Watching TV in Baghdad

The other day a reader currently in Baghdad casually let drop in an email something about how much of al Hurra was in English with Arabic subtitles.  Long pause, we let that sink in, and then I started wondering about that.  So my reader cheerfully agreed to keep a TV diary for a day or so just to see what al Hurra and the other stations were showing.  Without commentary, and with only light editing to protect his identity, I turn the Aardvark Platform over to my Baghdad correspondent:

Begin report:

I haven't watched enough Al Hurra for you to say much about what percentage is subtitled. I've turned it on 3 times in the past 2 days. This afternoon, there was a documentary on Marlon Brando's impact on cinema acting (english with arabic subtitles), yesterday I watched a rebroadcast of what I think was a BBC documentary on Taliban attrocities, including full footage of the woman being executed at the Kabul football stadium (english with arabic subtitles) and right now (2130 in baghdad) a moderated talk show/debate on darfur (arabic).   

At 1100 today (friday) it's showing a sports highlight show, with arabic voiceover. It was the Gillette world of sport show. The highlights package started with an explanation of how excited the people of jacksonville were about hosting the super-bowl, followed by a luge competition from Europe (a 5 minute package on luge --the longest I've seen outside of the olympics), then some cycling from australia and some extreme winter sports (jumping snow mobiles and trick skiing). No football, martial arts, or team handball in sight (someone should do a dissertation about the arab interest in team handball).

At 1130 did the news highlights for 5 minutes in arabic. Started with something on Rumsfeld, then Abu Mazen, then whitehouse reaction to the isreal ceasefire, something about what walid jumblatt is up to and something about post-tsunami india. Then launched into a half-hour program on the NBA -- "Jam!" in english with arabic subtitles. Some very fetching cheerleaders in the opening credits (if that won't make Arabs love us, I don't know what will) followed by the first feature, about that loveable lug from the Lakers, Vladi Divac, at home in Belgrade. I'll check in after the basketball show – maybe they'll have footage from Khadimiya for the first friday of Moharram.

*****
1530 on Friday, Al Hurra is running a show on how US customs agents train with blackhawk helicopters and eavesdropping equipment to stop drug smuggling into the US. In english with arabic subtitles. The”journalist” dresses up in uniform and carries an M-16 to join a training mission.

A commercial break teasing the news starts with pictures of the bloody bakery in baghdad (an attack on a bakery this morning killed 11), rumsfeld again, then abu mazen again. Then back to the exiting world of US customs interdiction (a customs inspector explains to the gushing "journalist" how drugs can be hidden in shampoo bottles). 

Meanwhile, Al-Arabia is carrying the live press conference that may bring final Iraqi election results it's just started, but it's looking routine, so they cut away quickly to more general news.) Jazeera is carrying a piece on Arab language teaching and teaching of the Koran to Moslem schoolkids in England the word "Islamophobia" is used, but i don't really understand what's going on). As Al-Hurra's customs story drones on, Al Jazeera turns to the day's newspaper front pages, starting with the israeli ones: A story on reports of rising  attacks on jews in europe (from haaretz, i think), a story from haaretz about french complaints on Israeli arms sales to ivory coast (Haaretz), and a Jerusalem Post story on US relations. They then turn to leading Arabic papers -- the first is something about Saad
al-Faqih in Al Quds Al-Arabi

****

Top of the hour (1700 baghdad) all 3 are running arabic langauge programming. Hurra, to their credit is doing something on Tunisian team handball in its sports segment. While Al Hurra does sports, Al Jazeera carries a story on Condi in europe (some of her speech at the EU) then a story about anti-north korea protests in seoul (signs saying "Down with Kim Jong Il"). Arabia is carrying a 2 way with their reporter in Gaza (i think). After my review of the arab owned channels, i head back to al hurra: They're carrying an arab language story about the grand-opening of a new yacht marina in Qatar and a round-the-world sailboat race starting from there. The gulfie prince being interviewed seems excited.

One more lap through at 1715: Al Jazeera is carrying some kind of story about israel and the palestinians (not clear to me -- excited commentator talking by phone over people shopping in prosperous looking towns), Arabia is carrying a story on North Korea (probably about nukes) and then a story about the US lawyer for Omar Abdel Rahman, named stewart, being convicted for helping him smuggle tracts out of prison. There's a protest in her support at the courthouse. Back at Al Hurra (now 1724) they're on a commercial break advertising a pop music show called "Club Sawa" then back to the program -- a recap of a basketball game, some sort of Arab professional tournament, probably being held in Lebanon. It's looking like all sports news on Hurra today. The basketball piece is followed by a story on Egypt's most succesful soccer team Ahly (disclosure, i support Ahly) and its biggest fan, a taxi driver who leads chants at all the big games. His friend wears a tarbush with Ahly's logo on it.
***

UPDATE:

1930 Arabia: News roundup. In a few minutes i see a piece on japan reaction to nukes in north korea, then sports (bare-shirt figure skater, the lebanon basketball tournament), i think it's the tail end of the 7 oclock news.
Jazeera -- Also at the tail end of a news program. Something on snow in afghanistan and conditions on the streets of Kabul -- folks seem pretty happy. Kids sliding down hillsides and throwing snowballs, then a newsroundup on the suicide bomibng at a shiite mosque today, rummie in iraq and abu mazen dismissing security officials.
Hurra -- News in arabic. Abu Mazen, gaza security; seems like hard news (the show before was english with arabic subtitles about the Green Tree Snake as an amazing predator).

p.s. the jazeera and arabia presenters are WAY hotter than any woman I've seen on Hurra so far.
***

Aardvark here: I probably should have taken out that postscript to protect my correspondent's honor, but hey, in light of the ongoing Nancy Ajram wars, all data is good data,  right? FWIW, I think that Jumana Nimour, who used to host Minbar al Jazeera and for some reason seems to be on leave right now, may be the most attractive woman on TV... seeing as how Mrs Aardvark isn't on TV, that is.   

