Alhurra and Radio Sawa Make Their Mark in Syria

Alhurra and Radio Sawa Make Their Mark in Syria

SPRINGFIELD, Va., March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- A new ACNielsen survey conducted in Syria shows that millions of viewers are tuning into Alhurra television. Conducted in December and January, just ten months after the satellite television network with launched, Alhurra (Arabic for "The Free One") has a weekly viewership of 39 percent among all Syrian adults (15 and over) residing in satellite television households. The survey also indicated that Alhurra was a source of credible news with 60 percent of Alhurra viewers stating that the news on Alhurra is reliable.

Alhurra was not the only U.S. international broadcasting effort to make strides in Syria. The ACNielsen survey concluded that 13 percent of all adults in Syria listened to Radio Sawa on a weekly basis. This is in spite of the fact that Radio Sawa does not broadcast directly to Syria and can only be heard on transmissions directed to Egypt and Jordan. As with Alhurra, Radio Sawa also proved to be a source of credible news for Syrians with 75 percent of the listeners finding the news to be reliable.

"Right now, more than ever, it is critical that U.S. international broadcasting provide objective and accurate news to the citizens of Syria and this new research shows that Alhurra and Radio Sawa are doing just that," stated Norman J. Pattiz, Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors Middle East Committee. "For the first time in U.S. international broadcasting history we are able to reach a mass audience in Syria."

"Where are those critics who said we could not mass an audience in the Arab world? But what's most important is these young people are hearing about concepts like freedom and democracy," Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

Launched on Feb. 14, 2004, Alhurra quickly made a name for itself by broadcasting balanced news and information. Alhurra's diverse schedule includes news, talk shows, debates, documentaries and entertaining information programs on a wide variety of subjects from sports to fashion to technology, which attracts millions of viewers. The 24-hour channel transmits across the region in Arabic and can be seen via Arabsat and Nilesat which reach approximately 120 million satellite viewers in 22 countries.

Six months after the launch of Alhurra, ACNielsen conducted surveys in eight countries in the region. Weekly viewing rates among adults residing in satellite TV households ranged from 12 to 33 percent depending on the country. Alhurra has also proven itself to be a credible source of news and information. In all the countries surveyed, between 53 and 81 percent of Alhurra's regular viewers stated that Alhurra's news is reliable.

Radio Sawa is one of the most popular stations in the Middle East, broadcasting over 325 newscasts per week -- newscasts whose goal is to present accurate and balanced information about events in the Middle East and the world. The station's news, along with its unique mix of the biggest hits in Western and Arabic contemporary music, is listened to millions of Arabic speakers every week all across the region from Sudan to Morocco.

In July and August of 2004, between 25 and 63 percent of adults in five key countries were tuning in to Radio Sawa on a weekly basis, according to surveys conducted by ACNielsen. News credibility for Radio Sawa ranged from 55 to 86 percent of Radio Sawa listeners saying the news was reliable.

Alhurra and Radio Sawa are operated by a non-profit corporation called "The Middle East Television Network, Inc." (MTN). MTN is financed by the American people through the U.S. Congress. MTN receives this funding through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency. The BBG serves as oversight and as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters.

The ACNielsen surveys for Alhurra and Radio Sawa were face-to-face interviews conducted in Arabic December 2004 and early January 2005. Political conditions inside Syria make conducting surveys throughout the country difficult. The sample size was 1516 adults, 15 years and older. This survey covered urban and semi-urban areas of Syria. There is a 2.5 percent margin of error.

Source: Middle East Television Network, Inc.

CONTACT: Deirdre Kline, Director of Communications of The Middle East Television Network, Inc., +1-703-852-9250, or dkline@alhurra.com

Web site: http://www.alhurra.com/

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