Al Waleed Ibn Talal appoints Hala Sarhan as Regional Manager of Rotana

Published July 22nd, 2003 - 03:00 GMT

Dr. Hala Sirhan, Vice President and presenter of the Egyptian satellite channel Dream TV, has just signed an agreement with Saudi Prince Al Waleed Ibn Talal in Saudi Arabia, after negotiations that lasted for weeks. Prince Al Waleed appointed Hala as Egypt’s Regional Manager of Rotana Music Production Company.

According to the London based daily, Al Sharq Al Awsat, Al Waleed stressed that he chose Hala for the position due to the fact that she has proved to be a successful woman who always strives to improve and introduce new ideas. He added that Rotana will sure witness progress and more success with Hala on board.

On her part, Hala expressed her honor to be appointed to such a position and has promised to do all she can to bring more success to Rotana. Hala has become to be one of the Arab world's most famous television personalities through her daring ways and issues she insists on tackling regardless of consequences.

Sarhan is one of the major reasons for Dream TV's popularity. After several years of being a major attraction at Saudi-owned ART, she decided that it was time to move on and ART's loss is indisputably Dream TV's gain. Sarhan is that rare mix of television personalities: a competent, professional journalist with an excellent grasp of her subject matter who conducts gritty, incisive interviews, and has a savvy personality for understanding of the power of television.

An Egyptian talk show host who claims she was the first woman to break the taboo of discussing sex on Arab television is always under fire for tackling sensitive issues, like politics, relationships, scandals, and even masturbation. Egyptian newspapers have excoriated Hala, and a government board had sent out several warnings to, but to no use.

She says that “Dream is open to all types of opinions and ideologies -- socialist, western, capitalist, left-wing, right-wing, fanatics and extremists.”We are open to everyone. So this is our dream, to let people talk, let people be entertained, let people choose what to believe in and what not to believe in. We believe in being credible first, and second, we believe in entertaining. Entertainment programming in the Arab region has traditionally been considered less important than other types of programming. But media is about entertainment". –Albawaba.com