Dubai Media Observer: Here Toady, gone tomorrow?

Sunday, 11 November 2007

Here Toady, gone tomorrow?

One of DMO's favourite moles has come out of retirement with this nugget:

At the end of the month, Emirates Toady is to be rebranded as a business paper, known as Emirates 24/7.

UPDATE: and it's still crap.

140 comments:

Anonymous said...: Superb - I cant wait. A print version of a Reuters screen.; 12 November, 2007 12:29
Anonymous said...: obviously the market research they did pre launch of the toad has paid off then. Word is al sayegh has had his wings severely clipped over the complete and utter balls up that the toad was and is.
I think its a great idea to chase an even smaller ad market than you have been failing to break into for 2 years. Cant wait to have this pile of poo thrown over the gate for 2 days then stop, then thrown over again, then goes on sale, then comes over the gate again, then ends up in drop bins all over dubai free of charge followed up by a huge subscription drive. Thank the lord they don't have a clue.; 12 November, 2007 15:16
secretdubai said...: Well that's an interesting development.

Interesting how AGM can get a licence for a business newspaper but not ITP.

Where's an independent, non-government-controlled media when you need it? Oh.

The biggest drawback with the Toady is all that shiny colour paper. It quite ruins its absorbency for those difficult times when one has run out of Andrex. That's why KT is a far better choice for bathroom reading.; 12 November, 2007 15:27
Anonymous said...: so what then .. will they then change khaleej times to go after gulf news; 12 November, 2007 15:46
Anonymous said...: Emirates Today is to become a business paper? Really!? Is that news? Jeez. Hold the front frickin page... This website really is tedious crap written by embittered and simple-minded tosspots with little else to occupy their tiny minds than bitching about other publications. GET. A. LIFE.

Oh, and if you don't like the way business is done out here, with regard to the licence, why don't you disappear back to your home countries where I'm sure people such as yourselves, with blatantly limited talents, will shine like beacons of journalistic excellence. Or, perhaps not.

For the record, all AMG's publications are being redesigned and refocused. This is not a trade secret, but common knowledge. ...and you have the front to call yourselves journalists. God help us all.; 12 November, 2007 22:53
Anonymous said...: Hmmmm ... someone's toys appear to have fallen out of the pram. Personally speaking, I have Got.A.Life. I buy The Times (but I use 6days for loo paper).; 13 November, 2007 00:21
Anonymous said...: Old news. Boo.; 13 November, 2007 03:56
Anonymous said...: Same shit, different smell...; 13 November, 2007 08:38
Anonymous said...: Well I hope it's going to be brilliant. Give AMG a point for accepting ET was crap and being brave enough to admit it and move on.

A newspaper license is a valuable thing indeed - let's hope this time AMG makes good use of it.

Fundamentally it's in all our interests that the media here is strong, so while we can be skeptical we should at least be encouraging.

Let's give the team putting it together the benefit of the doubt and not give up on it before it has even launched.

Go on E24/7. Prove us 'embittered tosspots' wrong.; 13 November, 2007 10:32
Anonymous said...: I think it's rather good fun that the strangle hold that al nisr et al has on the newspaper market for quite some time is hindering AMG.

Maybe 'they' will learn that if the market is not truly open 'they' will need more than just an arrogant pontificating pr*ck like al sayegh to run a media company. His third in how 'to wipe my butt with a newspaper'from buttrub university isn't cutting the mustard it seems.

I have an idea why not put someone in to run the company on merit rather than foolishly placed loyalty and an ability to kiss the right arse. Al sayegh barely knows his arse from his elbow.

Al sayegh should be made to sell newspapers at traffic lights, at least h'd be doing something useful. Ah! traffic light sales of newspapers - brings back memoies eh?

I have to say I like Mr Shit he elevates the level of posting here.; 13 November, 2007 10:57
Anonymous said...: Can the moderator start a thread on last week's Arabian Business media conference in Dubai.

Also could anyboody comment on the incestuous relationship between Andrew Neil ('Chairman' ITP), Anil Bhoyrul ITP Editor and visiting 'media consultant' and 'conference speaker' Piers Morgan. Morgan was of course Anil Bhoyrul's former Editor at the Daily Mirror.

Look forward to your comments.; 13 November, 2007 13:35
Anonymous said...: Loving Anon @ 22.53.

Hitting us with all the classics: "Is that news?"; "This website really is tedious crap written by embittered and simple-minded tosspots" and, of course, who can forget, "If you don't like the way business is done out here, with regard to the licence (sic), why don't you disappear back to your home countries."

Ah, the old ones are best.

Just as an aside - what did you actually do before you worked for ET, Anon? What? You've no press experience at all? Really? Yet you're still moving up the ET ladder with force, even moving from desk to desk (despite having no experience or relevancy to that dept)?

Got. To. Love. ET.

And. The. Clowns. That. Work. There.; 13 November, 2007 17:09
Anonymous said...: Anon @ 17.09: In response to your baseless accusation I have no press experience, let me assure you my career history in newspapers is both broad and deep, largely with reputed broadsheets in the UK and overseas.

Secondly, your arrogance blinds you to the correct spelling in British English of the noun 'licence', as defined as a permit from an authority to own or use something. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!

And thirdly, you assume I work for Emirates Today and AMG. Journalism lesson number one: Never assume anything (it will make you look like a tosser).

Sleep tight, loser; 13 November, 2007 20:49
Anonymous said...: Off topic I know and probably something that has been covered in other posts but I need some feedback.

One of the biggest publishing companies in Dubai has offered me a management position. I have always been a journalist, working for national and international media across print and broadcast. My career is going well and I don't need to come to Dubai to "make it".

At the moment they aren't offering me jaw-dropping wages (not much more than I earn now) but the position could, potentially, be very interesting.

I know nothing about Dubai at all and normally think of it as being very "Footballer's Wives" - case in point being the Olga/Petch wedding. That side of it really, really puts me off.

I am not a particularly corporate kind of person and loathe toadying sycophancy. I also don't tolerate exploitation very well - of myself or others.

So, the question is this - Should I Stay or Should I Go (to Dubai)?

Any comments or feedback would be appreciated.; 14 November, 2007 06:30
Anonymous said...: Anon above: well, if you've followed this site at all, the obvious answer is don't come!

Toadying, exploitation and the tackiest place on Earth? Check, check and check.

Also, the cost of living is really, really high. If you have family, well, check out the cost of an averag 3 bed apt and or villa.

Another thing, one of Dubai's biggest publishers could mean anyone.

