicate
much higher viewership numbers and credibility ratings than those reported
in independent surveys conducted by academics and Arab research organizations.
In an effort to shed some light on the numbers controversy, TBS correspondent
Summer Said hit the "Arab street" in Egypt, the Arab
world's most populous country and, according to a 2004 Zogby International
poll, one of the most anti-American publics in the Arab world, with unfavorable
views of America calculated at 98 percent. Roaming the streets of Cairo
for one week in April 2005, Said queried pedestrians, shopkeepers, commuters,
professionals, and students to find out who is watching Alhurra and what
people have to say about the US-funded satellite channel's efforts in
its first year on the air. Here are the results of TBS's own -- entirely
unscientific -- survey: The channel is not as bad as
I and my friends expected at the beginning. Just forget the fact that
it is funded by the US and it will be fine. At the end of the day a person
has to see a variety of channels even if there were broadcast by what
we call enemies. As for me I'm only interested in shows about body fitness
and health so I watch Alhurra because they air some good shows in that
area. These programs are in Arabic so I do not have to read subtitles
while following the show. I did not think I would be
watching Alhurra until one day when I was checking what was on TV and
saw them interviewing some high profile Egyptians. The program was Sa'a
Hurra (Free Hour), a live show that once hosted Ayman Nour, the chairman
of (Egyptian opposition) Al Ghad Party. At least you would not find a
similar show on the state-owned TV that is being watched by millions of
people. It is unbelievable that this
channel is American. It cannot be compared even to the worst American
channels that I receive. I cannot see how come the US does not even care
to please the Arabs with something professional. Do they think we can
be pleased by anything? It is a kind of insult to us. I watch Alhurra but I feel
that there is something strange about it. I wonder how come the US is
financing this channel and still the services it offers are not that great.
Sometimes I feel that the announcers are not professional at all and they
speak classical Arabic with difficulty. I also feel that their news bulletins
are filtered so that they would not offend the Arab viewers. And if you
forget about the news you feel that their other programs are boring and
they are of no interest to you. I do not know why it is still operating
till now. I checked it out twice and
it was so boring. I do not have much time to waste so I watch good channels
like Al Jazeera or Al Arabiya. Alhurra is a nice break from
Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya and what they air everyday. Its news bulletins
are not perfect but they also cover great parts of the world. It also
gives you one hour of news if you have time to sit and watch and a 10-minute
news if you are just interested in headlines. I think people at Alhurra
are doing well for a channel that just kicked off last year. Why would I watch something
that everyone says is bad? It reminds me of our local channels. It has
unqualified announcers, boring programs, and bad news coverage. I think it is a good channel
but the criticism it got before its launch put off so many people. I have
seen many of my friends who thought it was very bad even without watching
it for ten minutes. I think they have some good talk shows and their news
services are quite balanced. Arab channels should be awake because I feel
that this channel has its strength and it could become more important
in the future if the US gave more attention to the staff and the quality
of the programs aired. Yes I do watch a couple of
shows on Alhurra. One is Free Debate, which is a talk show and
the other is Masters of Cinema, which is actually my favorite.
Of course if we compare Alhurra with Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera, or CNN, Alhurra
will lose but sometimes you want some change and you want to check out
something different. I think the channel's performance is getting better
and the people working there have potential. I do not watch Alhurra at the
moment because I think they still need more time to become professional.
They also have to come up with new ideas and interesting shows because
no one will watch the channel unless it gives them something exceptional
and this has not happened so far. I do not have a subscription
to Discovery Channel to watch good documentaries so I'm glad that there
is an Arabic channel like Alhurra that is giving me that chance everyday.
The channel has some interesting documentaries and some science shows
for those who are looking for something new everyday. Last month, for
instance, I saw a very good show on the Pharaonic kings, their courts,
and their costumes and makeup. There was another documentary about wild
life in Australia that I also enjoyed. I guess your interests affect how
you view this channel. Alhurra has good debate shows
but I think that the channel has failed in its main mission, which is
"beautifying America's ugly face" in the eyes millions of Arabs
and Muslims. The way I perceive the US is still the same and has not changed
at all. I could enjoy some of the programs on Alhurra but that would not
do any good for the US. I think that the American administration was stupid
to launch this channel because they thought it will make us love them.
If that was true we would have forgotten all the ugly actions of the US
because they make excellent movies. I do watch Alhurra, but I do
that with suspicions. I feel that the US is trying to brainwash the Arabs
so I often compare their news reporting to the other reporting by channels
like BBC, Al Jazeera or Al Arabiya. But I have to admit that most of the
time, their reporting is professional and they do not fabricate stories.
But I only watch Alhurra just to see if they do mistakes or not, just
out of curiosity. I'm sorry, I have not heard
about it before. What I like about Alhurra is
that every day they have different programs than the day before. One day
they have a cooking show, and on another they air a documentary or a cinema
show. My favorite show is a travel program called Luxury Travel
that takes you on a tour through a country or a city and gives you all
the information about it. This program in particular, unlike the other
travel shows I have seen on the Arab stations, gives you a new picture
of the cities and the most up-to-date information about them. If you pay attention to the
news programs Alhurra shows you will find that they concentrate on Israeli
and American statements, especially those by George W. Bush. They choose
stuff that justifies the war on Iraq and the violations against the Iraqis
and Palestinians. I have been following the other non-political shows
and they are all silly and lifeless or rather boring and ridiculous. The
US had better save its money and shut down the whole station. I like the talk shows on Alhurra.
They are not too long, interesting, discuss hot topics and feature people
that are not the mouthpieces of the Arab governments. I cannot stand watching it
because it is boring and lifeless and you feel it is a bad imitation of
the CNN or BBC. If I were in the shoes of the US administration I would
shut this thing down before it becomes a scandal. I do not see what is wrong
with Alhurra. It has good shows, decent news coverage, and quite professional
stuff. We criticize the channel just because it is funded by the US and
also because we are used to criticizing everything that is different from
what we have. I and many of my friends think that the people working in
the channel are trying to achieve something very efficient and eventually
they will succeed because they are trying. Yes, I have heard some people
talking about, but have not got a chance to check it out yet. We have too many channels these
days and I cannot remember coming across this one before. I do not watch it and I do
not recommend people to watch it. It is a station that was created by
the US to brainwash the Arabs and convince them of the evil plans of the
US. For me watching Alhurra is like watching an Israeli channel. It is
something that should not be done and I think the Arab governments should
do something to ban this channel. Summer Said is a freelance journalist based in Cairo. She writes for Arab News, Middle East Times, the Lebanese Daily Star, and Cairo Magazine, among others. |
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