Steve Smith and Abdullatif Al Sayegh, CEO of Arab Media Group (AMG)

In his new role, Steve Smith is mandated to continue the growth of the network, develop programming and revenue for ARN's existing nine stations, and chart a course for further expansion.

Smith's extensive senior management experience in the Australian radio and entertainment industry spans over 15 years, and includes five years as General Manager of the Melbourne-based Australian Radio Network, where he achieved record ratings and revenue results.

Mahmoud Al Rasheed, ARN General Manager, said Smith's appointment is strategically timed to capitalize on ARN's remarkable growth trajectory.

He said: 'Over the past year, we successfully launched two stations - Virgin Dubai and Pulse 95.3. With more than 50 per cent of the region's population in the youth category and a unique multi-ethnic demography, we believe there exists tremendous market potential for diverse premium content.

'Steve Smith brings with him his rich experience in a mature market such as Australia. His business acumen and keen understanding of the demands of varying target audiences make him the right choice to help ARN set the pace for FM radio both regionally and internationally.'

Smith said: 'It is a privilege to be part of a fast expanding entity such as ARN, which boasts some of the region's most popular radio stations in one of the world's most dynamic media markets. AMG has shown a firm determination to set 'best practices' in Middle East broadcasting, and when this opportunity came my way I was immediately attracted by the group's commitment and passion for raising the standards of entertainment across the region.'

Masar, the print arm of Arab Media Group, has won Gold at the second annual Dubai Print Awards, which included entrants from around the GCC region this year.

The company has been in operation since November 2007 in its new location at the International Media Production Zone (IMPZ), a member of TECOM Investments.

Masar currently prints leading newspaper titles such as Emirates Business 24/7, Emarat Al-Youm, Al Bayan, and Al Alam. With their fresh design and dynamic content, the publications have set high standards for newspapers in the UAE. Masar has implemented FM screening, the latest international print technology that generates premium quality.

Abdullatif Al Sayegh, CEO of the Arab Media Group (AMG), said: 'This award marks the beginning of our drive towards excellence. The recognition reaffirms our capacity to exceed readers' expectations, the credit for which goes to the entire Masar team that has made a convincing imprint on the industry.'

Faisal bin Haider, General Manager of Masar, said: 'Considering this was our first year in competition, we are very proud of the results, and will continue to apply the same rigorous attention to production quality when we open our commercial printing press at the IMPZ facility in March. The award will help further our goal to evolve as the largest print media organisation, servicing Europe and the GCC out of Dubai.'

Masar employs the most versatile mailroom systems for online insertion of advertising material and additional supplements. The system is fully automated, enabling publishers to receive their product on time and without human intervention.

The Masar commercial printing division will open in March at IMPZ, with the latest in sheet-fed and Commercial Web printing technology.

Arab Media Group, the largest media group in the UAE, has announced the launch of Emirates Business 24/7, the Middle East's first English language daily dedicated to business and economic news.

The new publication will be on the stands from Sunday, December 9. It will focus on business related local, regional and international news, matching editorial best practices from across the world.

Abdullatif Al Sayegh, CEO of AMG, said: 'The current economic boom in the region, especially in the UAE, has resulted in an exponential increase in readers' interest about latest business developments. Moreover, decision makers and opinion makers today are looking for a source of in-depth analysis, thought-provoking editorials and objective information across all sectors.'

Emirates Business 24/7 will focus on sectors and industries such as oil and gas, banking and finance, real-estate, technology, telecommunications and travel and tourism.

Al Sayegh added: 'The growth of Dubai into one of the leading global financial centres calls for its clear manifestation in the media world. With recent developments in Dubai's financial markets, the UAE has joined the big league of global centres, alongside New York, London and Tokyo.

'Since the media, especially a daily newspaper focusing on business and finance, will play a key role in channeling information on everyday developments regionally and globally, the launch of Emirates Business 24/7 will place the Arab Media Group one step ahead in accomplishing our overall strategy of creating a comprehensive media platform'

Leading the publication as Editor-in-Chief is Riyad Mickdady, a seasoned journalist with over 21 years experience. Mickdady will be responsible for accelerating AMG's continuous drive towards objective journalism, providing a realistic view of business from within and outside the region.

Mickdady said: 'Emirates Business 24/7 will be a must read for anyone seeking insights into the latest regional business and economic trends. We will profile industry and sector leaders who are driving the development of the region. We will also look beyond the headlines, and complement in-depth coverage of the key business stories with analysis, features and forecasts that will enable readers to understand fully the impact and importance of the news we are reporting.'

Assisting Mickdady will be Frank Kane as Editor and Mustafa Al Rawi as Managing Editor.

Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), the global aerospace, manufacturing and services corporation and the Arab Media Group (AMG), the UAE's largest media group, today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to embark on a programme of strategic collaboration.

Under the agreement, DAE and AMG will consult, cooperate and exchange information with each other to establish a programme of cooperation on areas of mutual interest that will further their respective strategic media objectives to include jointly developing a content and distribution platform. A joint steering committee will be formed to explore these opportunities further.

DAE Group CEO Bob Johnson said: 'This agreement with AMG underscores our belief in partnering with leading companies that can further establish DAE as a strong brand in the aerospace industry.' Johnson added 'this latest agreement extends our reach in the media environment, and will help us build a aerospace knowledge base for our target audiences.'

Abdul Latif Al Sayegh, CEO of AMG, said: 'We look forward to building closer ties with DAE and being instrumental in helping the company to develop an even greater understanding in the aerospace sector, creating further awareness amongst its target audiences by utilising various media platforms.'

Arab Media Group (AMG), the largest media group in the United Arab Emirates, and MTV Networks International (MTVNI) has announced the expansion of their long-term partnership to launch Nickelodeon Arabia, a localised, Arabic language free-to-air channel dedicated exclusively to kids across the Middle East.