Having said that, the publishing industry is still quite vibrant compared to UK. Newspapers (ell some) actually make money. Advertising is bouyant. It's quite refreshing to be in an industry where cost-cutting isn't a daily nightmare, or where you're working at the scrag-end of a once exciting, well paid industry.; 14 November, 2007 07:56
Anonymous said...: Thing is, if it is sooo bad in Dubai why are you all you guys out there? Everywhere has its negative sides...

What are ITP like as employers? And please, just objective viewpoints not resentments.; 14 November, 2007 09:09
Anonymous said...: Only go to ITP (nee Dubai) if you are going to pass the medical. Don't quit your job, move out here, then dissappear and be shipped out again...like one poor soul a couple of weeks ago.; 14 November, 2007 13:03
Anonymous said...: what does the medical entail?; 14 November, 2007 13:30
Anonymous said...: ITP is actually a very good and very exciting company to work in - in my opinion. Its people are fun and friendly - a broad selection of people from around the world, at different ages and stages of their career.

For the most part the company seems to value its employees - I have never been made to feel just a number.

If the job itself is interesting, I say go for it. I don't think there is a better media company in the Middle East.; 14 November, 2007 14:57
Anonymous said...: Coming briefly back on topic, it looks like Al Sayegh has let the cat out of the bag.

http://www.communicate.ae/node/325.

Will ET work any better as a business paper, or is it just an excuse to publish government press releases?; 14 November, 2007 16:01
Anonymous said...: Publish government press release? You mean like Gulf News does is a greater abundance every day than ET ever has?

And while we're on the subject of so-called toadying, why has no-one ever accused the mighty GN of the same? After all, it is the one that reprints everything from Wam verbatim, and publishes protocal pictures on the front page almost every day without fail?

Which newspaper is the greater suckass?

And, no, I don't work for AMG!; 14 November, 2007 22:35
Anonymous said...: Seen this from Gorkana?

New United Arab Emirates Newspaper

Recruitment for the new newspaper is now close to 100, including the appointments below. Martin Newland, the Editor, has been quoted as saying, "Launching a quality national newspaper for Abu Dhabi is an exciting project and I am not surprised that it is attracting genuine talent. I am delighted with the strength of the editorial team we are assembling, from mustard keen young reporters to great writers and world class executives."

Sue Ryan, former Managing Editor of The Daily Telegraph, is joining the newspaper as a Consultant with wide ranging responsibilities for life, arts and features, recruitment and design. She has been working for the London Evening Standard, covering for Managing Editor Doug Wills, who has now returned to work part time.

Hamida Ghafour, Canadian, former Daily Telegraph Correspondent in her birthplace, Kabul, a Contributor to Guardian Unlimited's "Comment is Free" section and author of the Sleeping Budda, which traces her family's Afghan background, will be a Senior Writer among about 40 planned National News Reporters on the Abu Dhabi paper.

Jonathan Shainin, from the New Yorker magazine, will join the new paper as Review Editor.

Hassan Fattah is the Deputy Editor. He was formerly Middle East Correspondent of the New York Times. Hassan can be reached on hassan@hassanfattah.com

Luciana Blackwell, a Romanian-born journalist who lives in Abu Dhabi, will be the paper's Online Editor. She can be reached on luciana_blackwell@emi.ae

Colin Randall, former Chief Reporter, Executive News Editor and Paris Correspondent of The Daily Telegraph, is the project's Executive News Editor. He can be reached on colin_randall@emi.ae

Other appointments to the paper include the Wall Street Journal's Corporate Finance Editor, Bill Spindle, who will be Business Editor; The Sunday Telegraph's Bob Cowan as Comment Editor; and another senior Sunday Telegraph journalist, James Langton, as News Features Editor.

Alan Philps, a former Foreign Editor for The Daily Telegraph will join as Associate Editor, based in England. He can be reached on alanphilps@hotmail.com

Anna Seaman, from the Daily Mail's Femail section, has also been hired as a Senior Writer. Anna can currently be reached on annaseaman10@aol.com

The Foreign Editor is Canadian, Michael Jabri-Pickett, who held a similar post at Emirates Today, and National Editor is Matt Slater, a Briton with Gulf experience (formerly News Editor of Time Out Dubai).

Reem Maghribi will be Editor of the Arts & Life section. Reem is a fluent Arabic speaker born and brought up in Britain. She is Editor-in-Chief of SharqMagazine.com, an English-language magazine about Arab culture and lifestyles.; 15 November, 2007 05:03
Anonymous said...: ITP are the best of the bunch.

And while some of them are very nice people, most of the senior ones are not.

Be aware - they will use you, expect you to work long hours and be unreasonably demanding; and spit you out if you don't serve their purpose.

But if you are a very hard worker, and loyal, you'll get on and in time be financially rewarded for it.; 15 November, 2007 05:06
Anonymous said...: Oh come on. Gulf News may be fat and bloated but it is - for all its flaws - good enough to pick up. ET really is just poor. If it was free, it may be read, but who would buy it?

I really am being objective here - ET is poor quality, and offers no value add. It looks like it is being put together by people who gave up long ago.

GN is flabby and mediocre. But it has a big staff and covers what it can - even if without discernible style.

It also syndicates from all the best news sources - Economist, FT... That may be a weakness, but it is also a strength. There are great articles in there.

You cannot compare ET with GN. Hopefully E24 whatever will do a better job. Fingers crossed.; 15 November, 2007 11:56
Anonymous said...: This from Nov 15 Arabian Business.com

Mishal Kanoo launched a scathing attack on the region's journalists, claiming in a blistering speech that they lacked the courage to properly investigate controversial stories.

In the speech entitled ‘Is Journalism in The Gulf Just PR Fluff?' Kanoo, who is deputy chairman of the Kanoo Group, told delegates of the Arabian Business Media and Marketing Conference 2007 that he believed journalists in the region preferred to cut and paste news agency copy than to uncover the real stories in the region.
He highlighted several stories which went reported in the region, including the case of a prominent Kuwait-based company which was investigated for fraud - a story which was covered by the Wall Street Journal but not by any Middle East-based publications. Areas which he believed journalists have not properly investigated include the conduct of local banks and the claims of local property developers at the recent Cityscape event.
Giving one example he said: "I saw two companies make the statement that they are the largest private developers in the Middle East.

"One has 12 to 16 buildings on paper but only four of them have been built. The other one put out an advert saying they were spending AED450bn in the Middle East. Yet no one investigated this and asked ‘really where is that money coming from? How did you come up with this figure?' The journalists should have investigated this and should have been telling us the truth about these things rather than just taking cut and paste as per what is given to them by the PR companies."

