Glittering future beckons with

Arab News celebrated its 39th year under the shimmering lights of the Jeddah InterContinental’s Al-Sultan Ballroom on Monday with the who’s who of the country’s local and expatriate communities.
Hijazi performers in traditional dress, with sticks twirling in the air, singing folk songs and beating on drums, punctuated the festive atmosphere, in the presence of top officials, high-ranking diplomats, head honchos of major Saudi companies, intellectuals, writers, journalists and executives and representatives of top advertising agencies.
Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi, editor in chief of Arab News, who has led the newspaper to new heights, was welcomed with thunderous applause. Members of the audience listened intently as he outlined the newspaper’s achievements and future plans.
He also honored and praised the newspaper’s major advertisers, outstanding employees and top executives and managers of Al-Khaleejiah Advertising and Public Relations Co., for helping to increase revenue.
“The event was a good opportunity for executives and experts to exchange thoughts and ideas on the media’s role in society and new trends in social media,” said Al-Harthi.
He said Arab News is now required reading for a wide range of people in Saudi Arabia and abroad.
“Arab News has become a brand leader. Objectivity and accuracy in its reports, analyzes and comments have given the newspaper undisputed credibility. It has become a prime source of information for policymakers, professionals and the corporate world. The newspaper has become a window on the Arab world by virtue of its wide and in-depth coverage of events in the region,” said Al-Harthi.
Arab News achieved positive results in 2013, exceeding the targets set for the year in terms of distribution and advertisement revenue, Al-Harthi said. “This was the result of the joint work of the editorial team and existing cooperation between the various companies of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG),” he said.
Al-Harthi disclosed that Arab News would soon relaunch with better content. “This is in line with the newspaper’s policy to bring about total change every few years. The new edition will have special pages for health, computers, education and interviews,” he said. “We made these changes after conducting research and holding meetings with prominent readers to know their viewpoints and requirements,” said the editor in chief. “Development projects at the group’s publications are carried out on the basis of research to achieve the desired results.”
Arab News, the first English language daily newspaper in Saudi Arabia, completed 39 years on April 20 this year.
Since its inception, Arab News has achieved several milestones, raising its stock in the Gulf and many parts of the world. It was always first in terms of excellent coverage of major events in the region.
It places great emphasis on national and international developments, the growth of the Saudi economy, human rights issues, consumer protection and other social issues. Some readers refer to it as “The Green Truth.”
Al-Harthi pointed out that over the past four decades Arab News transformed from a daily read by expatriates working in the Kingdom to a reputable international newspaper highlighting major developments in the country.
“It is read by a large number of Saudis, foreign workers, academics, executives, businessmen, intellectuals and Saudi graduates as well as foreign diplomats in the Kingdom and other Gulf countries,” he said.
Arab News has a new-look print edition and an attractive electronic presence, reaching millions of readers around the world. It has thus played a major role in expressing the voice of Saudi Arabia and highlighting Arab and Islamic issues. “During last year and the first quarter of this year we have seen a considerable growth in circulation, which indicates that our readership has increased. The feedback that we get from our readers and focus groups from time to time has been very positive and shows the loyalty of our readers and the increase in new readership,” said Al-Harthi.
“While we have achieved new heights in the print edition, we have successfully switched to digital platforms. Our iPad, iPhone, website and Android platforms are doing exceptionally well and we are getting very good responses.”
He said Arab News now has the most followers on Facebook among all English-language publications in the Middle East, with its Twitter audience up by 500 percent.
“In terms of advertisement, we have done very well and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our partners and advertisers who have reposed their trust in our brand and continuously supported us.”
“I pay homage to the late Prince Ahmad bin Salman (God bless his soul), who established the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG) in 1987 and whose leadership made the SRMG the largest media group in the Kingdom. I also pay tribute to Hisham Ali Hafiz (God bless his soul) and Muhammad Ali Hafiz who laid the foundation for this first English-language newspaper in 1975.”
“I thank every member of the dedicated Arab News team who worked collectively to take this newspaper to new heights. I am sure with concerted effort, dedication and creative ideas, we will be able to achieve new milestones,” said Al-Harthi.
A 10-minute film highlighting the “New Look, New Direction” philosophy of the newspaper was screened during the event much to the delight of the assembled guests.
The top managers and representatives of the advertising companies who stood by Arab News were honored during the celebrations.
Al-Khaleejiah Managing Director Saleh Al-Dowais presented mementoes to Abdul Rahman Al-Fahad, vice president, marketing and product management, Saudi Arabian Airlines; Abdullah Al-Ghanemi, general manager, advertising and promotion, Saudi Arabian Airlines; Faisal Al-Gain, marketing manager, IKEA; Hasan Al-Subhi, general manager, media affairs, Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Ltd. (Toyota); Ahmed Munshi, vice president, marketing, Panda; Qusai Mukhtar, public relations manager, Samsung; Hani Azzam, marketing manager, Gazzaz; Mohammed Al-Hadlaq, marketing and communications manager, Flynas; Turki Khan, director, marketing, Pepsi; and Junaid Durrani, marketing manager, E-Max.
Nasser Al-Shami, local sales director of Al-Khaleejiah in the Kingdom, accepted mementoes on behalf of other Arab News partners, including Zain, Swatch, LG, KIA, Carrefour, Jarir Book Store, BinDawood, Mobily, Al-Shaya, Lulu Hypermarket, RedTag, Honda, General Motors and Hyundai.
The top executives and managers of Al-Khaleejiah were honored at the event. Wael Al-Fayez, deputy director general of the Saudi Research and Publishing Company (SRPC), presented mementoes to Saleh Al-Dowais, managing director, Al-Khaleejiah; Naser Al-Shami, local sales director, Al-Khaleejiah; Fadi Majzoub, international sales director (agencies), Al-Khaleejiah; and Akram Bou Fakreddine, regional sales director, Al-Khaleejiah (Dubai).
Some of the most loyal subscribers of Arab News were also honored. They included Syed Najmuddin Quadri, Aijaz Ahmad Qazi, Nadeem Kapadia and Shaikh Nizar Ahmad.
Al-Harthi honored five senior staffers of Arab News. They were Khalil Hanware, P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Shiraz Hasan, Abdul Jabbar Hussain Dawood and M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan.
Later, diplomats and invited guests joined Al-Harthi in cutting the ceremonial cake to mark the occasion.
The celebrations ended on a high note with a sumptuous dinner.