February 2012 Al Majlis_02

newsletter | Issue 02
FEBRUARY 2012
Al Majlis_02
February 2012
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01.
headliner
Abu Dhabi Media Launches Radio Mirchi:
India’s No.1 Radio Station
Abu Dhabi Media spiced up the airwaves this
month as it celebrated the launch of Radio
Mirchi, India’s largest and most popular radio
station, now for the first time in the UAE.
The station offers listeners a taste of
authentic Desi radio with a mix of music,
entertainment and unrivalled access
to Bollywood, with a flavor from home,
broadcast in a mix of Hindi and English.
Radio Mirchi’s launch in the UAE makes it the
first radio station of its kind in the Emirates
offering nationwide coverage with three
exclusive frequencies: 97.3FM Abu Dhabi,
88.8FM Dubai & northern emirates, and
95.6FM Al Ain.
The partnership between the two parties also
represents Abu Dhabi Media’s first extension
into the lucrative South Asian broadcast
sector, and the first ever international
expansion for the Radio Mirchi brand.
Mirchi, which is Hindi for chili, prides itself
on providing entertaining programming that
engages listeners, and they’ll have plenty
to tune-in to! Some of the key programs
include: Mirchi Mornings , a daily morning
show with a fun take on news around the
world peppered with Bollywood and the
hottest songs from the decade; Total Filmy,
featuring the most popular Bollywood stars,
latest interviews and movie reviews; and
Classic Retro, a three-hour program with a
treasure trove of trivia and stories from the
golden era of Hindi film.
Abu Dhabi Media welcomes the team at
Radio Mirchi, including: Sandeep Sud, Head
of Radio Mirchi UAE, Deepti Jasti, Head
of Programming and Garima Singh who
oversaw the official launch.
Tune-in and check out Radio Mirchi today!
headliner
Executive corner
take 5
in the news
60-second spotlight
Your Time
newsletter | Issue 02
Executive
corner
02.
executive
corner
03.
take 5
A Letter from the CEO
Hala Al Gergawi talks about her new role
as managing editor of anaZahra.com
I’m happy to be writing to each of you in the first
edition of our employee newsletter for 2012. We
are bringing back “Al Majlis” on a monthly basis
in an effort to update each of you on brand
achievements, highlight company initiatives
and spotlight a few of the employees you work
with daily.
We’re just a month in, but 2012 is already
shaping up to be a very busy and productive
year for Abu Dhabi Media. As we announced
last week, we are now defining our brands
in two categories: brands that serve the UAE
through a specific public service role; and
brands that target the wider Arab world with
clear commercial objectives. You can already
see results of our strategy with the launch this
week of “Radio Mirchi”, our first foray into the
important South Asian market across the UAE.
Abu Dhabi Media is thrilled to welcome the
station to our already strong radio portfolio and
we look forward to sharing other brand news
with you in the coming months.
I have now been with Abu Dhabi Media for five
months and in that time have been impressed
with the quality of our employees and your
dedication to your roles and to our brands.
We have much work in front of us but I am
confident in our ability to grow as a company
and continue to connect with our readers,
listeners and viewers.
This newsletter is meant to be a reflection of
our company and our employees so please
let us know if there are topics you’d like to see
covered or any other suggestions you might
have by emailing:
[email protected].
Best Wishes,
Malcolm Wall
C.E.O
Abu Dhabi Media
Malcolm Wall, CEO
Abu Dhabi Media
02
take
5
THE FIVE QUESTION INTERVIEW
What made you interested taking the role
to lead anaZahra?
I grew up reading Zahrat Al Khaleej, it was
my window to the entire world during my
early years of womanhood. I eventually
took a career in the publishing industry as
I strongly believe in its role to foster and
develop our evolving societies. The level of
advancement in technology today and the
introduction of new communication tools are
giving anaZahra a new dimension. This is
why I’m very excited to lead anaZahra, where
I get the opportunity to experience and add to
the beauty of the two worlds, rich publishing
roots and state of the art technologies.
How do you feel the site differs from other
women’s websites ?
We are the first to launch a premium
online destination for Arab women in
the region. Our content is original, very
dynamic and always up to date. Our top
quality contributors are women who live
and experience every woman’s story on a
daily basis from around the world. This is a
space for women across the MENA region
to express themselves, to share ideas and
to open channels of communication, fueled
by excellent content, expert advice, inspiring
bloggers and contributors, and useful
engaging lifestyle tips and resources.
What changes should anaZahra readers
expect over the coming year?
The unexpected! We will evolve as women in
the Arab world evolve. Women in this part of
the world are very interesting, they respect
their cultures and religion, yet continue to
be dynamic, modern and smart. We will
continue to work on understanding women’s
changing needs and expectations and
respond to that with a lot of innovation and
creativity.
ng
Hala Al Gergawi, Managi
Editor of anaZahra.com
What do you feel the importance of a site like
anaZahra is for modern Arab women?
