“Al-Arab” Channel Experience in the light of TV Media in Bahrain

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London-Bahrain Press Association: The opposition Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society chose to use the launching day of “Al-Arab” channel, owned by the Saudi millionaire Alwaleed bin Talal in Manama on the 1st February, 2015, as an opportunity to re-submit an official request to open a satellite channel. Al-Wefaq stressed in its statement that its request dates back to several years and that “there is nothing that hinders the authorities from approving the request of opening a satellite channel, especially that they approved to open Al-Arab channel.” However, instead of granting Al-Wefaq the needed licenses, the authorities closed down Al-Arab channel, only few hours after it started to broadcast.

Commentators attributed the closing down of “Al-Arab” channel to; hosting the Deputy Secretary-General of Al-Wefaq, conflicts of the channel’s owner within the Saudi ruling family and “the channel’s extreme approach”, according to the Bahraini Minister of Interior, are the direct reasons for this sudden closing down. This might be true, however, it still does not reveal the real problems that encounter the TV media in Bahrain. This dramatic closure of Al-Arab channel or the authorities’ delay to grant license to establish a private channel for Al-Wefaq or others are not but a cover to the fragile media structure.

The audio and visual media in Bahrain are subjected to the government’s monopoly. There are no laws or legislations that allow the creation of private channels. For instance, the only available law that regulates the media activism, definitions and its ways of practicing is “Press, Printing and Publishing Law” published in 2002. This law remarkably ignore tackling the television and radio media, however, it contains 96 articles regarding the establishment of the legislative base for the publications, printery, library, journalism, publisher, publication house, public opinion polling house, advertising and promoting office and even news agencies. This law embraced everything expect for the audio and visual media.

Despite this, Bahrain allowed, on different periods, to launch or establish offices inside Bahrain for channels amid special arrangements with their owners, Al-Arab channel is only an example. There are offices in Bahrain for the “Saudi Al-Ekhbariya Channel”, “Sky News”, “Al-Arabiya” and “Rotana Group”. The authorities also granted in 2012 a license to the “Al-Etihad” channel which it remained to broadcast from the Information Affairs Authority’s studios until it stopped in 2015.

Indeed, the government does not rely on the aforementioned Bahraini media law to allow the activism of these channels, it rather relies on the commercial companies that allow the opening of an office to produce and broadcast media issues. Article 347 of the law stipulates that the companies incorporated abroad may “establish branches, agencies or offices in the State of Bahrain.” However, the minister of Commerce and Industry may exempt the company from this provision of a Bahraini sponsor “if the company’s branch or office shall use Bahrain as a regional centre or a representative office for the company’s activities.” Most of the foreign channels and their branches make use of this article to work in the country. However, it seems that this article is but a fragile entrance the government effort to legislate, the basic, political decisions.

The Saudi millionaire and owner of Al-Arab Channel, AlWaleed bin Talal, reached an agreement with the head of royal court during the political crisis that stipulates practicing the channel’s activities in Bahrain. The agreement signed between the two men on the 24th of December 2011 stipulated that the channel receives facilities including that “it receives an annual monetary support from Bahrain of $10 million for 10 years.”

However, when the trouble began all the ignored articles of the laws were recalled. The president of the Information Affairs Authority announced that “the channel owners did not complete the licenses to practice its activity, meaning that they did not get a commercial license for the media activism. They, nonetheless, did not apply for the satellite airing or got it from another party other that is not affiliated to the Information Authority affairs.” He explained that “when opening a satellite channel, you first get a commercial license and then should be followed by other licenses such as the license of satellite airing,” according to him.

Nine ministers have assumed the post in the Ministry of Information Affairs during 20 years. Their visions in how to develop the media structure varied, yet there remains an issue that almost all of them agreed upon; developing a mechanism to allow the license of satellite airing. More than one minister worked on his “own” media law that incorporated the satellite airing license and put an end to the government’s monopoly. Sameera Rajab, the Minister of State for Media Affairs, talked about the new law of “media and telecommunications” that includes articles that allow opening private television channels and announced that “the issue of private channels will sooner or later be addresses and there must be legislations that organise this matter,” indicating that “the new law tackled the audio and visual media in a way that allows opening private channels according to regulations and standards.” For his part, Isa bin Abdulrahman Al-Hammadi, the minister of Information Affairs of Bahrain, stated that “the current strategic approach opens the doors of investment in the media field and private channels.” Al-Hammadi also talked about “the importance of the existence of a visual media law.”

It is true that the existence of a legal base for the visual media is needed, however, what is more important is the existence of a serious political will that allows voices other than that of the government, like the  media experience of Dubai or “Hyde Park” media in Lebanon or Britain. The promises of developing the current media law or adjusting it or replacing it dates back to the moment it was adopted in 2002. The law was stuck between the legislative and executive authorities all over the years from 2003 till 2007. However, even if these amendments were passed, they will remain subjected to ongoing exploitation if no political will that puts an end to the government’s actual monopoly over the television media is developed. This includes organising the broadcasting process and needed legal structure or opening investment in the media filed or allowing the emergence of opposition channels.

Source: http://www.bahrainpa.org/?p=372