The Journal of Middle East Broadcasters (MEB Journal) is the official publication of the Middle East Broadcasters (MEB) Association, the first and only professional trade association specifically focused on promoting professional growth and development of broadcasters in the 22 pan-Arab countries. 

The MEB Journal is the first comprehensive magazine focused on the Arab media and television industry. The MEB Journal covers all aspects of the emerging broadcasting and production sector in the Middle East, featuring exclusive industry news, high profile interviews and in-depth reports on all the latest trends shaping the business.

ssue 12: May- June 2007
MEB Journal issue12

    * Music channels at a crossroads
    * MBC's Muna Abusulayman on 'soft talk'
    * Arab radio market expands into new territory
    * Reviewing Cabsat and NAB 2007

Download MEB Journal, May/June 2007

PDF version, 11.2mb, 60pages.

MEB at NAB 2007

The conference discussed the market’s status, the obstacles hindering the industry, and introduced solutions such as forthcoming training workshops and seminars and the transferring of new technologies, highlighting the opportunities available for Western firms to enter this booming market through NAB/MEB programs.

News of the conference made its way to industry publications covering the USA, Europe and even Australia. This interest in the conference is a clear reflection of the importance of the Middle East’s broadcasting market and its promising future.

The hour-long MEB presentation generated more than 116 leads requesting the MEB/NAB presentation on DVD.
The next phase of MEB/NAB collaboration will be the implementation of actual projects to help ensure a smoother transition of Western firms to the market place. New programs include the initiation of projects such as MEB’s Broadcasting City, MEB’s connection program, and the popular City Seminar project, which is likely to be implemented soon given the high interest from significant regional and international parties.

MEB will continue to play a catalyzing role to educate and inform the international broadcasting industry of the Arab market’s potential and keep you, the Arab broadcaster, up to date with the latest knowledge and technologies.

If you are an MEB Association member interested in obtaining a copy of the MEB presentation on DVD or need further information about the programs offered by MEB please contact us at info@mebassociation.com.

Cover Story: End of the boom?

The music channel industry is at a crossroads. Will big new players like MTV Arabiya and MuchMusic, which bring Western music and international funding, change the industry?

If you’ve turned on a television in the Middle East over the past five years, you’ve undoubtedly seen some of the many multitudes of music video channels colonizing the screen with their trademark mish-mash of kitsch graphics and endless streaming of text messages.

If you haven’t been watching at home, you’d be hard pressed to escape their mind-numbing pulsations at your local cafe, restaurant or hair salon.

The truth is that, for better or worse, music video channels may seem to be everywhere because they are everywhere: nearly 50 of them now populate the region’s airwaves. Often littered with sophomoric love notes sent in from young people across the Arab World, their growth has been fueled by viewers’ desire to communicate, a sociological phenomenon that has made channel and telecom operators millions of dollars over recent years. But the easy profitability of this business is steadily diminishing. Serious changes could be afoot as two high-profile international brands arrive on the scene with an unteste format that promises a new fusion of Arabic and Western music.

Canada’s MuchMusic launched an Arab version earlier this year, while MTVArabiya will debut by the end of 2007. There is also speculation that Naguib Sawiris, the controlling owner of Egyptian telecom giant Orascom, will soon launch a music channel as part of his O TV network.

The entry of these well-funded new players comes at a critical time for the market, which is currently split between a slew of low-budget, small-scale operations and a more select group of multichannel networks like Rotana, Mazzika and Melody, which also operate record labels. The smaller players, often marked by a crude graphical interface, rely almost entirely on revenues from SMS messages, explaining the increasing encroachment of text plastered across their screens.

The record label channels, on the other hand, see their networks as outlets for promoting the artists they represent. Either way however, the explosion in channels has not been met by an explosion in revenues and industry insiders say weaker stations will soon be abandoning the airwaves. ...

Visit MEB Journal Official Website

Published by The Middle East Broadcasters (MEB) Associations.

The Middle East Broadcasters (MEB) Association is the first and only professional trade association specifically focused on promoting professional growth and development of broadcasters in the 22 pan-Arab countries.

The MEB Association is dedicated to improving the quality of television and radio broadcasting in the Middle East. The MEB Association is supporting the region’s massive investment in broadcast technology by providing practical education, the latest techniques, and the newest ideas to the Middle Eastern professionals who are operating these stations. Neither political, sectarian, ideological, nor nationalist, the MEB Association advocates for excellence, diversity, and accuracy from all broadcasters in the Middle East.

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