Taking the current debate on commercialism in broadcasting as a point of departure, this study sheds light on the promise of private television as a viable alternative to government-controlled broadcasting in the Arab world. It compares programme outputs carried by two satellite broadcasters belonging to two different models of television: the privately controlled commercial model represented by the London-based Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC) and the government-controlled model represented by the Egyptian Space Channel (ESC). The study found that both channels seem to devote a fair amount of programming time to reach audiences in the Arab world and beyond. Yet, MBC was found to be far less entertainment oriented in its content than was the government-controlled ESC. MBC was especially distinguished in its Western-style programmes compared to ESC's mostly traditional formats. MBC news was also modelled on Western, especially American news programmes which draw on the report as the basic unit of the newscast. The article concludes that based on this preliminary study, private television in the Arab world seems to hold many promises for the development of broadcasting, long monopolized by governments.
Abdul Salam, Khaleel (1993) `The Age of Satellite and Egyptian Communication', Gulfvision Magazine11(4): 57-63.
2.
Akhavan-Majid, R. , A. Rife and S. Gopinath (1991) `Chain Ownership and Editorial Independence: A Case Study of Gannett Newspapers', Journalism Quarterly68(1/2): 59-66.
3.
Al Dustour (1996) `Egyptian Opposition Prepares to Launch a New Satellite Channel', 30 July: 19.
4.
Al-Oofy, Abdullatif (1994) `Satellite TV Channels and Cultural Identity among Adolescents in Saudi Arabia', paper presented at the Conference on Satellite Broadcasting and Reception in the Arab Gulf Region, Al Ain, the United Arab Emirates.
5.
Al-Umran, Hala (1996) `MMDS: The Cultural Alternative to DTH', Middle East Broadcast and Satellite4(5): 19-24.
6.
Arab Ad (1996) `MBC Ad Income $6 Million in One Month', 6(4): 4.
7.
Ayish, Muhammad (1986) `The Voice of America between Diplomacy and Journalism: A Case Study of the VOA Arabic Service', unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
8.
Ayish, Muhammad (1989) `News on Jordan Television's Nightly Newscasts', Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic MediaWinter: 453-460.
9.
Ayish, Muhammad (1995) `Potential Effects of Direct Satellite Broadcasting on National Television Systems in the Arab Region', Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences11: 326-394.
10.
Ayish, Muhammad (1996) `Advertising Via Arab Satellite Television', in Proceedings of the International Conference on Knowledge Transfer. London: Pacific and Middle Eastern Center for Research.
11.
Ayish, Muhammad and Izzat Hijab (1988) `International Broadcasting in Arabic: A Comparative Exploratory Study of RMCME, VOA, BBC, RMC', Abhath Al Yarmouk, 4(1): 15-26.
12.
Beit Al Mal, Hamza (1994) `Satellite Television Viewing in Saudi Arabia: A Case Study of Riyadh Area', Gulfvision Magazine12(2):44-45.
13.
Boyd, Douglas (1993). Broadcasting in the Arab World: A Survey of Radio and Television in the Middle East. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
14.
Combroad (1981) `Cba Regional Group Meetings Pacific... Tonga', 53(December): 42-48.
15.
Demers, D. P. (1991) `Corporate Structure and Emphasis on Politics at US Daily Newspapers', Journalism Quarterly68(1/2): 15-26.
16.
Drummond, Phillip and Richard Paterson (eds) (1985) Television in Transition: Papers from the First International Television Studies Conference. London: British Film Institute.
17.
Golding, P. (1992) `Communicating Capitalism: Resisting and Restructuring State Ideology The Case of “Thatcherism” ', Media, Culture and Society14(4): 503-522.
18.
Green, S. D. (1991) `Defending the “Time Culture”: The Public and Private Interests of Media Corporations', Federal Communications Law Journal43(3): 391-419.
19.
Hawkes, Rebecca (1996) `Egyptian TV: Adapting to Change', Middle East Broadcast and Satellite4(5): 45-46.
20.
Head, Sydney (1985) World Broadcasting Systems: A Comparative Analysis. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
21.
Humaidi, Nasser (1993) `DBS and its Effects on Education in Saudi Arabia', Gulfvision Magazine11 (4): 48-49.
22.
Karthigesu, R. (1994) `Broadcasting Deregulation in Developing Asian Nations: An Examination of Nascent Tendencies Using Malaysia as a Case Study', Media, Culture and Society16(3): 73-90.
23.
Katz, Eliahu and George Wedell (1977) Broadcasting in the Third World: Promise and Performance. London: Macmillan.
24.
Lacey, S. (1991) `Effects of Group Ownership on Daily Newspaper Content', Journal of Media Economics4(1): 35-48.
25.
Lashley, M. (1992). `Even in Public Television Ownership Changes Matter', Communication Research19(6): 770-786.
26.
MBC Promotional Book (1995) London: MBC.
27.
Middle East TV Guide (1996) `Interview with Sheikh Waleed Al-Barahim, Chairman of MBC Board of Directors', 110 (16 September): 9-11.
28.
Moawwad, Mohamed and Yassin Al Yassin (1994) `ESC Viewers' Attitudes in Kuwait after Liberation: A Field Survey', paper presented at the Conference on Satellite Broadcasting and Reception in the Arab Gulf Region, Al Ain, the United Arab Emirates.
29.
Mohyiddin, Majda (1996) `On ESC's Sixth Anniversary, ESC President Declines to Answer Questions', Middle East TV Guide124(23 December): 10-11.
30.
Outoum, Abdullah (1996) `The Jordan News Agency “Petra” and the Privatization Trend', paper presented at the Symposium on Communication Laws in Light of Future Trends of Jordanian Media, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Yarmouk University, Jordan, 28 November.
31.
Ramzi, Ihsan (1996) `The Privatization of Jordan's Official Media: Radio and Television', paper presented at the Symposium on Communication Laws in Light of Future Trends of Jordanian Media, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Yarmouk University, Jordan, 28 November.
32.
Schlesinger, Philip (1987) Putting Reality Together. London and New York: Methuen.
33.
Splichal, S. (1992) `Media Privatization and Democratization in Central Eastern Europe', Gazette49: 3-22.
34.
Syvertsen, Trine (1994) Public Television in Transition. Oslo: Research Program for Culture and Tradition (KULT), The Norwegian Research Council for Science and Humanities.
35.
Washburn, Philo (1995) `Democracy and Media Ownership: A Comparison of Commercial, Public and Government Broadcast News', Media, Culture and Society17: 647-676.
