The Middle East media war is expected to intensify during the upcoming weeks. While Egypt has disclosed its plan to start television broadcasts in Hebrew, the Israeli Broadcast Authority (IBA) announced that its English and Arabic news would soon reach Baghdad, London, and possibly New York via the IBA's planned multicultural television channel, The Jerusalem Post reports.
IBA's English-language news broadcasts are to be switched over to a new satellite network. Arabic-language broadcasts will be similarly affected. The IBA has decided that all foreign language programming will be removed from Channel 1 once the new satellite network goes on the air in January or February, including the 15-minute nightly IBA English news.
The new multicultural channel, which will be available on local cable and satellite systems, will feature two half-hour English newscasts nightly, at 7:30 and midnight. It will broadcast four Arabic-language newscasts a day, plus Arabic news updates on the hour. Intended to compete with CNN and Al-Jazeera, the station will be available via satellite in all of Europe and from Morocco to Iran in the Middle East.
It should be recalled that Egypt plans to start television broadcasts in Hebrew aimed at Israel. Starting January 1, Egypt's state-owned "Nile TV" will broadcast in Hebrew for two hours in the afternoon on the country's regional Nilesat satellite to give the Arab view of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. (albawaba.com)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
