Joe F. Khalil

Arab Television Industries

Introduction 1 A Short History of Arab Television 2 Pan-Arab Entertainment Channels 3 Niche Channels and Socio-cultural Change: Youth Women and Religion 4 Pan-Arab News Channels 5 Ramadan: Drama, Comedy and Religious Shows in the Arab Sweeps 6 Television Policy and Regulation in the Arab World Appendices Bibliography Index

Youth-Generated Media A Case of Blogging and Arab Youth Cultural Politics

This article examines the contemporary configuration of youth cultural politics through self-expressive artifacts, probing in the process the changing mediascape in the Arab world. The article discusses the relationship between youth and media focusing on the way young people develop and circulate their own messages outside corporate, religious, and state institutions. Youth-generated media is introduced as a framework for analyzing these alternative forms of communication. The article focuses on the case of Lebanese blogger Fink Ployd whose blog, BloggingBeirut.com, exemplifies the characteristics of youth-generated media. Blurring old and new media, BloggingBeirut.com, was a platform for youth cultural politics surrounding the July 06 War.

Towards a Supranational Analysis of Arab Media: The Role of Cities

During the past 20 years, Arab media industries underwent a period of tumultuous and unparalleled change. A cocktail of closely interwoven changes — ranging from the introduction of satellite receivers to web TV, the digitization of information to the development of multi-platform networks, dramatic increases in mainstream media outlets and the emergence of social media to the growth of large media conglomerates — are combining to change the regional media. In this chapter, I consider one rather unique aspect of Arab media as revealed in the emergence of designated economic free zones dedicated to the financing, development, production and distribution of media, commonly referred to as media cities. Instead of simply limiting the definition of media cities to this rather new definition, I use the term to reflect on the relationship between Arab media and place, since even before the emergence of these economic free zones, Arab media were developed in cities like Cairo, Beirut, London and Rome.

Lebanon’s waste crisis: An exercise of participation rights:

A growing body of research reveals the emergence of forms of youth public participation, intensified by digital technologies, practices and cultures. This is a multilevel study of the reconstruction of Lebanese youth and children’s rights in the digital age through discourses and practices of participation in the #YouStink protest movement against a waste collection crisis. The article explores these rights by focusing on children and young people’s engagement with the movement, their ability to express their views freely and to influence decisions. It analyses how such participation through communicative, cultural and political practices becomes a contested resource for various actors, institutions and networks.

Global perspectives on children's digital opportunities: An emerging research and policy agenda

Diverse international perspectives show that children can benefit greatly from digital opportunities. Despite widespread optimism about the potential of digital technologies, especially for information and education, the research reveals an insufficient evidence base to guide policy and practice across all continents of the world, especially in middle- and low-income countries. Beyond revealing pressing and sizeable gaps in knowledge, this cross-national review also reveals the importance of understanding local values and practices regarding the use of technologies. This leads us to stress that future researchers must take into account local contexts and existing inequalities and must share best practices internationally so that children can navigate the balance between risks and opportunities. This article documents the particular irony that while the world’s poorer countries look to research to find ways to increase access and accelerate the fair distribution of digital educational resources, the world’s wealthier countries look to research for guidance in managing excessive screen time, heavily commercial content, and technologies that intrude on autonomy and privacy. We conclude by recommending that digital divides should be carefully bridged with contextual sensitivity to avoid exacerbating existing disparities; that the provision of technological resources is complemented by a focus on skills enhancement, for teachers as well as students; that a keen eye is needed to ensure the balance of children’s protection and participation rights, with protection now including data abuses as well as safety considerations; and that we forge collaborations among all stakeholders in seeking to enhance children’s digital opportunities worldwide.