Describing Dubai as "one of the best rumour mills in the whole of the Middle East," he said journalists preferred to skirt around controversial topics rather than drilling down to find the truth behind them. "There are some newspapers and magazines that do that but you reach a point where you stop," he said. "We don't want to get inside the onion. We will peel a few layers but we don't want to get inside."

The lack of proper investigative journalism is, he said, leading to a situation where UAE-based publications lack credibility and where readers seek verification from international publications to back up their claims. "The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Financial Times. When they say something, when they make a statement you listen. When the magazines in this part of the world make a statement, you want to verify it."

Kanoo claimed that there are two main reasons why media companies in the region steer clear of publishing controversial stories about companies and individuals in the Middle East - fear of legal action and advertising revenue. Kanoo said he believed the UAE was one of the few parts of the world where a journalist would face legal proceedings in a criminal court for writing a story, which was later claimed to be untrue. "In other parts of the world if someone raises a suit against you for stating something which they think is untrue, it will go to a civil court. Here it goes to the criminal court. How many people are there that want to test that world?"

However, he said the most significant reason why in his words "our journalism ends up being more like PR," was the need for advertising revenue - particularly from the real estate sector.

"There is no other significant reason - it's money," he concluded.; 15 November, 2007 16:30
Anonymous said...: Kanoo is right - uae media sucks big time.

Gulf News is utter crap
ET - well we all know - doesn't even merit crap
Khaleef Times, snigger!
6days - lol

Look the sheikhs don't want us to report 'real' news. they cant stand the truth and they are arrogant enough to think we shouldn't be their moral conscience. They want us to stay off the investigative writing - you know, Nakheel's sinking houses on The Palm, the failing property market in Dubai, Dubai's bloated carbon footprint as a world leading polluter, emiratis appalling road safety record, rampant racism in Dubai (anyone who's not a local has no rights - yep that's what we call racism folks)...get over it.; 15 November, 2007 23:02
Anonymous said...: My advice to anon with the offer letter, is to stay put. I worked in Dubai for a year and now I'm back in India. My pay packet's nearly a tenth of what I earned there but nothing beats working as a journalist in a democracy. Many like you before (read: the launch staff of ET) came to Dubai, thinking that it would be a fun challenge and are now back to where they started from or are producing some absolutely horrendous PR copies that bear their bylines.; 16 November, 2007 06:03
Anonymous said...: To the anon poster wondering about ITP as an employer: I worked there for 6 months. I too came from respectable papers, had more than 10 years of experience, etc. I thought the whole thing would at least be interesting.
It was not. As an employer, ITP is wretched. They do not care about you. It is a factory. You will be treated as a factory worker. The managers are inexperienced twits and crooks.
The 'footballers wives' reference to Dubai? Sadly, that's not just one part of Dubai, that's all there is. And ITP lives and breathes it.
If journalism happens there, it is by accident.; 17 November, 2007 01:08
Anonymous said...: What makes the work environment at ITP so awful?
Is the pay better there than at Motivate?
If one is able to survive working there for a couple of years does the experience transfer well back home or do most people in London consider ITP to be sort of a sham?
What are salaries like at ITP?; 17 November, 2007 09:52
Anonymous said...: is AED 20,000 per month a competitive media salary in dubai?; 17 November, 2007 13:33
Anonymous said...: So ET is just being "redisgned and refocused" along with other AMG publications. Let's be honest, this really has been an exercise in failure since the launch.
When ET was trumpeted in one almighty fanfare we were supposed to be seeing a newspaper that would "set new standards in Middle east journalism". It was going to push the boundaries in the Gulf and she 'em all how it should be done. Here we are two years later and after all that time, money, effort and planning the paper is now on its third editor, has a tiny paid-for circulation and never even scratches the surface in terms of incisive, intelligent, interesting, well-researched reporting.
They have just spent God knows how much on consultants to come up with a new vision for the newspaper only to suddenly tear it all up and announce it is to become a business newspaper because the area is "crying out for it".

Just arrange this in the correct order: Brewery, piss-up, in, a, organise, couldn't, a.

Will this latest move herald a brave new world and an industry-leading brand? I wouldn't put my last dirham on it, that's for sure.; 17 November, 2007 19:23
Anonymous said...: Reality about ITP - if you are not good enough, you won't be there for very long. The company tends to look after those people it sees as having potential. It does not feel it has a moral responsibility to bring people up to speed - if they are going to take a long time getting there.

Consequently, there are a lot of people who have left IT - either pushed nicely, or on their own volition because they felt they weren't nurtured enough.

I think it's attitude is healthy. GE after all made a virtue of sacking the bottom 20% of its work force annually. ITP is nowhere near that, but you are expected to perform.

I agree with the earlier post. ITP can be a rewarding, fascinating company to work in - if you find the right position for you.

Salary is a very personal thing. 20K may be a fortune for some, and not enough to get out of bed for another. It depends upon the position, your seniority, etc.; 18 November, 2007 09:27
Anonymous said...: Re the New United Arab Emirates Newspaper edited by Martin Newlands can anyone give me any info of where it fits into the newspaper market in UAE? Is it one of the goodies or a baddie?

I've sent my CV to them and they're expressing interest...

Thanks; 18 November, 2007 19:50
Anonymous said...: To the candidate thinking about joining ITP:

1.) it is the best of the bunch, no doubt

2.) great for 'flexible' journalists, not so much if you're not

3.) you'll make the money but you'll work for every dirham

4.) you ARE employable once you return to civilisation-- and will have plenty of entertaining stories to regale your new disbelieving colleagues with

5.) if you're young & single, it can be great; if you're married + kid/s, put it out of your mind as it is too damn hard; 20 November, 2007 07:17
Anonymous said...: I wonder how many of the people appointed by Newlands for the new Abu Dhabi paper were actually in full-time employment. The sensible one is the associate editor who will do his editing from home in London. Very crafty.; 20 November, 2007 20:16
Anonymous said...: Very crafty maybe, but he won't last long. You can't be that disjointed in newspaper publishing.; 21 November, 2007 09:33
Anonymous said...: To all those planning to join the Abu Dhabi newspaper, think very, very hard before signing your life to it.
It has some pretty good people in it but its future is very uncertain, bosses will most certainly ruin it, work environment is bound to be bad and after you have worked in this region, you can forget about getting a decent job back home.
I'm so sure because I am working here so I know the industry.; 21 November, 2007 15:29
Anonymous said...: Can we start a new thread along the lines of 'Know your market'?
I'm a glossy magazine publisher in Dubai. And I was (seriously) offered the below from a picture agency...

