Gulf Media MonitorArabia Friday Newspaper celebrates second anniversary
Malayali Radio Journalism Thrives in Dubai -- Ajith Menon HIT -96.7
Kuwait: Halt the execution of three Bangladeshi migrant workers
London In a letter sent to the Amir of Kuwait, Shaikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Amnesty International urged the Kuwaiti authorities to suspend the imminent execution of Mohammad Zahar Abdul Sattar, Anwar al-Zamaan and Anwar Khan Mohammad, migrant workers from Bangladesh, who have been sentenced to death in connection with the rape and murder of a Sri Lankan national, after a grossly unfair trial according to one of their lawyers. Full Report
Media Monitor: Social Club PRO
Ggetting their photos (with celebrities) published in local newspapers is a major weakness for the office bearers of social organisations. The ISC Malayalam Wing convener normally has a tough time accommodating the ego of each wing commanders. In one instance, a sports coordinator was so furious that instead of putting his photograph along with P T Usha, the local newspapers carried a picture showing the ISC Cultural coordinator with the sports celebrity. The furious man comes with the particular newspaper and threw it in anguish. As a compromise the poor convener seeks the help of its PR links in the media.He retrieves another photograph of the sports coordinator liberally "donating blood" and get it "planted" in local dailies using the journalist members. In public forums these journalists talks much about ethics. The same journalists are used to publish, rather plant, news items and photographs of events which happened several months back. The visual media is not an exception - a news channel reported that about 4,000 people enjoyed the Onam feast of Malayalam Wing. In fact not even half of that figure is true! The channel got several hundred rials as sponsorship and everybody is happy. The only victim is the poor readers and viewers who believes the blatant lie aired by the honoured news channel, the Asianet. (keralamonitor.com)
Journalist body writes to Yemen President about illegal detention of two journalists
Washington : July 6, 2002. The Committee to Protect Journalists has written to the Yemeni President Ali Abdulla Saleh to protest the ongoing detention of free-lance journalists Ibrahim Hussein and Abdel Rahim Mohsen.'On June 21, plainclothes police officers arrested Hussein the office of the Yemeni Unionist Party, according to CPJ sources. Mohsen was arrested at his home on May 23. The two men have been held incommunicado since their arrests and were only allowed to meet with their lawyers on Monday, July 1, at the office of a state prosecutor in charge of handling press cases.More
Sub-Inspector, Police Officials killed editor of 'Kranti Journal'
Gulbargha; The Principal District and Sessions Judge at Gulbarga has convicted 9 accused persons namely, Maruthi Devappagaonkar, Police Sub- Inspector; Mallak Jappa Chinnappa Totad, Police Sub-Inspector; Sidram, Police Constable; Yoginath, Police Constable; Babu Bhivarappa, Police Constable; 4 private persons i.e Syed Rafik Ahmad; Malli Nath; Ambunna alias Ambu & Bhim Rao and sentenced them to undergo 3 years Rigorous Imprisonment with a fine of Rs.7500/- each. MoreFREEDOM OF SUPPRESSION; IS INDIA GOING BACK TO THE EMERGENCY PERIOD?
India's free press is perhaps the strongest pillar of its democracy, but Indian journalists continued to face numerous challenges in 2001, including physical threats, legal harassment, and more subtle pressures applied by the central government. In the disputed territory of Kashmir, where fighting between local separatists, foreign fighters, and Indian security forces has long forced journalists to tread carefully in their reporting, the press continued to suffer violent assault. Most of the attacks against journalists documented by CPJ in 2001 were committed by security forces. In January, police beat up Surinder Singh Oberoi, a correspondent for the Agence France-Press news agency, as he was attempting to cover an attack on a security bunker in Srinagar by suspected militant separatists. Soldiers beat up several staff members of the Urdu-language weekly Chattan, one of Kashmir's most well-respected and widely circulated publications, after unknown assailants threw a grenade at a group of soldiers in Srinagar. More
POLITICAL CONSENSUS NECESSARY TO ENSURE FINANCIAL AUTONOMY TO PRASAR BHARATI : REDDY
NEW DELHI - September 14 2004 The Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri S. Jaipal Reddy has said that there exists across the spectrum consensus on the autonomy of public broadcasters. He said his government continues to be guided by Pt. Nehru’s policy of having no control on mass media. He was speaking at the launch of Commission Serial “Jazba”, a joint production of Doordarshan Empanelled Producer’s Association & Media Vision. He said that private sector has a vital role to play but in certain sectors public sectors role cannot be overlooked. MoreUS Missiles Continue to Kill Journalists
JEDDAH, 13 September 2004 — Mazen Al-Tomaizi, a Palestinian television journalist working for Saudi news channel Al-Ekhbariya and Arab satellite channel Al-Arabiya, was killed yesterday by an American missile as he was reporting live from Baghdad on deadly clashes between US forces and insurgents. More
