Alhurra (Arabic: الحرّة), Arabic for The Free One) is a United States-based satellite TV channel, sponsored by the U.S. government (more specifically, funded by the U.S. Congress, directed entirely by the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors, and technically operated as a non-profit organization under the name of Middle East Broadcasting Network or "MBN," along with its sister and precursor, Radio Sawa), that began broadcasting on February 14, 2004 in 22 countries across the Middle East. U.S. Government sources generally refer to the channel as Al-Hurra, and it is also referred to as Al Hurra. Like all forms of U.S. public diplomacy (propaganda), its broadcast is forbidden in the U.S. itself under the 1948 Smith-Mundt Act. The Arabic language (Arabic: ‎ transliterated: ), or simply Arabic (Arabic: ‎ transliterated: ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Artists impression of a Boeing 601 satellite, as configured for digital television transmission by SES Astra Satellite television is television delivered by way of communications satellites, as compared to conventional terrestrial television and cable television. ... ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) is an independent agency of the United States government, responsible for all U.S. government and government sponsored, non-military, international broadcasting. ... Radio Sawa is a radio station, run and funded by the United States government, and broadcast in Arabic. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... In international relations, the term public diplomacy is a term coined in the 1960s to describe aspects of international diplomacy other than the interactions between national governments. ... It has been suggested that Propaganda in the United States be merged into this article or section. ... The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 was a piece of federal legislation in the United States. ...

Primary purpose

Its express purpose is to counter biases that the United States sees in the Arab world's news media, specifically from Qatar-based Al Jazeera and United Arab Emirates-based Al Arabiya. Alhurra has pledged to provide accurate and balanced news. Arab audiences have been skeptical of the channel's motives. For Wikipedias policy on avoiding bias, see Wikipedia:Neutral point of view. ... News media satellite up-link trucks and photojournalists gathered outside the Prudential Financial headquarters in Newark, New Jersey in August, 2004 following the announcement of evidence of a terrorist threat to it and to buildings in New York City. ... Al Jazeera logo Al Jazeera (الجزيرة), meaning The Island or The (Arabian) Peninsula (whence also Algiers) is an Arabic television channel based in Qatar. ... Al-Arabiya is an Arabic-language satellite news channel based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates which began broadcasting in February 2003, launched with an investment of $300 million from the Saudi-owned MBC, the Lebanese Hariri Group, and others. ... News is new information or current events. ...

Funding

The budget for its first year was US$62 million, and $40 million more for an Iraq-specific station. $652 million has been requested for international broadcasting in 2006, which would include specific coverage for European Muslims, and a Persian language station. The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... Persian is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ...

This network is operated by a non-profit organization called The Middle East Television Network, Inc., which in turn is funded by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). The BBG is known for funding Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, among others. The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) is an independent agency of the United States government, responsible for all U.S. government and government sponsored, non-military, international broadcasting. ... The Voice of America (VOA) is the official international broadcasting service of the Government of the United States. ... Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a radio and communications organization which is funded by the United States Congress. ...

• Alhurra has a staff of about 200 people, most of whom moved to the United States from Arab countries where many had worked for competing television channels.
• Other related American-funded projects include the Arabic-language Radio Sawa, and the Arabic-English magazine, hi.

Operations are based in the community of Springfield in Fairfax County, Virginia near Washington, DC. Radio Sawa is a radio station, run and funded by the United States government, and broadcast in Arabic. ... Hi Magazine (also Hi International) is a glossy, teen lifestyle publication targeted at Middle Eastern and Muslim youth. ... Springfield is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community located in Fairfax County, Virginia. ... Official website: http://www. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United...

Content

Alhurra’s broadcasting is varied, targeted at the general public, particularly those under the age of 30. Programs include entertainment, documentaries, and news. Alhurra has expressed their intention to be as unbiased as possible.