I have these amazing images of some of the Israeli defense force. These girls serve their country as well as being super hot!!!! These images caused a massive stir throughout the world. Sky News reported

"They're drop-dead gorgeous and can take apart an Uzi in seconds", reads the intro above pictures of five Israeli women who've served in the Israeli military and are more than easy on the eye, stripped of their combat fatigues."

Please let me know if you are interested as these are really great shots with a great story behind them.; 21 November, 2007 16:39
Anonymous said...: Errr...and your point is? Get over the hate, stop being an anti semite and start learning to love your fellow human....or is that all too much for your tiny little bigoted brain?

What a truly awful human being you must be.; 21 November, 2007 17:44
Anonymous said...: Erm, you are either a tad thick, or from a planet far, far away? Anyone printing this story in Dubai would have their publication closed down immediately, and be removed from the country.
Perhaps a sarcastic 'Know your market' thread suggestion was a little bit bemusing for your tiny brain. Perhaps 'Know the idiot poster responsing obsurdly' would be a better one?; 21 November, 2007 20:46
Anonymous said...: "I'm a glossy magazine publisher in Dubai"

i have been in publishing management for many years (in and out of the egion) and I have never heard of a serious publisher ever refer to themselves this way

Unless you yourself are physically glossy... are you constructed out of reflective materials?; 22 November, 2007 10:18
Anonymous said...: Now, now. Pot-kettle pedancy is quite ironic. I've never been 'out of the egion' myself, but hey...
Time for a new thread?; 22 November, 2007 15:56
Anonymous said...: That would be pedantry, twat. Why are you asking for a new thread, when what you clearly want is rope? I'll even show you how to tie it.; 22 November, 2007 19:25
Anonymous said...: Well, what with DMC shutting down independent Pakistani TV stations -- at Musharraf's behest -- and nary a word on it on this blog, I think the "new thread" train has left the station as regards this moribund bith-thread for frustrated no-hopers.; 22 November, 2007 19:26
Anonymous said...: I actually meant pedanty. P-E-D-A-N-T-Y. One typo all. But you are still a keyboard warrior prick with too much time on your hands.; 22 November, 2007 20:15
Anonymous said...: You're right. My comment was uncalled for. We all make mistakes. I apologise. Incidentally, the mag I work for could not run a story about the Pakistani stations, and we had an insider who could have given us scads of info. "Too political," we were told.; 23 November, 2007 12:03
Anonymous said...: If as 'Newland' and his chosen acolytes claim we are heading for a January 1 start to his new Abu Dhabi newspaper should we not have a new thread as a countdown to this momentous event. We are clearly going to be in a 'new era' or 'new territory' with a 'new paper' of such quality in the Emirates.; 23 November, 2007 12:36
Anonymous said...: I start at the new paper at the end of January and it is launching after that.; 23 November, 2007 18:07
Anonymous said...: Why is everything in this region so over hyped when everybody knows in the end it will turn out to be crap??; 23 November, 2007 23:29
Anonymous said...: Why are you all so fricking negative? Let's give the two new papers a chance. It would be great to see some competition.

This could be a constructive forum for journalists on how to tell the story, but keep withing those invisible boundaries. As it is nothing really serious gets discussed because people are more interested to pounce on typos as examples of how crap we all are for being here.

BTW - I don't work for either one, but truly hope they both succeed.; 24 November, 2007 15:16
Anonymous said...: Calling on all journalists in the UAE, print and broadcast

Next week, most of us will have a day off to celebrate national day, a holiday that bears no meaning to the majority of the population. How about we all push for another holiday – expatriate day.

Here is the rationale. Expats make up a majority of the population and almost the entire workforce. There are almost no expats who are unemployed, and we know the labourers would definitely like to get a day off (and a day of official appreciation). It would be great for the government to recognise the most important group living in their land, even if they don’t grant freedom of expression, a living wage, and equality in the eyes of the law.

A little silly, but why not rock the boat. Sheikh Mohammed promised not to throw journalists in jail, so why not have a little fun?

Here is what we do. We call on the government to declare “expatriate day” an official holiday to fall on January 8. If they fail to do that, then we call on all expats to go on strike (call in sick) on January 8. It will be fun to see how much pressure the government will take, and it will also be fun to cover the story – much more interesting than the dollar peg… I promise to go first.; 25 November, 2007 04:58
Anonymous said...: Yes, Sheikh Mohammed did promise not lock up journalists. As far as I'm aware, he said nothing about not arresting them, harassing them, beating them up, fining them, deporting them, putting pressure on advertisers not to spend money with a publication, 'encouraging' printers not to print a publication, pulling print licences, freezing bank accounts etc etc. After having experienced first hand what freedom of the press actually means in the UAE (though thankfully not quite all of the above in my case)I wouldn't even joke about trying to incite mass protests.; 25 November, 2007 09:32
Anonymous said...: What would be going rate for copy editors on KT, GN, ET and the new Abu Dhabi newspaper.

Many thanks in advance.; 26 November, 2007 16:16
Anonymous said...: Actually, I'd love to see some sort of vague pay chart relating to what we reckon the going rates are in Dubai. Eg consumer magazine editor 20k. consumer magazine editor 14k. trade mag editor 12k etc etc.
From removed from being an exact science, and hugely flawed, but I'd be interested to get some idea on where I stand (relatively underpaid/overpaid etc); 26 November, 2007 19:40
Anonymous said...: WHO IS THIS - WHO DID NOT GIVE TO DUBAI CARES AND WAS SHAMED (almost) by SHEIKH MOHAMMED?
http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Education/10170382.html; 27 November, 2007 13:44
Anonymous said...: I can report: deputy editor for a business magazine offered 18K; sub-editor gets 10K; business editor also 10K. Showered with riches! Not.; 27 November, 2007 15:05
Anonymous said...: Blimey! It sounds like Brando dialogue from The Godfather movie. Said merchant must be royally shitting himself.; 27 November, 2007 17:54
Anonymous said...: My Deputy Editor is on Dhs13k. Another senior-ish editorial member is on Dhs10k. Shocking!; 27 November, 2007 20:30
Anonymous said...: Why cant we all just accept the fact that all of us are crap that's why we working here.; 28 November, 2007 00:57
Anonymous said...: 10k a month! You can't live off of that. Perhaps it's time to look into another career. That's roughly £16,000 per year. It's not worth it living in this hell hole unless you are making at least Dhs25-30k a month.; 28 November, 2007 09:50
Anonymous said...: AED10K is what I'm getting to make the coffee-table abomination I work on readable. But then I must be an incompetent. I'm mindful that I'm making £16K a year, thank you. If you're ungrateful your employer will remind you you're not paying tax, as though tax is a complete write-off instead of what it is, which is a kind of insurance you pay to the government to, I don't know, provide you with a public defender if you ever fall foul of the law, educate your children, stock the local library, and maybe give you a stipend when you're too old to work. Which is a damn sight more than you can expect from this sinister rich man's playground. It's actually a good question: why the fuck am I working here?; 28 November, 2007 15:35
Anonymous said...: Just out of interest for a would-be Dubai journalist mover -- what are the good points of working in 'The Creek' and would be the things that prompt you to call it a 'hell hole'. Thanks in advance.; 28 November, 2007 18:37
Anonymous said...: I'm not on 25-30k, but i'm not that far off (ie on more than 15k). however, i am beginning to believe that the 25-30k figure is pretty spot on. we don't pay tax, but then all living costs (doctors etc) are what would be called private, somewhere like the uk.; 28 November, 2007 19:10
Anonymous said...: From tomorrow's Observer:
New from Newland

