By overhauling its news programmes, Egyptian television hopes to compete with top Arab channels. Hanan Sabra adjusts her screen Officials at the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) are working hard to upgrade their output so as to make their broadcast up to par with such prominent Arab news channels as Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya. Last week, ERTU began improving the content on the Nile Specialised News Channel, as well as the local Channels 1 and 2. The new programmes which cost LE14million were launched on the specialised news channel -- now called Nile Misr News (NMN). The broadcast is airing from the more hi-tech Studio 5, and carries a logo of 'Test Broadcast' on the screen. The news bar scrolling across the screen on all television channels was also upgraded, at a cost of $40,000. New broadcasts were launched, such as the daily Mobashir Min Al-Qahira (Live from Cairo), which is a combined social and political programme focusing on the most important events taking place in Egypt. Hala Hasheesh, head of NMN, will return to the screen as the anchor of Hiwar Min Washington (Interview from Washington), which she will co-host with the US-based diplomat Hisham El-Naqeeb. Unsuccessful programmes were cancelled altogether, while others -- such as Sabah Gadid (New Morning) -- were given a face-lift. A new web site for NMN was also created. Hasheesh believes that it "can compete with those of CNN, Al-Jazeera a nd Al-Arabiya ". Although Nile News has been on air for nearly a decade, Hasheesh explained that they decided to inform viewers that they are still in the experimental phase of the upgrade. "We preferred to use 'test broadcast', to experiment with broadcast techniques and inform our viewers that we have yet to finalise our look," she told Al-Ahram Weekly. "This isn't our best yet." Abdel-Latif El-Menawy, head of the news sector at ERTU, told the Weekly that upgrading the news broadcasts and programmes is part of an agreement between ERTU and BBC. The BBC will oversee news writing, presenting and programming on Egyptian TV through training courses to anchors. After rigorous exams, several well- known anchors were taken off the newshour roaster, including Khairy Hassan, Hanan Mansour, Safaa Hegazy and Omayma Ibrahim. They were among the most experienced news anchors who read both six and nine o'clock news. "It is better to have new fresh blood on screen every now and then," explained El-Menawy. "The old anchors will not be retired, but will present other news programmes." But Hassan told the Weekly, that he has in fact been unofficially retired. "We have been sent home since the upgrading of the sector," he insisted. "It is unfair to be banned from work without clear reasons after having served Egyptian television for more than 20 years, and on a very low salary at that." A despondent Hassan continued that sector officials "placed all the responsibility of television's deterioration on our shoulders, which is untrue". He described the overhaul of the news sector as "a farce which is costing millions of pounds", when all the changes are merely cosmetic, such as new studio decor, and allegedly inflated salaries for new, inexperienced staff. "This is all for nothing, since the latest statistics by the BBC show that the viewership of Egyptian television is only 17 per cent of the population." Changes in the sector are not only apparent on-camera. Off-camera editors also underwent thorough training courses. "The sector's new plan is to depend more on live reports and video conferencing via satellite, especially from the places where much is happening," explained El-Menawy. "That's why it was important to add more correspondents from around the world, such as in Lebanon, the US and UK. Soon, there will also be reporters in Iran, South Africa and Latin America." NMN's website is not the only information technology tool at the news sector's disposal however. 'Egy Mobile' updates clients on the latest news from Egypt via SMS (short message service), and, currently, has some 35,000 subscribers according to Ibrahim El-Sayed, the head of the central committee for news at the ERTU. Both El-Menawy and Hasheesh hope that the revamping of news programming will improve Egyptian television's competitiveness and viewership. Nonetheless, El-Menawy admitted that "more needs to be done." As for other plans for Egyptian television, ERTU's head of news asserted that no ground channels will be put up for sale, but that some may be integrated together. "We are currently studying this idea, as well as a new law that allows the establishment of privately-owned ground."
