[LINK] 2ME's Iraq war coverage

[Antony Barry]

Linkers

There is still nothing like radio.

Tony


Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Frank Calabrese" <frankc at iinet.net.au>
> Date: Fri Apr 4, 2003  2:38:23 AM Australia/Canberra
> To: <no_war_on_iraq at yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [no_war_on_iraq] 2ME's Iraq war coverage
> Reply-To: no_war_on_iraq at yahoogroups.com
>
> From a subscription only Australian Radio Industy site.
>
> Frank
>
> 2ME's Iraq war coverage
>
> 03 Apr 2003
> A D V E R T I S E M E N T
>
>
> Arabic speaking commercial narrowcasting network 2ME (Australia) has a
> unique view of the Iraq war because it is one of the few Australian  
> radio
> stations which broadcasts 24 hours a day in Arabic.
> While English speaking reporters are being thrown out of Iraq, two of  
> 2ME's
> regular correspondents continue reporting on the hour by satellite  
> phone
> from inside Baghdad.
>
> Via normal phone lines, when they can get a line in, the station is  
> also
> broadcasting eyewitness reports from relatives of listeners who give  
> reports
> from around Iraq. The station's other correspondents are in Kuwait, Tel
> Aviv, Gaza and Amman.
>
> 2ME is running updates on Iraq every fifteen minutes from 4:30 AM until
> midnight, along with local and international news briefs on the half  
> hour
> and, complete international news and reports every hour of the day.
>
> The station is heard on AM 1638 in Sydney from Homebush Bay and on the  
> same
> AM frequency in Melbourne and Adelaide. It is also available  
> throughout the
> rest of Australia and NZ via TARBS satellite on radio channel 110 (via  
> Pan
> AM Sat 8).
>
> "Our reporters in Iraq are trying as hard as they can to give an 'as  
> they
> see it happens' direct report," 2ME's proprietor Sid Merhi told  
> radioinfo.
>
> "They are also moving around as much as they can, with their safety
> obviously at the forefront of their thinking. Their information is  
> coming
> mostly from Eastern Sources and from being on the spot. We then try to  
> cross
> reference the Eastern Source with the Western Source to try and form an
> accurate analysis of the situation."
>
> "We are also calling old listeners who, for whatever reason, returned  
> to
> Iraq, and relatives of listeners who still reside in Iraq. We conduct  
> dual
> talkback, live from effected areas. One contact, 'Shakky' took us  
> through a
> twenty minute session live as a bombing campaign was taking place in  
> the
> heart of Baghdad."
>
> "Our resources have been stretched to their limit with many of our
> Journalists having little sleep in an effort to stay in touch with
> everything that's happening," says Merhi.
>
> 2ME (Australia) commands 90% of all Arabic radio consumption according  
> to
> Quadrant Research in 1999 and TIB research in November 2002. The Arabic
> language is NSW second most spoken language next to English.
>
> 2ME (Australia) is also a "partner station" with the BBC Arabic service
> which broadcasts twenty four hours a day free to air into every  
> country in
> the Middle East and 2ME reporters file frequent reports into London on
> anything which may occur in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly  
> Australia.
> 2ME employs 37 full time and casual staff.
>
> "If a big story breaks overseas from here such as the Iraqi Ambassador  
> being
> kicked out and the Embassy closed, we usually file the report live to  
> air on
> BBC Arabic."
>
> "We think out listeners are receiving the most accurate coverage of the
> events in Iraq as they unfold through us. Sadly, whenever trouble  
> breaks out
> in the Middle East particularly in Israel and Palestine (where we have  
> two
> permanent reporters)our listenership peaks." "Right now we are  
> receiving a
> lot of feedback from Iraqi listeners in Australia particularly from
> Melbourne where a large Iraqi population resides. Most don't seem to  
> like
> Saddam Hussein but by the same token the US does not seem to very  
> welcome in
> Iraq either," says Merhi.
>
> "The general consensus also seems to be that Australia is unnecessarily
> involved. On Tuesday we ran a talkback session on 'accurate reporting'  
> and
> how do we know which medium to believe? Interestingly enough many  
> comments
> they we received said that eastern journos should have been allowed to  
> be
> 'embedded' with the Western media, which may have assisted in the  
> balancing
> act."
>
> 2ME (Australia) is now talking with a number of relief agencies in an  
> urgent
> effort to see how cash and supplies can be raised from this end to  
> assist
> those who have been war ravished.
>
> In 1998 when Bill Clinton ordered the bombing of Iraq, 2ME (Australia)  
> along
> with Care Australia raised $113,000 in a one day radio appeal which saw
> listeners from all over Australia contribute.
>
>
>
> Around 51% of the population decided to vote like sheep at the last
> election. Well you sheep, welcome to the abattoir.....
>
>
>
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phone : +61 2 6241 7659 | mailto:me at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au
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