Alhurra and Radio Sawa to Provide Extensive Coverage of the Iraqi Election

Alhurra and Radio Sawa to Provide Extensive Coverage of the Iraqi Election

SPRINGFIELD, Va., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, December 15th, Alhurra Television and Radio Sawa will provide live continuous coverage of the historic Iraqi Election for their audience of more than 30 million people in the Middle East. Both Alhurra and Radio Sawa will begin their coverage at 6:00 a.m. (Baghdad time).

Radio Sawa's 11 hours of uninterrupted coverage to Iraq will include live updates from polling stations, as well as interviews with Iraqi politicians and citizens.

Alhurra, the Arabic-language satellite television network, will provide more than 11 hours of live continuous coverage with anchors reporting from Alhurra's studio in Baghdad and its headquarters outside of Washington, D.C. Alhurra correspondents will blanket Iraq to provide the most comprehensive coverage with live reports from polling stations and reaction from Iraqi citizens. In addition, Alhurra will have expert guests and analysis from Iraq, the U.S. and around the world. At 9:00 p.m. (Baghdad time), Alhurra will also present viewers with a special two-hour edition of its flagship talk show "Free Hour" discussing the election and what it means for the future of Iraq. Alhurra's comprehensive election coverage is in addition to the series of programs produced by Alhurra leading up to the election promoting open discussion and participation in the electoral process.

A recent ACNielsen survey showed that Alhurra and Radio Sawa had an unduplicated audience of more than 35 million people each week. Together the stations reach a weekly audience of 70 percent of the adult population in Iraq. ACNielsen surveys of nine countries also reported that 77 percent of Alhurra's viewers and 73 percent of Radio Sawa's listeners consider the news reliable.

Alhurra is broadcast on the Nilesat and Arabsat satellites, the same satellites used by the major regional Arabic channels. Alhurra is 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 serves oversight and as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters. For more information on Alhurra go to http://www.alhurra.com/.

MBN also operates Radio Sawa which seeks to effectively communicate with the youthful population of Arabic-speakers in the Middle East by providing up- to-date news, information and a mix of Western and Arabic popular music on its 24/7 FM and medium wave radio stations throughout the region. Its secondary target audience is news-seekers of all ages. Radio Sawa is committed to broadcasting accurate, timely and relevant news about the Middle East, the world and the United States, to the highest standards of journalism, as well as the free marketplace of ideas, respect for the intelligence and culture of its audience, and a style that is upbeat, modern and forward-looking.

Radio Sawa broadcasts on FM in Morocco (Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Meknes, Marrakesh, Agadir and Fes), Jordan (Amman and Ajlun), Palestinian territories (Ramallah), Kuwait (Kuwait City), Bahrain (Manama), Qatar (Doha), U.A.E. (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), Iraq (Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, Sulimaniya and Erbil) and Djibouti. Radio Sawa broadcasts on medium wave to Egypt, Yemen and Sudan. Radio Sawa streams its programming at its all-news Web site http://www.radiosawa.com/.

Source: Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc.

CONTACT: Deirdre Kline, Director of Communications of Middle East
Broadcasting Networks, Inc., +1-703-852-9250, dkline@alhurra.com

Web site: http://www.alhurra.com/
http://www.radiosawa.com/

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