Ex-Telegraph editor Martin Newland, now assembling a crack team of hacks in the Middle East, has decided on a name for his new Abu Dhabi newspaper, which, we learn, will be launched next March. The paper, which will be staffed by a number of former Telegraph correspondents, will be called Capital Tribune, we can exclusively reveal, although given the background of most of its staff, perhaps Telegraph Lite would be a better title. We wish Newland - an occasional Observer contributor - all the best.; 02 December, 2007 05:15
Anonymous said...: Can I be first to use the nickname Crapital Tribune?
Thanks.; 02 December, 2007 10:23
Anonymous said...: So just to sum up,
we've got:
Emirates Toady
Gulf Snooze
Crapital Tribune
Six Days (bit old now)
Campain (very old now)
Have I missed any?; 02 December, 2007 10:32
secretdubai said...: Christ - my (still unfinished, still unpublished) novel is turning into prophecy.; 02 December, 2007 11:20
Anonymous said...: OK, this is getting boring? Did anyone else think it was sheer genius on the part of Anal Boil to preside over the green issue of Arabian Business that was on the shelves wrapped in plastic? The green issue contributing to non-biodegradable waste - fabulous!; 03 December, 2007 11:25
Anonymous said...: Even the broadsheets in the UK - which is where pretty much all the Tribune's senior staff have been recruited from - are turning tabloid in an attempt to attract younger readers. Why then, in a country with a very young population, launch a broadsheet, with possibly the dullest, most middle aged name I've ever heard? Is this an exercise in setting new standards in journalism, or in fleecing wealthy arabs out of some cash for a year or so before pissing off back to London? Sounds like another, more expensive, Emirates Toady waiting to happen.; 03 December, 2007 13:05
Anonymous said...: It's not called the Capital Tribune; 03 December, 2007 14:23
Anonymous said...: anon @ 14.53 is right it's not called the Tribune. it's going to be called "The National".
You heard it here first boys and girls.
And can i claim the nickname " The Notional" based on the fact that whatever paper Newland thinks he is going to be allowed to publish is clearly in his imagination.; 03 December, 2007 15:56
Anonymous said...: Why not call it 'The New Land'. It's catchy and apposite. 'Capital Tribune' sounds too Canadian. In other words the kiss of death.; 03 December, 2007 19:06
Anonymous said...: Secret Dubai writing a book? that ought to put the wind up the sails of the authorities - can't wait! Perhaps you would consider making chapters available on your blog?; 04 December, 2007 11:06
Anonymous said...: Wrong.....

anon @ 14.53 is right it's not called the Tribune. it's going to be called "The National".
You heard it here first boys and girls.
And can i claim the nickname " The Notional" based on the fact that whatever paper Newland thinks he is going to be allowed to publish is clearly in his imagination.; 04 December, 2007 21:25
Anonymous said...: Anonymous 10:32 said...
So just to sum up,
we've got:
Emirates Toady
Gulf Snooze
Crapital Tribune
Six Days (bit old now)
Campain (very old now)
Have I missed any?

How about:

Khaleej Tombs
The Last Post (Dec'd); 05 December, 2007 17:31
Anonymous said...: I am prepared to bet this time next year Martin Newland will be back in UK working in Wapping. And 'The National' will be edited by ......; 05 December, 2007 23:40
Anonymous said...: Will their launch event be called The National Party? Catchy name.; 06 December, 2007 01:14
Anonymous said...: Press Release

Arab Media Group Launches Emirates Business 24/7

First Ever English Language Business Daily in Middle East

Dubai: 05 December, 2007 - Arab Media Group, the largest media group in the UAE, has announced the launch of Emirates Business 24/7, the Middle East’s first English language daily dedicated to business and economic news.

The new publication will be on the stands from Sunday, December 9. It will focus on business related local, regional and international news, matching editorial best practices from across the world.

Abdullatif Al Sayegh, CEO of AMG, said: “The current economic boom in the region, especially in the UAE, has resulted in an exponential increase in readers’ interest about latest business developments. Moreover, decision makers and opinion makers today are looking for a source of in-depth analysis, thought-provoking editorials and objective information across all sectors.”

Emirates Business 24/7 will focus on sectors and industries such as oil and gas, banking and finance, real-estate, technology, telecommunications and travel and tourism.

Al Sayegh added: “The growth of Dubai into one of the leading global financial centres calls for its clear manifestation in the media world. With recent developments in Dubai’s financial markets, the UAE has joined the big league of global centres, alongside New York, London and Tokyo.

“Since the media, especially a daily newspaper focusing on business and finance, will play a key role in channeling information on everyday developments regionally and globally, the launch of Emirates Business 24/7 will place the Arab Media Group one step ahead in accomplishing our overall strategy of creating a comprehensive media platform”

Leading the publication as Editor-in-Chief is Riyad Mickdady, a seasoned journalist with over 21 years experience. Mickdady will be responsible for accelerating AMG’s continuous drive towards objective journalism, providing a realistic view of business from within and outside the region.

Mickdady said: “Emirates Business 24/7 will be a must read for anyone seeking insights into the latest regional business and economic trends. We will profile industry and sector leaders who are driving the development of the region. We will also look beyond the headlines, and complement in-depth coverage of the key business stories with analysis, features and forecasts that will enable readers to understand fully the impact and importance of the news we are reporting.”

