Full Description
Transformations in the Arab media landscape are a key element in regional dynamics of political change. Where do private owners of Arab media outlets stand on the scene? What part, if any, have they played in weakening dictatorships, countering sectarianism and political polarisation, and reforming business practices in the Arab world? Arab Media Moguls charts the fortunes of some leading media investors and entrepreneurs from Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia to examine their motives, management styles, financial performance and links to political power. The resulting profiles offer intriguing insights into the place of family, education, religion and media regulation in regional power structures.
Globally, the rise of small digital media, increased competition law and the precedence of more digitally-savvy younger generations have fuelled doubts as to whether the archetypal 'media mogul' is a phenomenon with a future. How do such factors affect power plays in Arab media? Responding critically to existing Western scholarship and commentary on magnates in US and European media, this book explores how far existing assumptions and perceptions about powerful media owners' eccentricity, innovation and risk-taking apply in the Arab context and offers a range of alternative approaches to understanding the central position of certain individuals in the fast-changing Arab media business.
Contents
Introduction: Owner or Mogul? A Comparative View of Arab Media Investment and Entrepreneurship by Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen and Naomi Sakr
PART I: Media Entrepreneurship from a Saudi Arabian Base
2. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal: Media Mogul by Marwan M. Kraidy
3. Shaikh Waleed al-Ibrahim by Najat AlSaied
4. Saleh Kamel: Investing in Islam by Ehab Galal
PART II: Lebanese Players in Saudi-Lebanese Linkages
Pierre Daher: The Sheikh of LBC - Baron, Mogul or Both? by Sarah El Richani
Rafiq Hariri and Sons - Oger and Future Inc. by Katharine Nötzold
Antoine Choueiri: 'Le President' by Zahera Harb
PART III: Risk and Reward in Tunisia and Egypt
4. Tarek Ben Ammar: 'The European Mogul You've Never Heard of' by Donatella Della Ratta
5. Naguib Sawiris and the Question of Risk by Naomi Sakr
PART IV: What Makes Moguls? A Regional Perspective
6. A Tentative Typology of Broadcast Entrepreneurs by Tourya Guaaybess
7. Are there Moguls in Islamic Television? by Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen
Media Clusters and Media Cities: Place as a Structural Factor in Media Owners' Power by Joe F. Khalil
