Alarab, the TV-news station backed by Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, has launched a recruitment drive for 300 staff, one third of which it wants to be local Bahrainis.
The Saudi Arabian billionaire chose Bahrain as the base for the new station, which will compete for viewers with the likes of Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera and Sky News Arabia.
Jamal Khashoggi, the manager of Alarab, said he hopes the station will be fully staffed by April or May next year.
“We are going to hire around 300 people. A good proportion of them will be local Bahrainis. I estimate there will be about 100 from Bahrain, for all kinds of jobs.”
The veteran Saudi Arabian journalist said the decision to focus on the employment of Bahrainis was practical, rather than political.
“To bring someone from Dubai to Bahrain will cost you money. If you can find the same experience in Bahrain, go for it,” he said. “One of our reasons for choosing Bahrain is that it is rich with capable, experienced young people.”
Mr Khashoggi said Alarab had signed a special agreement with the Bahraini authorities, spelling out its right to broadcast freely.
This agreement can also be used as a framework for other broadcasters looking to launch a channel in Bahrain, he added.
“The Bahrainis did not have before us a law for free broadcast... It set a precedent for Bahrain, so it had to be right for them and for us,” said Mr Khashoggi. “Now anyone can use that agreement we have with the state of Bahrain to launch a news channel.”
Freedom of expression is a controversial issue in Bahrain, which slipped down the press freedom rankings following last year’s uprising.
The country is currently placed 173rd in the World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters Without Borders. That is just one place ahead of China, and three ahead of Syria, which was ranked 176th.
Alarab is likely to go on air in late summer next year, slightly later than expected, Mr Khashoggi said.
“Our plan [to go live by] the end of the summer next year, and I hope we can meet it,” he said. The executive was speaking on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Media Summit.
