Alhurra… “Today”
It’s been a while since our last post on Alhurra, the US-funded television station seeking aimlessly to make an impact on Arab hearts and minds. More than five years after its launch, this media outlet has proven itself to be little more than an expensive joke. Regardless of how many talented journalists work there, less than 5% of television viewers in the Middle East ever tune in. Viewership in Iraq is better, but that’s not enough to justify all the money being spent.
Since its launch in 2004, US taxpayers have poured close to $500 million dollars into Alhurra. Instead of spending that money wisely, the Broadcasting Board of Governors [BBG] and company executives continue to come up with different gimmicks in their desperate attempts to trick voters into watching.
Their most recent venture has been an expensive three hour extravaganza that airs daily and is molded after the Today Show and other similar programs. The Alhurra website provides the following explanation:
Al Youm (Arabic for “Today”) originates simultaneously from… Dubai, Beirut, Cairo, Jerusalem and Alhurra’s headquarters in Springfield, Va. The three-hour program provides viewers a window to the world through its coverage of the latest news… health, entertainment news, sports, technology, social and cultural issues. Al Youm presents straightforward news in a relaxed, engaging environment. The program also includes interviews with everyone from politicians to athletes… viewers get a chance to participate in the discussion by sending in their questions to be included on air…
Sounds decent, right? Well think again… Watching this show is not easy. Take a look and see what I mean. If you can get past the 3-4 minute opening sequence, you will be assailed with what is essentially a big waste of time. Those looking for real news and information will be sorely disappointed. Those who tune in to understand more about American culture will find very little to appreciate. Those seeking visual stimulation will also be unsatisfied… regardless of what the anchors chose to wear.
What viewers are subjected to during Alhurra’s version of primetime are three hours of mindless chatter interspersed with shallow assessments of selected current events and random feature stories (some of which are marginally entertaining). There is no depth in the news coverage, nor in the rest of the programming. Rather, there is a failed attempt at fast-paced US-style news that comes off as chaotic and incoherent. The on-air talent seem to be taking their jobs rather lightly. It’s awkward and unprofessional, but who can blame them? It’s not like there are that many people watching.
This new show is just another example of taxpayer money going to waste. I can’t imagine too many people in the Middle East sitting down at the TV after a long day and choosing to watch it. There are better options on other networks. One can almost get away with saying that nobody really watches Alhurra. The few who actually do are inconsequential.
As of this writing, their YouTube Channel has less than 120 subscribers. The average number of views for their videos is below 15, however they do have a few that receive more hits. The most popular, a news report on the death of Lebanese artist Mansour Rahbani, was seen over 2500 times! Next, almost 1500 for a piece on one of the artists from DAM. Coming in third, an episode of Cinemagazine (a show dealing with the silver screen). There is a selection of other clips, including some from the network’s better talk shows, that go by largely unnoticed. Political items are not popular. All this suggests that decision makers at Alhurra are not succeeding in their mission.
A few days ago, they put up an interview with Hillary Clinton that had been recorded almost two weeks earlier. The reporter had thrown a bunch of softballs and finally got a ’scoop’ at the end when the Secretary of State told him two US diplomats had been sent to Syria. Not too many people had heard about this interview; had she done it for a credible news organization, everyone would have known. Alhurra’s viewership is embarrassingly low. It’s no wonder President Obama chose Al Arabiya for his first interview instead of the network funded by his fellow taxpayers.
Alhurra continues to disappoint. But don’t expect those pulling the strings to admit defeat. They insist that viewership is on the rise and hope that shows like Al Youm will further turn the tides in their favor. James Glassman served as the chairman of the BBG, until he resigned in June to become Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy. He recently wrote an impassioned defense of Alhurra an>, which he said “has established itself as a significant source of news and information in the Middle East” and is still improving. Glassman referred to the network’s new show as “the kind of programming it has needed for a long time.”
Glassman’s apologist rant comes in response to all those who believe Alhurra is a waste of money that needs to be shut down. That’s not about to happen. The same way Radio/TV Marti continues to operate, and Radio Free Europe stays on air, Alhurra will continue to exist in some form. People in charge there will continue to do what they think pleases Washington officials… but the media will always have a story to pursue.
Indeed, Glassman’s recent post was openly critical of the press, but he was careful to clarify things in an update several days later. He said:
“I was primarily responding to the “60 Minutes” and Washington Post pieces, which appeared around the same time, and pieces by bloggers of the sort who don’t do their own research but simply hitch a ride on that of others. I was emphatically not referring to the work of Joel Mowbray… which led to… the resignation of Larry Register, which occurred the day I was sworn in as chairman of the BBG.
Alhurra is a different network today from what it was in early 2007, and Mowbray’s articles catalyzed that change. One of the problems with the “60 Minutes” broadcast is that it did not recognize the change and relied heavily on Register as a source.”
Larry Register succeeded the brains behind Alhurra, Moufac Harb, as news director. He spoke no Arabic and made questionable managerial decisions, but the editorial changes he was making appeared to be in the right direction, even if they did ruffle some feathers on Capitol Hill. In an effort to gain credibility for the struggling TV station, Register made many gutsy decisions. For example, he authorized live coverage of an important speech by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nassrallah. So the Israel lobby unleashed a right-wing journalist by the name of Joel Mowbray who could rally opposition to Register’s reforms. His criticisms were formed out of context and wholly invalid, but he managed to stir up enough of a firestorm to force Register’s eventual resignation.
He was eventually replaced by an unqualified gentleman who had previously worked as an advocate for Michel Aoun. Things today at Alhurra continue as they have for the last five years. The truth is that it could have some degree of success if certain changes were made. I won’t get into all that now, especially since none of it lies in the immediate realm of possibility.
Still, the struggling television channel can be a reliable source of entertainment and laughs; the YouTube videos that are available represent only a small portion. Over 400 have been posted so far (there are more on the official website). To date, they have only received two comments:
Betty 5891: wow im the first one to watch this! this vid is dumb but i was just searching for someting new. i rated this 5 **** because no reason
Betty 5891: hello again !
A while back, Will posted about one of the polls Alhurra administers on its tightly controlled website. There have been numerous others since then, although the number of participants is impossible to determine. My favorite was the one asking them whether or not they think it important to improve dietary habits such as cutting back on red meats and fat.
I’m glad I had some steak tonight.
