Al-Balad (newspaper) explained

Al Balad
Type:Daily newspaper
Format:Tabloid
Owners:Al Waseet International
United Group for Publishing Advertising and Marketing
Publisher:Al Wataniya
Political:Liberal
Headquarters:Beirut, Lebanon
Language:Arabic
French
Ceased Publication:2018
Sister Newspapers:Baladna (Syria)

Al-Balad (Arabic: البلد|lit=The Country) officially Sada Al-Balad (Arabic: صدى البلد|lit=The Echo of the Country) was an Arabic-language daily newspaper in Lebanon.[1] It was headquartered in Beirut[2] and was published as a tabloid commercial paper.

History

Al Balad was first published on 15 December 2003,[3] [4] offering a myriad of prizes to lure subscribers "in exchange for largely insipid centrist news and popular society pages."[5] The first editor-in-chief was Béchara Charbel, a former graphic designer.[6] The first CEO was Bachar Kiwan, one of the owners of the newspaper.[7] The paper had a liberal-centrist stance. In 2004, the newspaper started charging a subscription fee. Soon after, a series of crises (United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 and the assassination of Rafic Hariri) left Lebanese citizens thirsting for political and security-related news which Al Balad had not provided, which led to the newspaper dismissing its staff and shutting down in 2005.

Other editions

Al Balad published a French edition in 2008 which lasted for three years before being shut down for financial reasons.[8] Al Balad also published a French edition in the Comoros through United Group (UG) affiliate Comoro Gulf Holding (CGH).[9] In 2008, Al Balad was launched in Kuwait and was subsequently shut down.[10]

Closure

The newspaper reopened in 2010 but shut down again by 2018 after not paying its staff.[11] In 2018, the staff of Al Balad tweeted from the official Twitter account of the newspaper, asking for the restoration of their rights and benefits that were "swindled" from them by the owners of the newspaper, Majd Suleiman and Bachar Kiwan.

Ownership

Al Balad is owned by United Group for Publishing and Advertising (through its affiliate Al Waseet International),[12] the Syrian media conglomerate owned by the Syrian businessmen Majd Suleiman and Bachar Kiwan, seen as the media arm of the Assad regime in various Arab countries.[13]

The publisher of the daily was Al Wataniya Publishing House.

Brand

Al Balad's logo, the Arabic letter ب set in white across a red backdrop is identical to the logo of the United Group (UG)'s Syrian newspaper Baladna.

Circulation

In 2006, a study carried out by Ara'a Company with 2,500 participants concluded that Al Balad was read by 18.3% of Lebanese over 15 years of age, being the first in this regard.[14] In the same study it was also found that the paper was the second most popular paper in Lebanon after An Nahar.[14] The Ipsos study in 2006 revealed that Al-Balad had the largest rate of subscribers with 23.8% whereas An Nahar had only 2.6%.[14] The paper was also found to have the highest circulation in Lebanon in 2006.[14] A 2009 survey by Ipsos Stat also established that the daily was among the five most popular newspapers in Beirut.[15]

The paper's online version was the 42nd most visited website for 2010 in the MENA region.[16]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Transparency. 25 July 2022. Media Ownership Monitor.
  2. Web site: Media Landscape. Menassat. 22 September 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20190220122703/http://www.menassat.com/?q=en%2Fmedia-landscape%2Fmedia-landscape-8. 20 February 2019. dead.
  3. Web site: Lebanon. Media Landscape. European Journalism Center. 15 September 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140908134743/http://ejc.net/media_landscapes/lebanon. 8 September 2014. dead. dmy-all.
  4. 1 May 2007 . Profile of MEPA Member . MEPA . 14 . 14 . 2 October 2014 . 28 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180128043950/http://www.mepa.cc/Pdf/en/mb_may2007.pdf . dead .
  5. Book: Routledge handbook on Arab media . 2021 . Noureddine Miladi, Noha Mellor . 978-0-429-76290-1 . Abingdon, Oxon . 173. 1164821650.
  6. Book: El-Richani, Sarah . The Lebanese media : anatomy of a system in perpetual crisis . 2016 . 978-1-137-60183-4 . New York . 107 . 967268643.
  7. 7 January 2004 . Newspaper Launches . dead . SFN Flash . 7 . 1 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150217223544/http://www.wan-press.org/IMG/pdf/04Q_03_SFN_Flash_FullText-2.pdf . 17 February 2015 . 17 February 2015 . dmy-all.
  8. Web site: The End of the French Al-Balad . 2022-07-25 . Skeyes Media Center for Media and Cultural Freedom.
  9. News: 9 October 2010 . Bashar Kiwan burns his fingers . Africa Intelligence .
  10. Funding War Crimes - Syrian Businessmen Who Kept Assad Going https://pro-justice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Businessmen-en-ebook-1_9069-1_removed-1.pdf
  11. Web site: Law and Practice. 25 July 2022 . Media Ownership Monitor.
  12. News: 2012 . Many voices . The Business Year . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141006084546/http://www.thebusinessyear.com/publication/article/2/46/lebanon-2012/many-voices . 6 October 2014 . 28 September 2014.
  13. Lazkani . Alimar . 2018-11-23 . Local Actors in the Syrian Coastal Area: Characteristics and Prospects . Arab Reform Initiative . en.
  14. News: Lebanon: Surveys show Beirut's Sada al-Balad most widely circulated paper. 22 September 2013. BBC Monitoring. 19 October 2006.
  15. Web site: Mapping Digital Media: Lebanon. Open Society Foundations. 19 September 2013. 15 March 2012.
  16. News: Forbes Releases Top 50 MENA Online Newspapers; Lebanon Fails to Make Top 10. 11 September 2014. Jad Aoun. 28 October 2010. 29 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160729212745/http://www.jadaoun.com/2803/forbes-releases-top-50-mena-online-newspapers-lebanon-fails-to-make-top-10/. dead.