Fresh curbs on Indian TV channels in Pakistan
According to the Cable Operators Association of Pakistan (COAP), the official regulatory body Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has banned the showing of Indian channels throughout the country despite its recent promises to remove curbs on them. The fresh directive by PEMRA has come a surprise to COAP as the official body had earlier agreed to the pleas of COAP to allow them to show Indian entertainment channels, while continuing the ban on Indian news channels. Vice President of COAP, Tahir Khan said as a result of the fresh ban, their business was hit badly. "We were expecting the ban would be officially lifted because of the positive developments. Instead, the opposite has happened," he said. Full Report
Tehelka to launch "Tehelka-the People's paper"
New Delhi: After much sensational activities in exposing corruption in defense deals, Tehelka is all set to launch a weekly newspaper on Saturday. Investigative journalism would be the mainstay of the newspaper named Tehelka - the People's Paper, Tehelka CEO Tarun Tejpal told a press conference here today. The paper would be published byAgni Media Company and it would engage in "crusading and constructive journalism" while keeping ethics in mind, said Tejpal who had to close down his portal Tehelka.com when almost all its employees quit in the wake of an "onslaught" from the government following the expose. He said the company would have no funding from any business house or a political party and the money was being raised through contributions by creating a collegium of founder subscribers besides advance subscription offers. More
George Onakkoor to write book about Gulf
The famous Malayalam novelist George Onakkoor will write a new book about the life and culture of the Gulf countries. The study will focus on the unique relationship between the earth and human life in the Arab countries. George, who has penned more than 25 books including some award winning ones, is in Oman to write a book covering the geological, anthropological, sociological, historical aspects of the Arab and expatriate life in Oman and other Gulf countries. For this study, George has selected the Sultanate because of the unique closely-knit community life style untouched by modernity, absence of big crowd that disturb and distort natural living conditions, presence of large number of nostalgic Indians, historical influence of Bible and the Holy Quran on human life and culture are factors that attracted his attention to Oman. Since the Sultanate has announced 2001 as the year of environment, the study will be a major contribute to document unique aspects of Omani culture and heritage.
George Onakkoor to write book about GulfThe famous Malayalam novelist George Onakkoor will write a new book about the life and culture of the Gulf countries. The study will focus on the unique relationship between the earth and human life in the Arab countries. George, who has penned more than 25 books including some award winning ones, is in Oman to write a book covering the geological, anthropological, sociological, historical aspects of the Arab and expatriate life in Oman and other Gulf countries. For this study, George has selected the Sultanate because of the unique closely-knit community life style untouched by modernity, absence of big crowd that disturb and distort natural living conditions, presence of large number of nostalgic Indians, historical influence of Bible and the Holy Quran on human life and culture are factors that attracted his attention to Oman. Since the Sultanate has announced 2001 as the year of environment, the study will be a major contribute to document unique aspects of Omani culture and heritage. More
Journalist Suspended from Club Membership
T.N.Shaji Journalist, Muscat is suspended from the Indian Social Club Malayalam Wing membership allegedly for disturbing the Committee meeting after drinking, an allegation denied by the member. According to sources, the ISC Malayalam Wing convener Kalidasan has issued a suspension notice to Shaji, which will effectively disqualify Usha Shaji from the club's committee membership. This is part of the ongoing power struggle between Kalidasan on the one hand and former office bearers who are strong in the parent body now. While the fabricated charges and leveled against members of the opposite groups, the only victim is the Kerala community, which is witnessing all these drama silently.
CNN'S RIZ KHAN TEAMS UP WITH BURSON-MARSTELLER
keralamonitor.com Dubai, December 5, 2001 - Former CNN newscaster and interviewer Riz Khan has joined forces with Burson-Marsteller's Asia Pacific team as a Senior Consultant. Burson-Marsteller is one of the leading global public relations consultancies and is represented in the Middle East by ASDA'A Public Relations.For the past eight years, Mr Khan was CNN International's Senior Anchor and host of the flagship interview show Q&A with Riz Khan. Q&A was CNN's highest-profile programme and dubbed "the world's most-watched show" by industry publications.Through Q&A, Riz Khan interviewed a wide range of world leaders, including Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Mahathir Mohammad and General Pervez Musharraf, and business leaders such as Virgin's Richard Branson, Yahoo's Jerry Yang and Nokia's Jorma Ollila.
