Alhurra and Radio Sawa Mark the Anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution
Springfield, VA — Alhurra Television and Radio Sawa commemorate the anniversary of the start of January 25th protests in Egypt with more than 10 days of programming examining the reasons behind the protests and the outcome one year later. Starting January 20th, Alhurra and Radio Sawa will dedicate reports within their newscasts, as well as entire programs highlighting the historic revolution.
Alhurra’s coverage will culminate with the second installment of the Arab Spring documentary series. Arab Spring-Egypt, an Alhurra co-production with MacNeil/Lehrer, takes an in-depth look at the dramatic events that took place in Tahrir Square and the revolution which followed. Through personal stories from the street and interviews with national leaders and experts, the program looks forward to the challenges facing Egypt as it transitions to a new era.
“We are very excited about this coverage. It gives our audiences a comprehensive look at the Egyptian Revolution, how it started, how it developed and a look at the future of Egypt through the eyes of experts and ordinary people,” stated MBN President Brian Conniff. He added, “Alhurra and Radio Sawa are well positioned to cover Egypt with a team of excellent journalists throughout the country.”
On Jan. 25th, Alhurra will have more than 13 hours of live continuous coverage from Egypt, with reporters on the ground in Cairo and Alexandria starting at 11 a.m. (Cairo time). Alhurra’s news reports will tackle topics such as the response of Islamists to the aspirations of the Egyptian people, the concerns of Copts over equality and the role of women and youth in the post-Mubarak Egypt.
Broadcasting live from Cairo, Alhurra’s daily news magazine Al Youm and the weekly discussion program Hiwar Cairo will provide analysis and discuss the impact of the revolution on the future of Egypt, the rise of political Islam and the successes and failures of the revolution.
Radio Sawa’s team of correspondents will report live from several Egyptian cities for its localized Egyptian stream, as well as the pan-Arab streams. It will extend its broadcasts on Jan. 22nd for the opening session of the newly elected parliament. Radio Sawa’s coverage focuses on the security situation, human and civil rights, post-Mubarak foreign policy in addition to the implications of the struggling economy and high rate of unemployment.
For additional information on Egypt’s special programming week visit Alhurra and Radio Sawa’s pages on Facebook.
Earlier this year, Alhurra’s coverage of the Egyptian Revolution won the People’s Choice Award in the Association for International Broadcasting’s 2011 Media Excellence Awards. Recent surveys by research companies such as ACNielsen show that together Alhurra and Radio Sawa have an unduplicated weekly reach of an estimated 35 million adults. Alhurra and Radio Sawa are operated by the non-profit corporation “The Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc.” (MBN). MBN is financed by the U.S. Government through a grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency. The BBG serves oversight and as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters.
Contact:
Mary Zoorob
Communications Manager
Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc.
703-852-9044 mzoorob@alhurra.com
The Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN), is a non-profit news and information organization, operating under a grant from the BBG, that manages Alhurra Television and Radio Sawa. MBN broadcasts to the Middle East via television, radio and the Internet reaching 35.7 million people each week, according to independent market research.