Assisting Mickdady will be Frank Kane as Editor and Mustafa Al Rawi as Managing Editor.; 06 December, 2007 08:35
Anonymous said...: "With recent developments in Dubai’s financial markets, the UAE has joined the big league of global centres, alongside New York, London and Tokyo"

I dont know why someone has to actually lie? Maybe it is because no one ever corrects them when they lie. Dubai is a big player in the Middle Easy, but no way can it be compared to NYC, London or Tokyo.; 06 December, 2007 12:07
Anonymous said...: What a spectacular disaster ET was - all that money and closed down within two years - no doubt those responsible have all been fired? Surely not found new jobs on the new paper to mastermind another failure...; 06 December, 2007 15:29
Anonymous said...: And who would you say is to blame? How about the two previous editors I have worked under, the previous managing editor and the previous deputy editor. Hopefully we have turned the corner.; 06 December, 2007 16:31
Anonymous said...: Where does this leave all the journalists working for the paper who have no interest in business and who didn't apply apply to join ET to write and sub boring "Dubai is great" business crap? Oh sorry I forgot, welcome to the world of Dubai newspapers. Maybe after the next revamp/relaunch it will come back as the Beano. No-one can have any faith in the people with their hands on the tiller. Utterly clueless.; 06 December, 2007 19:50
Anonymous said...: AMG: The newspaper and the magazine division closed - 90 per cent staff turnover - zero profit - tarnished reputation - clueless management - DISASTER; 06 December, 2007 20:13
Anonymous said...: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/dec/06/pressandpublishing; 07 December, 2007 04:15
Anonymous said...: E24/7: It's going to be the best newspaper Dubai has ever seen. Bye bye Gulf News.; 07 December, 2007 11:19
Anonymous said...: I am leaving today to go to Dubai again.

This Sunday, the Arab Media Group (AMG) is launching the region’s first English business daily newspaper.

Emirates Business 24/7 is INNOVATION’s first project in the United Arab Emirates.

We’re also working on two other newspaper projects that will take off in the first months of 2008.

The INNOVATION team in Dubai has been:

Juan Senor and I as the project directors.

Gabriel Sama (a former reporter for The Wall Street Journal) as the project manager.

Marta Botero developed the original editorial model (”The Life of Business. The Business of Life”)

Guillermo Nagore (a freelancer for The New York Times) did the superb graphic design prototypes.

Patrick Dunne assisted Guillermo in the design production.

Michael Agar (graphics editor of The Independent on Sunday) was in charge of the infographics.

Other INNOVATION consultants involved during this 12-month process were Edward Schumacher-Matos (former editor of The Wall Street of the Americas), Stephen Quinn, and Michael Fairhead (former production director of News International in London).

newsroom-of-eb247.png

All of us have been working under the great leadership of AMG’s CEO, Abdulatif Alsayegh (recently featured in The Times of London as one of the 25 most influential business leaders of the Gulf).

Riyad Mickdad is the editor-in-chief (with 21 years of experience in business journalism in the region); Frank Kane (former business editor of The Observer) is the editor; and Mustafa Alrawi is the managing editor.

Emirates Business 24/7 will have one of the region’s most creative visual journalists with Adonis Durado as the Visual Editor, and Luis Chumpitaz as the Graphics Editor.

The new paper will be a 48-page, full-color tall tabloid.

In the next few days I will show you some of the first prototypes and on Sunday, the inaugural issue.

Gabriel, Marta, Guillermo and the whole INNOVATION team have done a great, great job again!

From: http://www.innovationsinnewspapers.com/index.php/2007/12/06/emirates-business-247-1/; 07 December, 2007 11:29
Anonymous said...: More...

Months ago, when INNOVATION presented its first ideas about the new paper in Dubai, I suggested calling it Dubai 24/7

I was sitting across from the CEO of AGM, Abdulatif Alsayegh, and I saw that he liked the idea.

And I explained my choice with a personal story:

“Yesterday I landed from Athens very late at night. When I got a taxi it was around 2 a.m. Normally, the drive to my hotel takes 20 minutes. Not last night. It took almost one hour. Why? Because the traffic was jammed with hundreds, hundreds!, of construction trucks that the taxi driver told me can only run in the early hours of each day… The Almanzil hotel sits in front of the Burj Dubai Tower, and I was told again that, like in the rest of the buildings, there are three shifts of workers. They work all day and all night. So… Dubai is a city that never sleeps. Dubai is business. And business is Dubai. All the time. Day and night. For this reason we must call this newspaper Dubai 24/7.“

Well, as a national newspaper, it had to be called Emirates Business 24/7, but just the 24/7 that INNOVATION’s Guillermo Nagore designed with this powerful Jubliat font will be enough.

247-jubilat.png

What better name for a business paper than 24/7?

What better name for an online and offline news operation than 24/7?

What better name for a multimedia company than 24/7?

You can see here some of the first prototypes with the Dubai 24/7 masthead.
dubai-247-third-front-page.pngdubai-247-4-fp.png; 07 December, 2007 11:35
Anonymous said...: Why would an English-speaking Dubai business newspaper want a Latino-run editorial consultancy. Their website is a bit odd too.; 07 December, 2007 15:13
Anonymous said...: Whoopee. Sounds like this is going to be every bit as groundbreaking and exciting as ET turned out to be.
So, which of these will come to pass? It will be filled with talented, incisive writers who will dig out the biz stories no-one else gets and tell it like it is OR it will churn out sycophantic, brown-nosing crap praising Emaar and everyone else to the high heavens. I wonder.; 07 December, 2007 20:45
Anonymous said...: "Gabriel, Marta, Guillermo and the whole INNOVATION team have done a great, great job again!"

Erm, sorry to be a party pooper, but somebody needs to tell this trio of morons that Emirates Business 24/7 sounds like a post office.; 07 December, 2007 22:19
Anonymous said...: Look I don't mean to be rude about Riyad Mickdady (nice bloke) heading up the new business paper, but, really, 21 years in business publishing in the region? His role at Motivate was nothing worth shouting about. More like sitting quietly in the corner and pussy-footing around IF for 21 crusty years; 07 December, 2007 22:22
Anonymous said...: Scrolling back, someone mentioned two previous editors on ET. So, who were the three then?

