DW has brought back The New Arab Debates – with Tim Sebastian for its viewers around the world. The first of six new episodes was broadcast yesterday on DW, DW (Europe) and DW (Arabia). For the first time, the show is also being produced in Arabic for its viewers in the Arab world.

Each episode will focus on current affairs from the Arab world, with two guests offering their opinions and perspectives. Veteran journalist and television host Tim Sebastian is back for the English version and Egyptian TV journalist Mai El Sherbiny will be hosting the Arabic version.

 

MyDW has developed a new section that highlights the peope who are working behind the scenes and in front of the camera. The latest is a Q&A with Jaafar Abdul Karim, who is currently working on Shababtalk. One goal that he has for his work? To present the show inside the studio but to also incorporate his experiences from his foreign assignments and stays abroad into the show. As a reporter during the Arab spring Karim was always present on-site: in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.

 

DW will be presenting its wide-reaching changes and programming highlights for the Arab world  at the 9th Convergence Summit in Amman, Jordan on May 22 and 23. DW’s Social Media Manager Julia Hildebrand will be taking part in the conference that is organized by the Arab Advisors Group.

DW has increased its focus on regional programming and intercultural dialogue in the Middle East with a schedule that offers 10 hours of Arabic programming and a six-hour block during primetime. This new programming line-up is tailored to meet the needs of the region’s broadcasters with a renewed focus on local partner-ships.

The success of “Shababtalk” can already speak for itself. More than 3.6 million viewers were tuning in to each episode in the show’s first three weeks. And the coproduction with Egypt’s market leader Al Hayah has been registering a market share of nearly 15 percent. The talk show brings together young representatives from the democratic movement in Egypt with their German counterparts from youth organizations, political parties and other associations.

DW focused on dialogue again with “On the Pulse”. It’s a talk show that brings Arab and German experts together to discuss issues related to democratization, politics, economics, the role of the government, justice and reli-gion.

Deutsche Welle (DW) has put intercultural dialogue at the forefront in 2012 by expanding its work with partners in the Arab world. DW is producing “Hiwar El Khamies” with Raya FM in Palestine along with “Rabia Al-Shabab” with Voice of Lebanon. Both coproductions show DW’s focus on the future of the Arab world and will be produced weekly.

“DW is committed to working in the most dynamic regions in the world,” said Naser Shrouf, DW’s Head of Distribution for Africa/Middle East. “Our presence in Palestine, Lebanon and the Middle East is one of our priorities. Coproductions like these are the best sign of beneficial dialogue across cul-tural borders and national lines. We look forward to long partnerships and new challenges in the future.”

New challenges in Palestine
Hiwar El Khamies officially began on February 1 and will be aired on Thurs-days at 3:30 pm local time in Palestine. “Similar to our TV talk shows in the Arab world, we want to use radio as a medium to create a dialogue between Europe and the Middle East,” said Rainer Sollich, Head of the Arabic Radio Programming at DW.

The talk show will be hosted by radio personalities from Raya FM and DW, and will welcome expert guests to discuss a range of different topics. Listen-ers will have the opportunity to join the conversation and continue the debate online on DW’s Arabic Facebook page.

Besides Raya FM with its nationwide reach in Palestine, the coproduced program will be aired by three other DW partners: Radio Albald in Jenin, Radio Alwan in Gaza and Radio Marah in Hebron to maximize the number of lis-teners in the region.

“This coproduction is the result of a perfectly-functioning partnership be-tween DW and Raya FM,” said Ihab Al Jarere, Program and News Manager at Raya FM. “This has been proven by the current expansion – from re-broadcasting DW programming to creating a new format together. The idea of the new show is to create a platform for open dialogue on a number of issues that play a major role in the Middle East and Palestine.”

DW has a new show looking at the changes taking place in the Arab world: The New Arab Debates – With Tim Sebastian. It offers a spotlight on the Arab revolutions – inviting a new generation to get involved in politics and help shape history. Tim Sebastian asks the vital questions and insists on the answers.