With this agreement, Nickelodeon will be the first global kids' media brand to create a free-to-air Arabic service across the region, while being respectful and reflective of local culture and values. The channel will fall under the umbrella of Arabian Television Network (ATN), AMG's TV broadcasting arm that also incorporates the soon-to-launch MTV Arabia and three other stations that will launch before the end of 2007.

The 24-hour channel - slated to launch in 2008 - will broadcast via satellite to 36 million TV households, with a potential audience of 190 million people across the region. Programming will include a mix of international content from Nickelodeon's extensive global portfolio and original local Arabic productions.

The channel will be supported by an Arabic website which will provide users with a comprehensive online community and a wide range of interactive elements. Nickelodeon is the most widely distributed kids' brand in the world, and has built a diverse global portfolio by creating and packaging multi-platform branded content dedicated to connecting with kids.

Abdullatif Al Sayegh, CEO of Arab Media Group, commented: 'Arab Media Group is dedicated to providing audiences in this region with what they want to see, hear and read. Through our extensive understanding of the market, we have identified entertainment niches that were ripe for opportunity, and quality children's programming is certainly one of them. Nickelodeon will provide the best in world-standard entertainment for children, raising standards in the region and setting a strong precedent for the future.'

Bhavneet Singh, Managing Director and Senior Vice President, Emerging Markets Group, MTVNI, commented: 'We are really proud to announce our continued partnership Arab Media Group to make the Nickelodeon brand available to kids across the Middle East and the Gulf. The launch of Nickelodeon Arabia is a part of our wider, ongoing multi-platform strategy encompassing consumer products, digital media, hotels and theme parks, which we hope will establish Nickelodeon as the premier destination for kids in the region.'

The partnership between AMG and MTVNI Emerging Markets signals the next step in establishing a multi-brand, multi-platform MTVNI portfolio across the Middle East. MTV Arabia, the region's first and only youth lifestyle brand, is set to launch next month in partnership with AMG. The fully localised, free-to-air channel will showcase both international and Arabic music as well as a balanced mix of international MTV content, Arabic productions of popular MTV formats and local original programming concepts. Discussions are also currently under way regarding consumer products, recreation and digital rights opportunities in the region.

Bill Roedy, Vice Chairman, MTV Networks commented: 'Adding the voices of Arab children to our worldwide Nickelodeon family is a significant milestone in our history, and advances our ambitious strategy to build a portfolio of integrated kids businesses across the region. The Middle East is a dynamic, thriving market with vast growth opportunities, and we look forward to launching even more MTVNI brands and businesses through our successful partnership with AMG.'

MTVNI's Emerging Markets is the fastest growing region in the company's portfolio of multi-platform businesses. The Emerging Markets group manages 21 television channels, 19 websites, two broadband channels and three mobile TV channels encompassing the MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, VIVA and Comedy Central brands in Russia, Central & Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. MTVNI is owned by Viacom Inc (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Radio International and Arab Media Group today signed an agreement to launch Virgin Radio Dubai, a new English hit music station that will launch towards the end of this year.

Virgin Radio Dubai will broadcast over Arabian Radio Network's frequency from studios in Dubai.

Arabian Radio Network is a subsidary of Arab Media Group. The station will be run as a collaboration between Virgin and Arab Media Group, with Virgin providing a particular input into programming, marketing and promotions.

Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group said: 'I am thrilled to be launching Virgin Radio Dubai. AMG is a great partner to have and I am sure that, together, we'll build the best station Dubai has ever heard. Virgin Megastores and Virgin Atlantic have already received such a fantastic welcome in Dubai.

Virgin Radio is experiencing phenomenal growth at the moment, having announced launches in Italy, France and now Dubai in the last two months alone. We are already exploring opportunities to establish Virgin Radio in other parts of the Middle East and I have no doubt that we'll be launching many more stations over the coming years.'

Abdul Latif Al Sayegh, Chief Executive of Arab Media Group, said: 'We are pleased to be associating with a vibrant, dynamic brand like Virgin Radio. The growth that they have experienced mirrors our plans to expand in the region, and indeed this year we will incorporate more television stations and two new radio stations. We have a vision of filling the many niches that have been left unaddressed in popular media up to this point, and through better understanding and knowledge of our audience we will keep delivering. Virgin Radio is a major step towards achieving this vision.'

The Arab Media Group today announced it will offer a 50 per cent discount off advertising rates for one year to members of the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders (SME).

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) articulating cooperation between the two sides was recently signed by Abdullatif Al Sayegh, CEO, Arab Media Group and Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of SME.

According to the agreement, SME members will receive reduced advertising rates in all newspapers published by Awraq Publishing, including Emirates Today, Emarat Alyoum and Al Bayan.

Members will receive further discounts on radio spots on eight stations under the Arabian Radio Network, including Noor Dubai, Khaleejiya, Arabiya, Dubai Eye, Dubai 92, City FM, Hit FM and Awaaz FM. This agreement will be extended to include all upcoming projects at AMG.

Commenting on the agreement, Abdullatif Al Sayegh said: “This partnership will encourage and support young business leaders entering the highly competitive private sector. The preferential advertising rate offered by AMG to SME member companies will help minimise the overheads and operational costs of member start up companies, and eventually empower national entrepreneurs.”
Responding to AMG’s initiative, Abdul Baset Al Janahi said: “Our vision is to promote and encourage the national entrepreneurial spirit in order to catalyze the development and growth of the economy. The agreement with Arab Media Group underlines our efforts to achieve this goal by empowering small and start up companies through collaboration with leading national organizations.”

AMG and SME will periodically review the viability and growth of the businesses during the contract period.