Israeli millionaire to purchase 50% of Al-Jazeera shares
Not that anything found on Pravda can be taken as truth unless verified elsewhere (due to its Enquierer-esque headlines and articles) but according to the Russian web-loid, Israeli businessman Haim Shiban has plans in effect to acquire 50% of shares the Arabic satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera. Pravda credits “Lebanese newspaper Al-Mustakbal with reference to Israeli sources” as their source for the story. According to the piece, Shiban has also invested 1.5 billion in American Fox News, a German station and an Israeli network.
hehehe… I think they mean haim SABAN. he owns a german station, and is millionare so I assume its him. He is also a big “pro-israel” so I am assuming this move is ideological.
Ah, yes, the new Pravda…
To put this post-egalitarian-era newspaper into proper media context:
“Aliens live on Earth, under the ground”
http://english.pravda.ru/science/19/94/378/14269_aliens.html
.rob adams
I find it really hard to believe that Haim Saban owns a share in FOX news seeing as how he is a staunch leftist who invested heavily in Ehud Barak’s campaigns.
Nonetheless,
a play for Al-J is also bizarre.
Go Go Power Rangers… i mean Saban… it would be awesome to be able to in some way control Al-J, but just a question:
doesn’t this smell of the Jewish conspiracy to control the media? (not the i’m objecting)
just a thought
peace
Control alJazeera ?!?!?!?!?!?
Why is there such a need, or desire ?
Is the West’s ideological position so very weak ????
Or, the West’s confidence in its position equally as weak?
Perhaps.
Arab culture psychologically NEEDS alJeezera. Yes, we may have philosophical differences in how they conduct their news-analysis, news-reporting, and news-writing. But, are we in the West so fearful, so dis-confident in our own political positions that we, somehow, might want to squelch or influence their rhetoric ?
Please.
Such talk of controlling alJeezera merely furthers the psychotic-paranoid leanings of the Arab-street, and further fuels the type of rhetoric found within alJeezera’s *Arabic* language news service.
The West, some 1000 years after Islam’s cultural flogging by Europa, needs to give the Arabs just a wee-bit cultural room. If so, you might just find the *moderates* within Arabia gaining some voice.
Pluralism matters.
.rob adams
here is that article in arabic:
http://www.almustaqbal.com/stories.aspx?StoryID=86641
according to the article it was reported in yedioth achronoth, an israeli newspaper
for any of you who have access to yedioth achronoth, here you go but could someone please copy the article and paste it here so I can read it?? thanks.
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2980807,00.html
It’s indeed Haim Saban, who among other things controls the German ProSieben/Sat1, and who used to compose (along with one Shuki Levi, a Mizrahi music producer in the seventies) sountracks for French-dubbed Japanese anim? (which as a result sounded at times like songs by Enrico Macias), and later moved Stateside and made it big recycling old Japanese TV serials.
In an old article of The Economist the Saban oufit was said to pursue acquisition of a few British ITV franchises, which seemed likely to cause displeasure in Albion reminding one of the time when Al-Fayed bought Harrod’s (Saban was also born in Egypt).
Actually, some fifteen years ago, before the outset of satellite, Israel had a major foothold in Arabic media consumption due to the Kol Israel’s external service, back then Israeli broadcasters Layla Najar and Zuheir Bahlool were household names from Tripoli to Manama.
A participation by Saban in Al-Jazeera might have a similar influence but to a lesser extent.
But if Saban does acquire parts of Al-Jazeera, those worried sick about poor downtrodden Arabia’s voice need to worry no more: we’ll then be certain to see a slice of the channel’s audience won by rivals such as Abu-Dhabi TV and Al-Arabiya TV.
“Such talk of controlling alJeezera merely furthers the psychotic-paranoid leanings of the Arab-street…”
If the street starts leaning get a plane.