Bill Rylance, President & CEO of Burson-Marsteller Asia-Pacific, says: "We are delighted that Riz has teamed up with us in Asia. He will greatly enhance our commitment to deepening our media-related expertise and will play an important role in exploring new business opportunities in existing and as-yet untapped markets."
Riz Khan is the latest in a series of high-profile appointments by B-M. Former Australian Olympic Committee president, John Coates, was appointed non-executive chairman of its Australia operations. Prominent business leader, Aron Harilela, was appointed as non-executive chairman of the Hong Kong office in the summer, and former Korea TV Chief, Kun-Whan Oh, joined as Head of Strategic Media Services in Seoul.
In addition to his Burson-Marsteller role, Mr Khan is also setting up his own documentary production company. "After a career in television news, I knew that teaming-up with such a well-established and respected consultancy was clearly the best way of combining our expertise, contacts and ideas," says Mr Khan."In my travels as a journalist and broadcaster, I recognised a clear need for better communication by many businesses and governments, particularly in South Asia and the Middle East. Working together with B-M, my goal is to help them understand that need and build better relationships with their various audiences."
Riz Khan was born in British-ruled Aden and moved to London at the age of four. He went on to become the first Asian face in news for two TV networks. He joined the BBC in 1985 and was the first presenter of the newly launched BBC World Service Television in 1991. He was head-hunted by CNN in May 1993 and covered some of the most dramatic breaking news and live events, such as the earthquake in the Indian State of Gujarat last January. He holds a degree in Medical Physiology and a post-graduate diploma in radio journalism. Special StoriesGulf Media Monitor More
New Tabloid Newspaper "The Week', may hit Muscat News Stand soon
Muscat - November 5, 2002 The media scnenario in Oman is all set to witness the launch of a third English tabloid from a leading publishing group, which has already got a successful business magazine to its credit. It is learned that two English newspaper licenses have been sought from the concened ministries - one by a group publishing a business magazine and the second by Al Watan , the most popular and independent Arabic newspaper owned by a business group which has been planning to start an English newspaper. Even though various theories are floating around about the "Nation" newspaper which is planned by the Arabic daily, the latest news is that search is on for a new editor and editorial staff.The media circles say that both the publishing groups have been engaged in a marathon recruitment drive (outside Oman) to launch the new publication. KM learns that work is fast progressing to the official launch of a new weekly tabloid, which is all likely to be named "The Week". The publishing group is planning a major marketing campaign to distribute the newspaper free of cost and dont be surprised if you find the editor and publisher trying to market the English tabloid standing in special attractive uniforms, targeting the motorists and pedestrians in the busy business centres. The forthcoming tabloid newspaper, the 'Week' will be targeting to survive on advertisement revenue, rather than relying on the small amount that could be collected through pricing the publication. It is likely that initially the paper will be edited by a leading Indian female journalist . The distribution network which is already developed for circulating the business publications will be useful in ensuring smooth circulation. Even if it sells 5,000 copies at the rate of 200 balsas per copy the net circulation revenue would be just RO 1000 - mere peanut compared to the high cost of printing a glossy tabloid newspaper, sayd media experts.
Oman has been gradually liberalising its relatively controlled and conservative print media by allowing new entrants to enhance competition. While the Arabic daily market is dominated by Al Watan, Al Shabiba, Oman and a few other publications, the Oman Daily Observer and the Times of Oman are the two largest circulated English newspapers. Even though the Times of Oman, which is popular among the expatriate population, has come a long way from its beginning as a weekly tabloid newspaper, its Arabic Youth publication Al Shabhibha is now being upgraded to the status of a full fledged Arabic newspaper. Its main competitor, the Oman Daily Observer, the first daily newspaper and market leader in terms of circulation figures, (as is evident from the high advertisement tariff rate) has announced the launch of a bilingual Youth Observer targeting the students and youth who constitute more than 50 per cent of the population. Both the Times and Observer have been adding new sections and columns to attract more readers.
