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Written By: Fares Anam
Article Date: Mar 23, 2008 - 1:26:55 AM
President Saleh (center) said that there is room for a further 12 new channels.
Following the inauguration of Saba and Yemania television channels for religion and news, the President has declared March 19 Yemeni Information Day.
President Saleh also plans to hold a ceremony to be dedicated to honoring innovative leaders in the information sector.
The Saba and Yemenia channels are to be broadcast through the Arabsat satellite of Badr2 and will hold programing for the Kor’an, religious legal opinion, and religious news.
In his speech to various media institutions’ leaders at the Saba Youth Educational and Sport channel headquarters, the President urged the press to be precise for the sake of press credibility, adding that “it is easy for a journal to obtain support through advertisements, but it will only be popular and readable if it seeks to be innovative and credible, other wise it will be thrown into dust bins. Their readers will certainly be skeptical if the journal tends to attack officials and ministers, because of not being given advertisement money, it will simply be accused of extortion.”
The President urged the Saba news agency to provide the leaders of information with up to date news and to seek to add new staff to their work force. He added that our interest in radio, television and other information means necessitates that we should keep up with the latest technology, because culture and security are crucial to stability.
Saleh further urged the newly recruited channels’ youth to make use of their older colleagues’ experience and advised that interviewers should be highly informed and not focused on outward appearances, but they should concentrate on the subject during the interview and learn to follow new international trends.
The President also added that he is sure of the success of the new religious channel, whether it broadcasts from Aden, Hadramout, Taiz or Thamar because of its subject, personnel, and audience.
He said that the programming will target the moderate religious population and shun fanaticism and narowmindness.
In addition to religious programming on the new channel, President Saleh also asked for a positive role to be played by the media by producing TV dramas, writings, and interviews to promote national unity amongst youth.
According to Saleh, the great danger that threatens national unity is corrupt politicians, because “a true politician knows how to achieve his goals without harming national unity.” The President accused some extreme newspapers of harming Yemeni relations with their neighbors, for the sake of a fistful of money.
Regarding the content of the channel, the President confirmed that there are still areas that should be focused on, such as health, particularly in regards to the health problems of the usage of pesticides for spraying qat crops.
At the outset of his a speech, Hassan Ahmed al-Lawzi, the Information Minister, welcomed the President, crediting his directions which made the ambitions and dreams become a reality. He pointed out that the second channel of Aden can now be watched as both a satellite and ordinary channel. Lawzi also spoke of the educational and other benefits which the youth will find on the new channels.
Al-Lawzi considered the challenges which the new channels are going to pose, not in contesting the other channels but for the extra responsibilities that are facing the Yemeni media, towards national issues.
Al-Lawzi also confirmed that the focus will be on innovative program production, highlighting the great attention that the President is paying to the media. He promised the President and the people that the media are dedicating themselves for the country, the revolution and unity.
