Geo TV hints at options outside of Dubai

IN Media Freedom | 19/11/2007

Pakistan¿s private television network Geo TV, whose news channel Geo News was taken off air Friday midnight on orders from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities, might consider moving out of its Dubai office if a resolution to the problem is not reached soon.

"We have got options of moving out of our office here (in Dubai Media City). But that is all a big ¿if¿. We are in negotiations with the authorities here and we hope that a settlement will be reached soon," Dubai station head of Geo TV Imran Mir told IANS Sunday.

Geo is one of the two private Pakistani channels that have been ordered to stop uplinking their news programmes from Dubai. The other is ARY TV. Geo TV has, in all, eight channels uplinking from its office at the Dubai Media City here. Geo News has three beams covering Pakistan, the Middle East, the US and Britain.

All of Geo¿s channels in Pakistan have been blacked out, along with other private channels, since Nov 3 when President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency in the country. However, from Friday, two main channels, DAWN News and AAJ, were back on air, with AAJ announcing that two of its most popular talk shows, were suspended temporarily.

Asked what kind of options he has, Mir said, "We have options within Asia." Mir said that Geo TV was losing out financially since the closure of the channel with the fate of its employees uncertain. The network¿s Dubai office staff, which is over 200 strong, have, however, continued to attend office as in normal conditions."Yes, all our staff members are attending office in their normal shifts," the station head said.

The UAE authorities have stated that the country¿s neutral foreign policy and its positive and constructive role in international affairs are reasons behind taking the two Pakistani news channels off air.

"The UAE has been an advocate of international law and an active contributor to peace and stability in the region," Ibrahim Al-Abed, director general of UAE¿s National Media Council, said in a statement, while commenting on the decision taken by the Dubai Media City to close down the two channels.

"In the light of the current sensitive state of affairs in Pakistan, the UAE can only assume its responsibility and maintain its neutrality," the Emirates News Agency (WAM) quoted Al-Abed as saying.

Executive director of Dubai Media City Amina Al Rustamani has said that Dubai Media City would observe the foreign policy principles of the country.

"As an entity within the UAE, Dubai Media City would also observe the broadcast principles of the country¿s foreign policy and prevent the telecast of news and material that would undermine those principles," she said while noting that Geo and ARY are respected business partners in Dubai Media City for several years.

"Our relationship with them has been strong and friendly. We are in discussion with them in regard to the telecast of their news components and we are confident we will resolve this matter in the best way possible to protect their interests and those of the UAE," she said.

Meanwhile, Geo has continued to uplink its other entertainment and sports channels on the condition that it would not air any news or current affairs programmes on these channels.

Its sports channel, Geo Super, is airing the ongoing India-Pakistan cricket series.

"We are uplinking the cricket series from here. This is available to viewers across the world, except Pakistan where all cable networks have been blacked out, on the dish platform," Mir said.