But honestly, the Green Tree Snake... that's great. The BBG sends out an "Alhurra update" every couple of weeks which rounds up the political coverage that's been on the air, which mainly reassures us that Salama Nimaat is doing well, since he seems to be on  some show every other night.  But somehow they never mention the Green Tree snake.

One other thing... whose bright idea was it to have al Hurra profile Vlade Divac, a *Serb* celebrity,   About whom the following article was once written:  "Vlade's three-finger salute:  The Kings’ center is using the same sign language Serbs used to terrorize Muslims. And he’s OK with that."  I mean, nothing against Serbs (maybe a little something against the LA Lakers), but don't you think that Muslims, who remember that whole Bosnia thing pretty vividly, might not overly identify with a Serb?  Or maybe that was the point, to break down stereotypes?  Or was this some kind of inside joke from the Lebanese Phalangists who, according to the Arab gossip mill, run al Hurra?   Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that that was the point, and that it didn't just ever occur to them...

Anyway, thanks, Baghdad coorespondent - commenting on the Arab media is pretty addictive, eh?  Hope this is as interesting to you readers out there as it was to me!

Comments

[Chan'ad]

Yeah, I agree. Although Jazeera and Arabia also show programmes produced in the west, they are almost always dubbed, not subtitled. It makes a difference.

Al-Hurra really is useless. I thought it would be interesting to see the US govt employ their great propaganda skills to win over the Arab hearts and minds, but this just isn't being done.

[Jeff]

Al-Hurra also carries a lot of Inside the Actors Studio with subtitles. Is there an American public figure more unlikeable than James Lipton?

[JaB]

Isn't Vlade with the Kings?

[Stacey]

Okay, I have to register a dissenting voice, here. Al-Hurra is self-important, and its ads (for itself!) are beyond ridiculous. If it was only meant to compete with al-Jazeera and al-Arabiyya, I would find it lacking, for reasons mentioned by many here in the past.

BUT...Al-Hurra does more than (failingly) compete on news coverage. By bringing a range of US programming, especially documentary-type pieces on a variety of features of US society and culture, it IS helping to diversify images of the US in Arab popular imaginings. This assumes that it's being watched, but according to a fair number of my Egyptian friends (more than Lebanese friends, I have to admit), it is being watched - just not for news. Believe it or not, some people like to watch Inside the Actors Studio, James Lipton be damned. On the subtitles issue - obviously, the station is attempting to impact literate middle classes first. But if these people are opinion-makers in the ME, why is that bad?

I'm no US policy apologist, and I can smell propaganda as well as the next guy, but breaking down relatively monolithic images of US culture and society is a good thing.

[the aardvark]

Stacey - that's the best defense of al Hurra I've heard yet... but it doesn't really get us very far I don't think. For the al Hurra management, the news/ political programming is the hot fudge sundae and the documentaries are the plastic container they come in. And my experience for the last decade has been that I could watch as many American TV shows as I wanted on various satellite television stations and often even on the older official stations. Access to American popular culture - movies, TV, music, even nature documentaries - just isn't the problem.

So while I'm certainly open to the idea that the documentaries and other programming are offering some kind of expanded vision of America, I'm not convinced that (a) this is actually what al Hurra is trying to do; (b) that this is a cost-effective way to do it, if it were the mission; and (c) that those programs wouldn't be available via the existing non-USG stations anyway.

I'm interested to hear that your Egyptian friends are watching it at all, though, since I've rarely heard that from anyone else.

Interesting cut at the problem, though...

[Stacey]

Cher Abu,

Thanks for considering it, at least. I posted a longer version of my take with a few better examples on al-Hiwar.

I'm basically in agreement on points (a) and (b), and your sundae analogy is certainly and ufortunately apt. But on point (c), I don't see quality alternative US programming on the satellite channels (paid or free) that we get, and we get a boatload. We get TONS of "Reba" and "According to Jim," and even old reruns of classics like "Benson," but little non-fiction. So in this way, al-Hurra's not a TOTAL waste of your taxes. Still, point taken.

[Jeff]

Al-Hurra is really similar to Egypt's Nile TV, which runs news and talk shows in French and English - with more of English. They also play Arabic documentaries and movies with French or English subtitles.

No ones going to watch Nile TV for actual news - they'll turn it to CNN or the BBC. But they might watch Nile TV's news just for the novelty of it or watch the odd Arabic program because of the rare subtitles.

[praktike]

Benson is the greatest show ever created.

[praktike]

OT:

Oh, and this story's right up your alley.

[Christine]

I live in Cairo, and would love to know when and on what channel "Benson" airs. I'm sometimes nostalgic for the days of my youth.

Abu Aardvark: This was a very interesting post, and it's inspired me to undertake a side-by-side comparison of the various satellite channels myself.

As for the hotness of the presenters, I think Khadija, who appears on "al-sharia wal-haya", is attractive too, and she has that husky-voice thing going on.

Just my two cents.