For too long, modernity & Arabism were
presented as mutually exclusive choices where
women from this region had to choose between
being Arab or being modern. I don’t believe
women have to make this choice any more. This
belief is at the core of anaZahra’s philosophy.
What is your favorite section on
anaZahra.com?
I love the blogs because I get the chance to
listen to what our readers have to say and learn
from their experiences. I’m also already a fan of
a new upcoming section so stay tuned!
February 2012
in the
news
DID YOU
KNOW …
Our radio brands are the only radio
stations to reach the entire UAE.
04.
in the news
Abu Dhabi TV Network
Expands on its
Pay TV offering
Abu Dhabi TV Network has recently
announced a number of upgrades, new
features and packages to the AD SPORTS
set-top box. Now all subscribers are able
to visit websites through their set-topboxes., viewing some of their favorite sites
such as YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Picasa,
WikiTV and soon Facebook from the same
device that brings them the best in sports
and entertainment HD programming. In
addition, ADTV announced a partnership
with MBC. At no additional cost, set-top
box subscribers can view: MBC 1, MBC 2,
MBC 4, MBC DRAMA, MBC ACTION, MBC
MAX and AL ARABIYA News Channel all in
HD. As part of the partnership, MBC will
also feature AD SPORTS’ exclusive Barclays
Premiere League (BPL) highlights on MBC1
and AL ARABIYA News Channel. Finally,
ADTV most recently announced a new
family package giving viewers access to HD
content featuring sports, movies, series,
documentaries and news at an extremely
competitive rate.
Abu Dhabi Media- follow us!
Abu Dhabi Media has launched a new
Facebook page and Twitter account. Go here
to find out the latest news from Abu Dhabi
Media corporate and stories from our brands,
along with behind-the-scenes photos, event
images and more. To follow us, please go to:
www.twitter.com/AbuDhabiMedia
www.facebook.com/AbuDhabiMedia
anaZahra.com announces
blogging section
anaZahra.com has launched a Blogging
section featuring 17 well-known bloggers
from across the region. Bloggers will be
offering exclusive content to anaZahra.com
covering a range of topics including Fashion,
Beauty, Health, Bridal, Poetry, and Community.
Some of the bloggers and their respective
topics include: Fashion Designs: Aiisha
Ramadan, gifted young designer; Beauty:
Joelle Mardinian, prominent makeup artist
and a leading beauty expert in the Middle
East; and Health and Beauty: Dr. Jeehan Abdul
Qadir, Executive Director at American Academy
of Cosmetic Surgery Hospital at Dubai
Healthcare City.
The National Goes Green
In December, the National began printing on 100% recycled paper. The move reinforces the paper’s
ongoing commitment to sustainability, and will significantly reduce its impact on the environment
by reducing energy consumption and waste sent to landfill. The switch from conventional paper to
fully recycled comes with the support and sponsorship of Masdar, regional leaders in sustainable
thinking.
anaZahra’s ne
w blogging sec
tion
Image Nation Names Finalists for Arab Film Studio
Image Nation Abu Dhabi, in partnership with twofour54 tadreeb, announced the six finalists of the
first annual Arab Film Studio’s Short Film Competition. The finalists will now participate in a threemonth film training program and series of challenges including script writing, make up and sound
design with the final task being a short film produced by each team. An international panel of judges
will then select one film as the overall winner and award 50,000 AED to develop a feature screenplay
for Image Nation Abu Dhabi. This year’s Arab Film Studio Finalists are: Fatima Al Dhaheri, Omar Butti,
Khalid Al Abdulla, Mariam Khanji, Eisa Al Sabousi, and Sarah Al Ameri.
names
Image Nation
lists
na
Fi
io
ud
St
Arab Film
03
newsletter | Issue 02
60 Seconds
with …
YOUR
TIME
05.
60 Seconds
with …
06.
your time
Rania Younes,
Star FM
We need your
feedback!
Describe what you do in a
few words.
This is your newsletter, so please tell us
what you think. We want your ideas and
suggestions for what you want to read in
future editions.
I research, present and produce, together
with Hassan, ‘Sabaho’, the morning show
on Star FM.
What gets you out of bed
each morning?
A new day. Every day is a gift. You
never know what comes with it…but it’s
thrilling!
What makes your job fun?
Everything. I have a passion for what I
do. It’s in my blood. I’ve been doing it
for over 10 years and I’m loving it! I love
the connection and interaction with our
listeners. I am also aware of the influence
I have, which is a great privilege and
responsibility.
What makes your job hard?
The responsibility that comes with it and
the high level of concentration required.
‘Sabaho’ is a live show - there’s no place
for gaffes!
What’s your favourite song?
Hikem Al Alb (‘The heart’s call’ in
English) by Wael Kfouri. It resonates with
me. It’s about the people we meet, the
connections we make throughout our
lives.
What are you reading at the
moment?
‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ by Mitch Albom,
and few other books that inspire me.
04
Please send your comments to
[email protected]