|
Those viewing the U.S. very favorably is actually up compared to last year, while Afghans also view international troops generally in a positive light. But not all is rosy in the war-torn country: expectations for the future are heading south. In contast to a hard global image, the Tehran has been using of soft power through international broadcasting to spread its influence abroad. With programming in over 20 languages, the World Service of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) hopes to make international broadcasting a cost-effective and subtler tool for foreign policy. Media content in Lebanon is heavily influenced by the country's sectarian and political divisions. The politicization of news has a long history, extending as far back as the early 20th century. The media's political activism and partisanship continues in today's television era. The growth of radio and television is clearly accelerating, but word of mouth remains a vital sources of news and information for many Afghans. Conducting surveys in Afghanistan's volatile security environment is a huge challenge for researchers who face personal danger as well as suspicion from respondents. Read this blog item about how InterMedia staff grapple with the situation on the ground. There is no lack of TV channels created by Iranian expatriates that are aimed at viewers in the Islamic Republic. But technical and political obstacles, some created by the channels themselves, are eroding their audience. Iran's broadcasting authority and the government know how important is it for them to gain the attention of the country's large youth population. Radio Javan is making headway on this front. Lebanese radio includes a number of stations that have ties to one or another of the country's political groups. Though market leader Radio Sawt al Ghad is no exception to these alignments, its success has been due to expansion into Syria, Jordan and Bahrain and even in Australia, where Lebanese expatriates tune in on the AM frequency. |
Regional Overview
|
For more information on InterMedia's research in the MENA region, contact: |
Efforts by many Middle Eastern and North African governments to control the flow of information have run up against the rapid proliferation of public media outlets in the past 15 years. Gone are the days when consumers only had a few domestic, state-sponsored radio and television stations feeding them news and information that was produced, disseminated and often censored by the government.
The change has been especially dramatic in TV—by far the region's dominant information source, reaching at least 90 percent of the population daily. Strong growth in satellite services has largely broken most state broadcasting monopolies. What's more, leading regional channels such as MBC and Al-Jazeera now capture big market shares and provide a broad array of news and information programming, from traditional anchored news to talk shows to documentary features.
This isn't to say that the region's more-conservative elements are simply giving in to media diversity and the relatively lax mores of Western-style entertainment. In Iran, for example, the Islamic regime is destroying satellite dishes and filtering millions of internet sites. In Afghanistan, the rapidly regrouping Taliban have established their own radio station broadcasting a puritanical interpretation of the Holy Quran's verses and the Prophet Muhammed's Hadith. In Lebanon, Hizbollah's Al Manar TV delivers news with anchors who are dressed modestly, according to Islamic custom—men unshaved, without ties and women with hijab and no make-up. Lebanese viewers still have the option of watching risque music videos, reality shows and the like on other channels, but Al Manar has proven to be a popular alternative, particularly among Shia Muslims. Clearly, MENA's cultural and political struggles will continue to play out through the media, as proponents of various beliefs and viewpoints try to sway public opinion.