Alhurra and Radio Sawa Bring Egyptian Elections to Audiences Across the Middle East
Springfield, Va. — Alhurra Television and Radio Sawa will provide comprehensive coverage of the historic Egyptian presidential election on May 23rd and 24th. Alhurra and Radio Sawa’s correspondents will criss-cross the country from key cities such as Cairo, Alexandria, Sharqia, Al-Arish, Dakahlia, Algharbia, Ismailia, Al Minya, Asyut, Aswan and Kafr ElSheikh to report on the voting and on the issues driving Egyptians to the polls.
“Through Alhurra and Radio Sawa’s team of dedicated journalists throughout Egypt, the networks will be able to provide some of the most extensive coverage of the election,” stated MBN President Brian Conniff. “Reporting on the presidential election is a tremendous opportunity for Alhurra and Radio Sawa to strengthen their position as the place to turn for accurate news and information; especially as Egypt transitions into a new era.”
Alhurra’s extensive coverage of the Egyptian presidential election will culminate with live continuous coverage on May 23rd and 24th. Coverage will begin at 7:00 a.m. (all times Cairo time) and continue through 12:30 a.m. on both days, resulting in 35 hours of live reporting. Leading up to the elections, Alhurra brought the candidates to viewers with a series of in-depth interviews on Hiwar Cairo. Additionally, Alhurra partnered with the Egyptian channel Al Hayah TV 2 for a series of eight interviews with the candidates that were simulcast on both networks in the week prior to the election.
Starting on May 20th, Alhurra’s flagship talk show Free Hour moved to Cairo for a series of special programs surrounding the Egyptian presidential election. On the eve of the election, Alhurra’s Al Youm will broadcast live from Tahrir Square and downtown Cairo near the Kasr El Nile Bridge. The network’s coverage is focusing on many of the topics in the minds of Egyptians including the relationship between the elected president and the military, the role of religion and the expectations of Egyptians living in rural areas.
Radio Sawa is expanding its localized newscasts to Egypt on May 23rd and 24th to 30 minutes to give Egyptian listeners updates on the election process. Additionally, all of Radio Sawa’s pan-Arab newscasts will be extended to give listeners the latest news from Egypt. Radio Sawa’s comprehensive coverage will examine the impact the election will have on the economy, U.S. Egyptian relations, as well as Egypt’s relationship with other countries in the region.
Recent surveys by research companies such as ACNielsen show that together Alhurra and Radio Sawa have an unduplicated weekly reach of an estimated 35 million adults. In Egypt Alhurra’s weekly reach is nearly 8 million viewers. Alhurra and Radio Sawa are operated by the non-profit corporation “The Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc.” (MBN). MBN is financed by the U.S. Government through a grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency. The BBG provides oversight and serves as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters.
Contact:
Deirdre Kline
Director of Communications
Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc.
703-852-9250 dkline@alhurra.com