The station is part of a campaign to reduce the level of anti-American sentiment in Arab countries, but it is not supposed to be an expressly pro-American organization or a propaganda outlet. The journalists associated with Alhurra avoid the use of loaded terminology, for example, suicide bombers are not described as martyrs — a popular description in many Arabic news organizations. Cover of Anti-Americanism by French author Jean-Francois Revel. ... It has been suggested that Propaganda in the United States be merged into this article or section. ... A language construct, such as a word or a question, is said to be loaded if it carries meaning or implications beyond its strict definition (its denotation). ... A suicide bombing is a bomb attack on people or property, committed by a person who knows the explosion will cause his or her own death (see suicide, suicide weapons). ... Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for their convictions or religious faith, such as during the persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire. ...

Some observers see the coverage as pro-American or boring, and others say viewers consider it as a bland Lebanese station reflecting the primary ethnic make-up of its staff.

The station’s news coverage is heavily weighted toward statements by American officials, and U.S. president George W. Bush’s speeches are broadcast, sometimes taking up most of the news broadcast time. U.S. military officials are interviewed when events occur in Iraq, and Israeli officials speak on events in southern Lebanon and Palestine. For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States and a former governor of Texas. ... The West Bank map The Gaza Strip map Palestinian territories is one of a number of terms used to describe, from Arab point of view, areas captured by Israel in the Six-day War of 1967, whose political status has been the subject of negotiations between Israel and the Palestine...

As of 2005 polling data on viewing is contradictary. A BBG commissioned seven-country survey showed that 29 percent of the adult satellite-viewing audience had tuned in to Alhurra in a week in April 2005. However a Zogby International survey in June 2004 found 0.02% of Arabic audiences [1] turned to Alhurra as a first choice for news, 3.8% picked it as a second choice [2]. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Deaths in April • 26: Augusto Roa Bastos • 24: Ezer Weizman • 23: Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen • 23: John Mills • 16: Marla Ruzicka • 9: Andrea Dworkin • 6: Prince Rainier III • 5: Dale Messick • 5: Saul Bellow • 2: Pope John... --Shanel 02:55, September 4, 2005 (UTC) Categories: Possible copyright violations ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: June 2004 in sports Deaths in June • 28 Anthony Buckeridge • 26 Naomi Shemer • 26 Yash Johar • 22 Bob Bemer • 22 Thomas Gold • 22 Francisco Ortiz Franco • 16 Thanom Kittikachorn • 10 Ray Charles • 5 Ronald Reagan...

Alhurra has recently bought a one-year package of 45 BBC Worldwide documentary and current affairs programs to improve ratings [3]. BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ...

Schedule

Alhurra broadcasts 24 hours a day, and is commercial-free. In addition to shows the network produces itself, it has broadcast Arabic-subtitled versions of programs familiar to U.S. (and global) audiences, such as Frontline and Inside the Actors Studio. Advertising, generally speaking, is the promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, usually performed by an identified sponsor. ... A subtitle can refer to one of two things: an explanatory or alternate title of a book, play or film, in addition to its main title, or textual versions of a film or television programs dialogue that appear onscreen. ... Frontline is an hour-long public affairs television program produced at WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts, and distributed through the Public Broadcasting Service network in the United States. ... Taken before a taping of Inside the Actors Studio at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University Inside the Actors Studio is the Emmy-nominated, longest-running original series on the Bravo cable television channel, hosted by James Lipton. ...

Norman Pattiz

The Wall Street Journal (and RadioInk) reports that Westwood One founder Norm Pattiz, who launched the US government's Arabic-language media outlets, Radio Sawa and Alhurra Television, has resigned from the governing board that funds and oversees the projects.

A Clinton appointee, Pattiz had served on the Broadcasting Board of Governors since 2000.

In his resignation letter to President Bush, Pattiz said the two ventures are now "reaching mass audiences previously unheard of for US international broadcasting in that region of the world."

