DUBAI, 30 April 2008 — Arab News has come out on top in a poll of readers’ favorite English language newspapers in the Gulf. The Saudi daily attracted 26.49 percent of the vote, closely followed by Bahrain’s Gulf Daily News on 24.43 percent.
Kuwait-based daily Arab Times came in third with 13.13 percent of the vote, while UAE daily Gulf News was fourth with 11.37 percent.
The ArabianBusiness.com poll results indicate that despite the introduction of several new English language newspapers over the last few years the older papers have retained their loyal readership and remain the most popular.
Recently launched Abu Dhabi-based UAE daily The National garnered just 3.31 percent of the vote, while Dubai tabloid 7Days, launched in 2004, attracted only 1.85 percent and new UAE daily Emirates Business 24/7 pulled in a meager 0.93 percent. In contrast, Arab News has been in print since 1975 and Gulf Daily News and Gulf News have both been running since 1978.
“I am very pleased and want to thank our readers (for voting for us),” Arab News Editor in Chief Khaled Almaeena told ArabianBusiness.com. “One thing that is different (about Arab News) is that it represents the heart and soul of the Arab world. It is a paper that has fought for the underprivileged.”
Of the other newspapers on the list, the Oman Daily Observer came in fifth with 8.19 percent of the vote, followed by The Peninsula of Qatar on 5.72 percent.
Qatar’s Gulf Times was ranked in eighth place with 2.86 percent and the Kuwait Times was 10th with 1.72 percent.
Arab News is published by the Saudi Research & Marketing Group and is available in print and online at www.arabnews.com.
