Arab world's the Hotspot.....

(VIA: International Herald Tribune)

A media battle for hearts and market share in the Middle East "is evolving into a teeming crowd of Western news organizations poised to deliver headlines--and geopolitical views--in the language of the Koran," reports the International Herald Tribune. With government backing, Germany's Deutsche Welle plans to air as much as 24 hours of news programming in Arabic this autumn, while a French CNN-style Arabic channel is in development. Even the state-owned Russia Today is eying the region, with plans for a Web site and Arabic television. Only CNN is holding back for now--sticking with its Arabic Web site, currently getting more than 300,000 unique visitors per month. "I'm losing track," says Jerry Timmins, head of the BBC World Service's operations in Africa and the Middle East. "There's pretty much of an announcement a week, and it seems to be part of the fashion industry." His operation is already in the fray, spending $35 million to roll out an Arabic news broadcast in the fall, starting with 12 hours a day and moving to round-the-clock coverage. "People will have a look" at the new channels, predicts Nasib Bitar, a Dubai-based producer and media consultant. "It all depends on content and how they run it. I believe if any broadcaster showed compassion through its programming, people would watch." - Read the whole story...