Pattiz said that he wants to devote his time to other ventures and that his decision to quit the BBG had "noting to do with politics."

Norman Joel Pattiz was the inspiration for Al-Hurra TV. Pattiz is a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors which oversees the government’s nonmilitary international broadcasting services, including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia. He has been an active force in the Israel Policy Forum (IPF) serving as a donor and vice president. IPF is an organization which promotes U.S. awareness and involvement in the Middle East peace process. He hosts IPF monthly roundtable discussions where prominent community members meet with Israeli leaders, media representatives or other individuals with unique insight about the Middle East. In 1999, Norman Pattiz was honored by IPF at a tribute dinner where former Prime Minister Ehud Barak presented the award and called Pattiz "an ever-increasingly important conduit of information and good will." Pattiz credits his community involvement to his Jewish upbringing. "My mother’s parents were Orthodox Jews ... I have very fond and intense memories of my grandparents. Every Jewish holiday was a day where we would spend time in shul and then spend time at my grandmother’s house, where the family would gather and have a meal together. "I consider myself a moral person, a caring person, a fair person," Pattiz added. "And I think all of those things come from my background as a Jew." Pattiz is founder and chairman of Westwood One, America's largest distributors of commercial radio programming. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Pacific Council on International Policy, and serves on the boards of the Museum of Television & Radio, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Earth Communications Office (ECO). Pattiz, born in 1943, resides in Beverly Hills, California. He also served on the Advisory Board of the RAND Corporation's Center for Middle East Public Policy until 2005. The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) is an independent agency of the United States government, responsible for all U.S. government and government sponsored, non-military, international broadcasting. ... The Voice of America (VOA) is the official international broadcasting service of the Government of the United States. ... Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a radio and communications organization which is funded by the United States Congress. ... Radio Free Asia was created by the International Broadcasting Act of 1994 and began its operations in 1996. ... Ehud Barak (Hebrew: אֵהוּד בָּרָק) (born February 12, 1942, in Mishmar HaSharon kibbutz, then British Mandate of Palestine) is an Israeli politician and was the 10th Prime Minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Orthodox Judaism is one of the three major branches of Judaism. ... Westwood One, Inc. ... The Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American foreign policy think tank based in New York City. ... The Museum of Television and Radio (formerly The Museum of Broadcasting) has two locations, in New York City and Los Angeles, and both locations feature over 120,000 programs available for viewing on private consoles, as well as screening rooms and theatres. ... Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a world-famous hospital located in Los Angeles. ... Beverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. ...

See also

• Al Iraqiya

Al Iraqiya is a terrestrial television network in Iraq that was set up during the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq in 2003 and is supported by the United States military. ...

References

Tatham, Steve (2006), 'Losing Arab Hearts & Minds: The Coalition, Al-Jazeera & Muslim Public Opinion' Hurst & Co (London) Published 1 Jan 06

External links

• Alhurra English website
• Alhurra on SourceWatch
• Alhurra, the Free One: Assessing U.S. Satellite Television in the Middle East, Center for Contemporary Conflict, Naval Postgraduate School, November 2005
• Inspector general puts Al Hurra under microscope, Variety, November 6, 2005
• Broadcast Officials Defend US-Funded Arab Television, Voice of America, November 11, 2005
• Al Hurra's struggle for legitimacy, Jordan Times, December 1, 2005
• The Limits of Propaganda (Print version, Los Angeles Times February 13, 2006: syndicated as Time for Last Hurrah for America's Al-Hurra (Print version), Toronto Star; Time for the Last Hurrah for US’ Al-Hurra (Print version), Arab News; Propagandanin sinirlari, Radikal (Turkish ): blogged on Media Channel, USC Center for Public Diplomacy, University of Leeds, Abu Aadvark, AntiWar.com, FreePress.com, Inosmi (Russian), Global Interdependence Initiative, Common Ground Common Sense, Apomie, and Pax Tharwa.