Shut down radio stations which air programs with unsuitable content

Shut down radio stations which air programs with unsuitable content

December 11, 2015
Abdul-Ghani-Al-Gash
Abdul-Ghani-Al-Gash

Abdul Ghani Al-Gash

It has become common for radio stations to air programs in which female presenters laugh unnecessarily. These programs are far from presenting objective and valuable content. There is a lack of discussion-based programs that enrich the audience with details that matter to their everyday lives. They do not discuss people’s needs, problems, fears, rights or duties. If such programs do exist, they are very few.

There seems to be a focus on programs that address teenagers, not to educate them, but to provoke them by hiring female presenters from a specific nationality. It’s a very dangerous sign especially with the recent focus on having male and female presenters together on the same show. During these programs one hears all types of laughter in a way that grates on one’s sense of taste and modesty.

All of this is done to lure the largest segment of society. It is not strange that the Shoura Council has put forward a recommendation for the Ministry of Culture and Information to review media content, especially on privately-owned stations. The Council has also demanded that the ministry provide a quarterly program schedule in which 50 percent of the content concerns social responsibility and education. The Council described the situation currently as dishonorable and not fitting with social or national points of view.

A study by Professor Malik Al-Ahmad showed that on six of the Kingdom’s radio programs, priority goes to songs and wasting time. Music dominates everything on radio stations, even ads and breaks. A song, then an ad, then a short music program, then a musical break, and after midnight the programs only play music for four to six hours.

The study concluded that private radio stations focus on young men and women, and that the majority of audience members who interact with the station are women. The study also found that many of the stations’ programs are shallow and provide no education, and include only trivial issues relying on laughter. There is an absence of awareness and educational programs that the youth need, and commercials have taken over these stations. Of course, there are a few good programs, but they are very few.

One of the managers of a government radio station said that the content of private stations is weak and only addresses teenagers. He said the content offends one’s modesty and social principles, and that these stations do not compete with government stations because government stations do not attract teenagers.

I wish that that was as far as it went, but matters are even worse. It has come to a point where a female radio presenter made fun of the scriptures. She described an authentic Hadith with things I cannot mention here. The ball is now in the court of the Ministry of Culture and Information. After that, if radio stations cannot change for the better, the ministry has to quickly shut them down. It has been proven that they have nothing of value to offer, and their continued broadcast is counterproductive.

I blame the ministry for granting radio licenses without setting conditions related to the suitability of the content of programs as far as society is concerned. It is obvious that there is no one to hold these stations accountable and no standards for the content that is aired. At the same time, unfortunately, there is no objection from the audience and no complaints about the material presented.


December 11, 2015
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