I think it's fair to say that the consensus is that ET has been something of a distater, from editorial and revenues POVs. I recall the first guy (Levy) spent loads of money...did the others do anything of note to improve the paper or otherwise?; 08 December, 2007 18:08
Anonymous said...: anon @ 15:13: Because they're not racist?; 08 December, 2007 18:42
Anonymous said...: If I'm not mistaken that's Gulf News, ET, Gulf Today, the new one (whatever it's called)and 7Days.

There's really not a big enough market for all these papers and there is definetely not enough original content to fill up the pages. AD's paper has the benefit of a full team in AD, which means a bit of untapped original, local news (hopefully). Still, the market and the fear that anyone has of saying something that hasn't been heard a billion times before means that content-wise its almost theoretically impossible to have any real diversity amongst the papers.
At best, the local pages will be filled with CEO interviews to ensure ad space...boring.
Although it would be interesting to see if the new paper in AD can muster up original stories from other parts of the globe as they relate to the UAE.; 08 December, 2007 22:54
Anonymous said...: You mean stories like this cracker?

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2224588,00.html; 09 December, 2007 10:09
Anonymous said...: Riyady Mickdady -- crazy name, crazy guy!; 09 December, 2007 10:22
Anonymous said...: here's one for you. If you employed a building firm to build you a house and then 2 years later it had to be knocked down would you ask them back to build you a new one...?????
The answer is clearly a great big fucking NO and yet these chumps at AMG seem to have gotten away with doing just that....i'm baffled.; 09 December, 2007 11:00
Anonymous said...: Re Anon @ 10:09 - this story was covered in The Times last week (complete with picture and quotes from authorities in the UAE) - The Times is, of course, being totally ignored by posters on DMO, despite now being published/printed in international form here in Dubai. Hhmmm, what to buy - The Times or The National?; 09 December, 2007 13:30
Anonymous said...: This thread has really livened up!

Can I ask the moderator to change the theme/string as each new UAE newspaper opens up.; 10 December, 2007 00:52
Anonymous said...: Well, what a waste of time and money. whoever commented on the paper just being a beacon for all things Emaar etc should check out the website. Property boom to continue unabated; limitless to launch yet another multi billion project somewhere; Downtown the "best address on the planet".

My God, these people haven't a clue what's needed in a business paper, do they? Not a clue.; 10 December, 2007 08:25
Anonymous said...: The website has done a good job of being 24/7 so far.

'Last updated at 6.41pm'

There are some stories going around about Innovate's involvement and how they 'struggled' to deal with the mentality of the people at AMG.

Also nice to see that Mustafa has managed to wriggle his way out of the 'fusionist' job that he did so well at...; 10 December, 2007 10:03
Anonymous said...: From Innovate's Web site:

"I went this morning to see the first reactions to the new paper in downtown Dubai.

I am sitting here reading my paper on one of the sofas on the trading floor of the Dubai Financial Market."

Interestingly that's it. I guess the reactions can't have been that positive.; 10 December, 2007 10:54
Anonymous said...: The paper is absolute dross - boring, dull, uninformative, press release after press release, isn't Dubai magnificent blah blah blah
No analysis, nothing controversial, no research - absolute crap.
Trade press at its very worst
CLOSE AMG DOWN; 10 December, 2007 11:07
Anonymous said...: do you think that Riyad will follow in the footsteps of other celebs by shortening his name to be more catchy and sounds less like Al Qaeda meets the IRA..?
I suggest R Diddy....; 10 December, 2007 11:11
Anonymous said...: Just got my first issue of Businesss27/7, from a design POV it's a f***ing disaster and the splash (UAE sub-prime warning) will guarantee it remains nailed to the news stands 24/7.; 10 December, 2007 11:34
Anonymous said...: How about 'Daddy Cool' or 'We are the Diddy men we come from Knotty Ash'. That would be catchy in Business 24/7 editorial office.; 10 December, 2007 15:14
Anonymous said...: It makes Emirates Today look good - which in itself is a remarkable achievement - should see sales hovering around 300 daily - well done all involved; 10 December, 2007 15:17
Anonymous said...: Nice sports section.; 10 December, 2007 16:01
Anonymous said...: So early consensus is: a great new newspaper!; 10 December, 2007 16:12
Anonymous said...: Mods: any chance of a new thread on the new paper?; 10 December, 2007 17:53
Anonymous said...: Who said this of the disgraced -- and about to be jailed -- newspaper baron, Conrad Black: "When he enters a room, he carries his own climate. And the thing you always saw at these events were those trying to force themselves up his fundament."; 11 December, 2007 15:34
Anonymous said...: Spotted on the website in the section 'About Emirates Business 24/7':
"The business daily is produced by a team of seasoned financial journalists, LEAD by three veterans in the journalism field: Riyad Mickdady (Editor-in-Chief), Frank Kane (Editor) and Mustafa Alrawi (Managing Editor)".

Oooops. I fear they could all be led into oblivion.; 11 December, 2007 17:14
DC-Lawyer-202 said...: As a reader of 7 Days, I write to note that I am appalled and dismayed by the conduct of Dubai’s Media City in banning the free distribution of 7 Days in the Free Zone. The Free Zone Authority is obviously using unfair and bullying tactics in order to squeeze out 7 Days from the free media market and favor its own new paper. I used to pick up my copy of 7 Days on my way to the office every morning in the lobby of Media City Building 2, right next to the Emirates Today stand. In case anyone has not noticed, the Arab Media Group quietly replaced the sycophantic and hardly hitting Emirates Today (affectionately known as Emirates Toady!) with a new “Business Daily”, brilliantly called Emirates Business 24/7. Viz, if you go to their old web site, emiratestodayonline.com, you now end up at business24-7.ae. Apparently now the all-powerful Media City has taken the street battle one step further, however, now taking the unfair decision that 7 Days may not be distributed for free. Everyone sees thousands of useless copies of the Emirates Business 24/7 distributed for free (sitting unread in front of every single office in the Free Zone) while representatives hand out free copies every morning to everyone entering the Zone. All this is happening, while 7 Days is banned? To me, this sad business practice smacks of pathetic and anti-competitive conduct on the part of the Arab Media Group, which is unfortunately being sanctioned by its owner, the Media City itself. All of this proves why the referee in the game (the Government) ought not to be a market player at the same time. Let the people have their 7 Days for free and put back the distribution stands in Media City!

