The Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC), the leading regional television channel, announced the re-launch of its pioneering primetime news program. Now known as News at 9ksa, the news program boasts a new concept and a new look as part of its opening salvo for 2006. News at 9ksa gives its viewers a more insightful and meaningful program as it seeks to go behind the headlines, giving each story a more relevant and insightful perspective.
Also for the first time in the region, the program’s presenters will be standing as they deliver the news, creating a truly dynamic viewing pleasure for the audience. “But more than the enhanced look, News at 9ksa presents stories in a way that make them relevant to the lives of our viewers. It is going to be more insightful, as our newscasters don’t just read news reports, but go in-depth about the people and events they report about,” explained Mohammed Al Mulhem, Group Director of Marketing, Public Relations, and Commercial at MBC.
The production team behind the popular news program incorporated the changes in the tonality and delivery of the news, as well as introduced the new concept and look to make the program more stimulating to its Arab viewers. Reformatting the 9:00 PM newscast, which revolutionised the broadcast industry when it was first launched, was a major programming step for MBC in
response to a felt need for a more relevant and stimulating news program following a thorough and insightful research into viewer preferences on in the region.
“We decided to reformat the already popular 9:00 PM news as part of a continuing program to upgrade the content and format of our shows. We realized that there was a growing demand for news that had an impact on the lives of our viewers,” noted Al Mulhem. “It is only by constantly improving that we will be able to satisfy our existing pool of viewers, and attract new ones. With this winning formula, we’re very confident that News at 9ksa will achieve even higher viewership.”
Viewers of the new News at 9ksa will immediately notice the changes, starting with a new set design, but more importantly with how the news is delivered.
In addition to having more socially-relevant stories, MBC executives are counting on the presence of Nicole Tannourie on the show to further boost its credibility and popularity among viewers. Tannourie, one of the more credible journalists in the industry today, is joined by Rania Dagher and together make-up a formidable team that will boost News at 9ksa position as the leading news program in the region.
"When we planned to broadcast the new formula for News at 9ksa, we did not hesitate because both the news program and the presenter already have a huge following in the region. MBC is a first class broadcaster and we have every confidence that the new News at 9ksa will be well received by our viewers,” added Mulhem.
With this new development, MBC has once again set the bar higher for quality and responsible broadcast journalism in the region.
About MBC:
MBC is the leading free-to-air, pan-Arab, news and entertainment broadcaster. MBC's guiding philosophy is to lead and innovate. Satellite transmission first started in September 1991, making MBC the first-ever, independent Arabic satellite TV station and a market leader, delivering news and quality, family entertainment programming to more than 130 million Arabic speaking people around the world. MBC is constantly building on its core strengths to add new dimensions in an ever changing and competitive world of broadcast in the Middle East.
