VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #1793 2271405
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 141405Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0237

UNCLAS CAIRO 001793 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR R, NEA/ELA, NEA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL BBG KPAO EG
SUBJECT: AL HURRA MEETS WITH MINISTER OF INFORMATION 
 
Sensitive but unclassified. Please handle accordingly. 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary:  Al Hurra officials met with Information 
Minister Anas El Fikki to discuss options for broadcasting 
portions of a three-hour daily live television program from 
Cairo.  Minister Fikki was adamant that all satellite 
transmissions for this program be transmitted from within 
Media City.  Based on current licensing and construction 
requirements, the estimated date for actual broadcasting from 
a Media City studio is December 2009. End summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Middle East Broadcasting Networks President Brian 
Conniff and Al Hurra Director of Program Review and Research 
Vatche Sarkisian met with Information Minister El Fikki on 
August 6, 2008, to discuss Al Hurra's new three-hour daily 
live TV program.  The proposed program is a news and 
lifestyle program with live broadcast segments from Dubai, 
Beirut and Cairo, with production coordination at the Al 
Hurra studios in Springfield, VA. The Minister did not 
comment on the program content, but was adamant that any 
satellite transmissions for this show originate from the 
Media Free Zone (Media City), repeating several times "Any 
transmission for this show that is not done through Media 
City would be illegal."  This program concept had been 
previously raised several times with the Minister, but this 
was the first response from the Minister to either BBG 
representatives or Emboffs. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Media City was established in the 1990s in an area 
west of downtown Cairo for independent and foreign 
broadcasters.  However, television studios do in fact exist 
outside of Media City.  For example, the Associated Press 
owns a television studio located in downtown Cairo, as do 
other video production companies.  In addressing the 
distinction, El Fikki pointed out that these others are 
transmitting small segments of shows, such as sound bites and 
film footage of a few minutes duration. "Even if only one 
third of this program is coming from Cairo, then that is an 
hour, and that is not a segment of a program.  It's a program 
and it must come from Media City." 
 
¶4. (SBU) Conniff and Sarkisian met later that day with MFA 
Assistant Minister for North American Affairs Amb Hatem Saif 
El Nasser, who reiterated the message that all satellite 
broadcasting for this proposed program be transmitted from 
Media City facilities. El Nasser appeared to be well-briefed 
on the proposed program and repeated Min El Fikki's point 
that Al Hurra must locate production facilities in Media 
City.  Conniff expressed his disappointment in the 
restrictive policy, which generated a nugget of advice from 
El Nasser.  He reminded Conniff that in Egypt "all things are 
possible," but everything depends on relationships.  He 
encouraged Conniff to set up shop in Media City, develop good 
relationships in Egypt and "see what might be possible" in a 
year or two. 
 
¶5.  (U) The following day, Conniff and Sarkisian met with the 
Head of the Media Public Free Zone in Media City, Mr. Effat 
Abdel Azim.  According to Abdel Azim, the initial licensing 
to operate in Media City is a one-to-five month process, at 
which point groundbreaking could occur to build a studio from 
the ground up.  He noted that there is currently no available 
space for purchase, and he estimated a studio could be ready 
for broadcast by December, 2009.  He left open the 
possibility that things might "work out later", after the 
licensing process is complete, saying that it may be possible 
to lease existing studio space at some point. 
 
¶6.  (U) MEBN President Brian Conniff did not have an 
opportunity to clear this message before departing Cairo. 
SCOBEY