| Al Hiwar / قناة الحوار | |
|---|---|
| Launched | January 1, 2006 |
| Network | Middle East Broadcasting Center |
| Picture format | 4:3 (576i, SDTV) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | Arabic |
| Broadcast area | Europe, Africa, Middle-East, Asia |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Website | alhiwar.tv (Arabic) |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Nilesat 102 | 10911 V, SR: 27500, FEC: 3/4 |
| Arabsat 4B | 12073 H, SR: 27500, FEC: 3/4 |
| Hot Bird 9 | 10949 V, SR: 27500, FEC: 3/4 |
"Al-Hiwar" (Arabic: الحوار) is an Arabic language Satellite TV Channel broadcasting from London. Al-Hiwar (means "Dialogue" in Arabic) was set up by a number of Arab intellectuals and businessmen from Britain and the Arab World.[1]
Contents |
Al-Hiwar was founded in 2006; its founding managing editor is Azzam Al-Tamimi[2]
The T.V station was the target of several censorship attempts; in May 2009, it was taken off Hotbird after repeated and deliberate jamming of its signals. This happened while the Channel was airing interviews with exiled Libyan opposition leaders.[3]
Al-Hiwar was unexpectedly taken off Egyptian owned satellite operator Nilesat in April 2008. This move came just weeks after the signing of the so-called: "Principles for Regulating Satellite TV in the Arab World"; which was adopted unanimously by the Arab League during a meeting in Cairo on February 12th, 2008. However, the Egyptian authorities and Nilesat denied that the new charter on Arab media had anything to do with this.[2][4][5]
In June 2008, Emirati authorities seized tapes and recordings of Al-Hiwar journalists in Dubai Airport, who were leaving for London after they had filmed an Episode of "Khaleeji Dimensions" that deals with the national identity in the United Arab Emirates. The material seized was later sent to Al-Hiwar headquarters in London and the original airing schedule for the episode was postponed.[6]