Mohamed Baraka reviews the experimental transmission of Egypt's latest independent TV channel A little girl, who appears to be in a dark storage area, takes a few confident steps towards a giant door. Firmly, she opens it. Suddenly light floods the whole area. "It's On TV ... Stay in the lighted area," says the promo of the newest television channel "On TV". This extraordinarily eye-catching slogan might reflect the policy of one of the latest Egyptian independent satellite channels. A preliminary reading of the channel's programme chart indicates that the main themes of the newly born channel are values of enlightenment and antagonism towards reactionary ideas, and focussing on a way of materialising a concept of Egyptian identity that runs from the age of ancient Egypt until the present time. Among other themes, channel promos depict, in an artistic style, wooden horses moving slowly against the backdrop of popular celebrations; the backing process at a public bakery; and a lovely young woman practising gymnastics. With this, the channel confirms its tendency towards restoring the true Egyptian spirit, and support of the poor, and more importantly its full support of women's issues. The time of the experimental transmission was smart and surprising. It took place at 2pm on 6 October 2008, the moment the first air strike of the 1973 October war was launched. So, what is the significance here? "It was a moment of pride and honour for every Egyptian, the moment when we regained our dignity, and when the whole world started to respect the Arab world again. So it was just the perfect time to launch the channel," said Naguib Sawiris, the businessman owner of the channel. "I only wish that the channel would work as a bridge towards a better future for the whole of society." Since the sudden boom of satellite channels which began in the late 1990s, businessmen have been reluctant to engage in this new venture. The first such attempt was made by Ahmed Bahgat, who established the two sister channels: Dream 1 and Dream 2. Hassan Rateb then set up "Al-Mihwar", while the last experience was "OTV", also owned by Sawiris. What distinguishes OTV from other independent channels is its unique use of colloquial Egyptian in all its programmes, including news bulletins, which is a fairly odd concept in the Egyptian media. The question is: what more could this new channel be offering the audience? "OTV addresses a younger audience, particularly teenagers, and attempts to find a common language between the media and their own special world. However, On TV addresses an older generation and further discusses the issues more seriously," On TV chairman Emad Gad says. "Out of Context" is one of the channel's interesting programmes. Presented by announcer and physician Khaled Montasser, the programme addresses a number of issues that deal with the influence of taboos in our daily life, such as the ban on drawing naked models at the Cairo Fine Arts College and the image of Copts in Egyptian drama. Prominent vernacular poet Ahmed Fouad Negm is the presenter of a weekly programme called "Oum ya Masri," (Stand Up, Egyptian), which takes its title from Sayed Darwish's famous song. The popular programme investigates the roots of some cultural traditions such as puppet shows, musical monologues, and ballads, arts and entertainment that are threatened with disappearance. The programme also aims at shedding light on the masters, and the remaining performers of such arts. The programme is performed in a well-decorated studio to resemble a Cairo café, but, sadly enough, it is merely a copy of another programme called "Our Lovers", also presented by Negm on Dream Channel. Another pleasant surprise is the programme presented by composer and artist Mohamed Noah, which digs deep into the Egyptian musical identity. His programme focuses on several issues, especially music and song in ancient Egypt. The most amusing part of the programme is when Noah brings to the studio singers with a background of hieroglyphs, to perform the songs in the way our ancestors did. Also similar is a programme entitled "In the very beginning", presented by Wassim Al-Sissi, a prominent researcher of ancient Egyptian civilisation. It aims at presenting, in a modest and appealing way, the many aspects of the ancient Egyptian civilisation, especially in medicine, philosophy and ethics. Amid fierce competition from Egyptian and Arab satellite channels, the success and continuation of On TV remains questionable. Only in January 2009, the time of its official transmission, will audiences and critics alike judge the channel's ability to survive.
