Market for American-funded Arabic satellite TV station.
In the Washington Post, Robert Satloff is skeptical that a market niche can be found for the Middle East Television Network (METN). (*). METN is the new Arabic-language satellite TV station that will be funded under the budget currently before Congress. (†)
There are many Arabic language stations, like Al Jazeera, that target a mass audience. METN should fill the niche of providing professional, hard, balanced news to educated Arabic speakers. If there are competitors in that market segment when METN starts broadcasting, another station broadcasting with high journalistic standards would be very important. There are multiple professional news organizations broadcasting in English. Why shouldn’t Arabic have as much?
As long as METN does not become a propaganda arm of the US government, or mimic the coverage of the BBC, or “Baghdad Broadcasting Corporation,” (‡) it will have a positive impact and be worth every dollar.