JEDDAH: Plans are under way to launch a new television channel named “Alif Alif,” informed sources told Arab News, adding that it would broadcast its programs from Jeddah, London and Dubai.
The channel, which will focus on Saudi affairs and heritage and modern developments, will be managed professionally using the most advanced equipment and facilities.
According to one source, the channel is the brainchild of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, adding that it would be managed in a balanced and transparent manner.
The television project will be financed by its founders including Prince Khaled bin Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs and founder of Al-Hayat newspaper and Prince Turki bin Nasser, head of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment.
Other investors include businessmen Abdul Maqsood Khoja, Muhammad Hussein Al-Amoudi, who is a shareholder of Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG), Saleh Al-Turki, former chairman of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Abdul Rahman Al-Sharbatly.
The source said Prince Khaled’s initiative to establish the new channel comes after his success in the print media. He is the founder of Al-Watan Arabic daily. He has also launched a number of cultural and media projects including the Arab Thought Foundation.
There are about 400 Arab channels that broadcast on Arabsat and Nilesat. Some of them are official channels of Arab countries while others are owned by the private sector. They focus mainly on music, films, sports, news and family topics.