The Times group has started a new weekly publication ' Thursday', which has become very popular among the expatriate community for relaxed weekend reading. Now market sources say the newspaper is getting the largest circulation figure on Thursdays, only because of the new weekly publication. It may be recalled that a few years back, the local English newspapers did not have their editions on Thursday and Friday, the weekly official holidays. Even though the circulation figure is yet to be translated into advertising revenue, the success story of Thursday weekly shows that there is enough scope for good publicatioons.
While Khaleej Times and Gulf News are the two leading regional English newspapers from the UAE popular in the Sultanate, their circulation figures are not very impressive. According to media sources, despite their tall claims to advertisers, both the newspapers might be selling less than a 1,000 copy each in Oman. Both the newspapers are now trying to improve local news coverage by infusing new reporting skills. Apparently fearing new competition from the proposed publications, Gulf News has enhanced its local news coverage and even appointed a new enthusiastic journalist who had previous experience in Oman as its new bureau chief. Now a days the visibility of Oman news is more in Gulf News sometimes even on the front page. The Muscat Bureau of GN has also been improving the coverage of expatriate related human interest stories - an area long neglected by the paper.
Khaleej Times, headed by a well experienced journalist, too is getting ready for the new competition in a small market. However, the paper has been facing some problems due to the lack of an efficient editor after S.Nihal Singh, the veteran Indian journalist left the newspaper. Once popular among the Indian expatriates in the Gulf, KT has been trying to recapture the lost circulation to the Gulf News by coming out with a City supplement in the UAE, edited by Bikram Vohra, former editor of Khaleej Times.
Even the leading Malayalam newspapers like Malayala Manorma, Mathrubhoomi, Gulf Mdhyamam, Chandirka, Deshabhimani etc are selling only less number of copies among the Keralite expatriate community. Some of the Malayalam newspapers are hiring new reporters to enhance news coverage of the Gulf region. Malayala Manorama, the market leader has started a Mumbai edition, which they send by air to various Gulf countries. The group wanted the local distributor to push up circulation upto 25,00 copies per day, which was found to be a difficult task for the distribution company. Even part of the the two thousand copies brought to Oman every day was coming back from the market as rejects. Gulf Madhyamam too has got its share of the Malayalam readership and its enhanced local news coverage is attracting new readers. However, it is competing with Mathrubhoomi to reach the Manorama's circulation level in Oman. The reading habit is said to be very poor even among the educated sections of Indian expatriates. Due to small population size there are sceptics who raise serious question marks about the financial viability of the third and fourth English newspaper in a crowded market place. Due to increased localisation of the workforce, large number of English reading expatriates are leaving the country, posing new challenge to newspapers targeting expatriate community.
The media market in the tiny Gulf state witnessed a few new entrants in the last couple of years. The new publications that entered the market included the Oman Economic Review, a well researched and professionally managed business magazine with a serious look. Business Today, another business magazine, with some light business stories and business news, is another business publication that entered the market. Both the new publications have been apparently successful due to sufficient advertisement support.
A lot of business magazines from other Gulf countries like the Middle East Economic Digest, Gulf Business, Money Works etc are also available on the news stands. However, the local business coverage is missing in the business publications coming from Dubai and other Gulf capitals. The Commerce, a bilingual English-Arabic publication from a local publisher is popular among the business community, not because of the seriousness of the articles published, but because of the coverage of local business events with colour photographs of business leaders. The Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Central Bank of Oman and other government wings too come out with their own in-house journals. Many of the business publications are thriving on advertorial content - public relations stuff adorned with six column photographs of business executives and decision makers who support these publications with liberal advertisement policy.
The Sultan Qaboos University, the only University in Oman, has a four year bachelors course in journalism. However, the focus has been on the Arabic media in which a number of SQU graduates are doing well. A number of Omani graduate journalists are being trained abroad for the English media. Both the leading English Dailies are edited by well known Arab journalists - compared to Dubai, Doha and Manama Newspapers which are headed by expatriate editors. There are some efficient Arab female reporters in both the English dailies. However, as in other Gulf countries, there is still a shortage of locally trained manpower to handle the new publication indepdently. Therefore, some of the local business publications and even the prestigious Magazines get their news copies edited, cover pages designed and bring out their magazines in proper shape with the help of overseas subcontractors and consultants in New Delhi and Mumbai.
Some of the proposed English publications may survive in a tough market place. But one thing is sure - the media scene is getting ready for a new phase of healthy competition among the established market players and new entrants. Will such a competition benefit the readers in terms of better news stories and reports is the billion dollar question. Our best wishes for the 'Week' and 'Nation' -keralamonitor.com.
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