21. Name: Nawal Musleh-Motut Title: The Development of Pan-Arab Broadcasting Under Authoritarian Regime: A Comparison of Sawt Al Arab (Voice of the Arabs) and Al Jazeera News Channel Institution: Simon Fraser University Country: Canada Date: 2006 Language: English Abstract: This study examines the development of pan-Arab broadcasting under authoritarian regimes. It undertakes an historical comparison of radio broadcasting under former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, more specifically the influential radio program ‘Sawt Al Arab’ (Voice of the Arabs), and satellite television broadcasting under current Qatari Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, particularly the renowned Al Jazeera satellite news channel. While Nasser and Al Thani may have employed their nations’ broadcasting apparatuses as means by which to achieve their own goals and objectives, contemporary comparisons, which imply that these authoritarian leaders have encoded their broadcasting content with similar pan-Arab rhetoric are unfounded. Similarities in audience decoding responses, for both ‘Sawt Al Arab’ and Al Jazeera demonstrate the ability to transform the interactions of domestic, international and expatriate Arabs through new technological advancements, thus producing increasingly modern variants of previous communal imaginings. The aim of this comparative study is dispel misconceptions tha led to inaccurate comparisons of the two outlets, as well as to demonstrate the importance of understanding new Arab media in the light of the ‘Sawt Al Arab’ model and legacy.
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