A Jordanian pedestrian passes by a Jordanian parliamentary campaign poster, in Amman. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)
Springfield, Va. – As Israelis and Jordanians go to the polls to vote on their respective legislative elections, Alhurra Television and Radio Sawa will provide in-depth coverage of the electoral process. The networks will also give a voice to the various issues, candidates and different political platforms for each of these important elections.
“Alhurra and Radio Sawa are two of the few media outlets in the region that show all sides of a story and this is vital during elections, so that voters can make informed decisions when they go to the polls,” stated Brian Conniff, MBN President. MBN manages and operates Alhurra and Radio Sawa.
As Israelis vote for the new Knesset on Tuesday Jan. 22nd, Alhurra and Radio Sawa will have correspondents in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Nazareth. Both networks will expand key newscasts to include updates from polling stations across Israel, as well as reaction from the U.S.
Alhurra’s Al Youm will anchor the program live from Tel Aviv on the 22nd and will examine the challenges facing Israel. At 15:00 (Israeli time), the network will host a live roundtable discussion from Jerusalem with representatives of all the major political parties. Alhurra’s Free Hour will also be expanded to two hours and also focus on reaction from Israeli political parties and from the Arab world.
Leading up to the elections, Radio Sawa’s Free Zone, the network’s weekly signature program on freedom and democracy issues in the Middle East, will examine the election during its Jan. 18th episode. The radio network’s daily program Magazine will shine the light on Arab-Israeli participation in elections; Israeli-US relations and the different political parties’ position on settlements and the peace process.
Then on Jan. 23rd, Alhurra and Radio Sawa will turn their focus on Jordan’s Parliamentary elections which will include extended newscasts, as well as live reports from Amman and Karak. Alhurra’s Free Hour will look at voter turnout and its political impact, the political atmosphere in Jordan after election and the chances the new parliament will be able implement reforms despite the absence of the opposition parties in the legislative body.
Alhurra’s Special Report will address the Islamic parties’ boycott of the elections as well as the Jordanian tribal opposition, especially in the south where the demonstrations has escalated in the last few months. The program will also examine the influence of neighboring Syria.
Leading up to the elections, Alhurra’s Al Youm will look at the role of women and the youth in Jordan; as well as the impact of social media.
Radio Sawa’s January 25th episode of Free Zone will also focus on the ramifications of the Parliamentary elections.
According to international research firms such as ACNielsen, Alhurra and Radio Sawa have a weekly reach of approximately 31 million people. They 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