A 7 Days Reader
Dubai, UAE; 11 December, 2007 21:19
Anonymous said...: AMG tried there hardest to close 7 days but ended up forced to close their own paper instead due to no sales, no advertising other than inhouse Dubai Holding (government) ads and no readers.
They can not compete fairly or unfairly and their latest pr trade rag will fair no better.
The AMG brand is tainted and known for incompetence - end off.; 11 December, 2007 22:56
Anonymous said...: anyone heard about the multi-million-dollar lawsuit that was filed Monday morning in Los Angeles, charging two top officials of the DIFF with conspiring to defame and humiliate?
I expect it will end with a pay off...
Mal; 13 December, 2007 01:14
Anonymous said...: From the Hollywood Reporter...

A dustup over Dubai fest
Ex-DIFF chief sues current execs
By Leslie Simmons
Dec 11, 2007

Former Dubai International Film Festival chief Neil Stephenson filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court against two of the festival's senior officials, claiming they forced him out and ruined his reputation by branding him an "Arab hater."

The lawsuit accuses DIFF chair Abdulhamid Juma and managing director Shivani Pandya of defamation, intentional interference of contractual relations, intentional infliction of emotional distress and conspiracy for their alleged roles in ousting Stephenson from his spot as founder and CEO of the festival, the fourth edition of which is now under way.

Stephenson claims Juma and Pandya issued news releases in April stating he was a "racist, an 'Arab hater' and that he mistreated all Arab and Egyptian guests who attended the first three editions of the festival and falsely accusing Stephenson of lying in connection with his actual role in DIFF."

The news releases came out just before a conference Stephenson held in Cairo to discuss his ouster. He claims his reputation has been ruined as a result.

Juma and Pandya were in Dubai and could not be reached for comment.

Although Juma and Pandya are based in the Middle Eastern country, the lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles because Stephenson claims both execs regularly travel to the city for business visiting studio lots and to attend film industry events like the Golden Globes.; 13 December, 2007 09:14
Anonymous said...: What a whanker!!! A real sorry ass one at that...

Having been involved with the DIFF team in its early years I can tell you that it was never his idea, it was conceptualized and planned long before he came on board and the show was really run by Shivani..

All Neil was really interested in was media publicity and positioning himself.

Good riddance!!; 13 December, 2007 09:45
Anonymous said...: What's a 'whanker'? Sounds fab.

Neil was not a bad man, just agonisingly dull.; 13 December, 2007 11:51
Anonymous said...: DIFF replies:
- “Mr. Stephenson left his position as CEO of the Dubai Film Festival after a disagreement about the future direction of the organization. Since then he has made outrageous and false public assertions about the personal behaviour of festival leaders and inflated claims about his own importance. The simple fact is that organizations sometimes change management, and with a change in management there is often a redirection of strategy. Mature executives understand and accept that fact. Instead, Mr. Stephenson has now filed a preposterous lawsuit in California that has no merit whatsoever. None of the allegations in the lawsuit occurred in Los Angeles or even in the United States. It would appear that Mr. Stephenson filed the suit in order to settle old grudges by making otherwise defamatory statements. Mr. Stephenson’s conduct since departing the festival amply reinforces the view that he was ill-suited to his senior management position. We will vigorously contest this lawsuit and have confidence that we will prevail in court”.; 13 December, 2007 14:36
DC-Lawyer-202 said...: Wanker -- A surprising apt term for the vast majority of people in Dubai ... no? :-)

Wanker is a pejorative term of British origin, common in Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and British-influenced territories like South Africa, and gaining usage in Canada and the United States. It initially referred to "one who masturbates" but has since become a general insult. It is synonymous with tosser.

Wanker literally means" "one who wanks"(masturbates). It is normally intended as a general insult rather than as an accusation. It conveys contempt, not commentary on normal sexual habits. Wanker has similar meanings and overtones to American pejoratives like "jerk", "jerk-off", and "prick". One particular connotation is of someone self-obsessed or a show-off (usually male).

The term "wanker" originated from British slang in the 1940s, based on the verb "wank". By the 1970s, the general meaning of wanker had shifted from its literal origin (as a masturbator) to that of a generic insult; for example, "a contemptible person". This shift in usage is comparable to that of "dick", "ass" or "jerk." A common use is in the chant "The referee's a Wanker", or "Who's the wanker in the black?", used by football supporters to express disapproval towards a referee.

The word has developed a metaphorical usage, in which to wank or to be a wanker implies egotistical and self-indulgent behaviour. This is the dominant meaning in Australia. It can be used in this sense in other reasons but it is also used as a more general insult. This meaning is used in phrases like smug wanker, egotistical wanker or pretentious wanker. Wanker is sometimes used to refer to a person in the same way as snob for subjects perceived as pretentious; for instance, wine wanker, fashion wanker, car wanker. This meaning is shown in "Whatareya?", a song by TISM, which contrasts "yobs" (uncouth working class) to "wankers" (which according to the context means pretentious intellectuals). In the United States the current usage of the term is more in reference to the person being an idiot or moron, as opposed to the standard dick or jerk synonym in other countries.

Wanker may be indicated by a one-handed gesture, usually to an audience out of hearing range. It is shown by curling the fingers of the hand into a loose fist and moving the hand back and forth to mime male masturbation. This is equivalent to saying, "[you are a] wanker". Some motorists show the wanking gesture in front of the rear-view mirror, where other motorists from behind can see the gesture.

Wanker is the centre of a popular story regarding the British television quiz show Countdown in which contestants have to form the longest word possible from nine randomly selected letters. On one occasion the letters permitted the spelling of 'wanker' (or 'wankers') and both contestants replied with the word, leading one to quip "we've got a pair of wankers." The sequence was edited out of the show (as is common with risqué words, although the spelling of "erection" was permitted) but has been shown as an outtake on other shows.

"The Winker's Song (Misprint)" by Ivor Biggun is one of many songs about masturbation. It humorously describes the singer's masturbation exploits: "I'm a wanker, I'm a wanker. And it does me good like it bloody well should." It reached number 22 in the UK charts despite being banned by BBC Radio 1.; 15 December, 2007 10:07
Anonymous said...: You are a wanker for writing such a detailed piece. Instead of wanking, go and do something constructive with your life.; 16 December, 2007 02:07
Anonymous said...: I thought comedian Ken Dodd had a good euphemism for wanking. On his radio show he used to exlaim 'I think I will have a quick burst on me banjo'. Then later comment 'By Jove, I needed that'. All of which has nothing to do with 'Emirates Business 24/7'.; 16 December, 2007 19:09
Anonymous said...: Are they all wankers perhaps?; 17 December, 2007 09:34
Anonymous said...: AMG's Business 24/7 newspaper down to 32 pages from 38 after less that two weeks - I give it less than 6 months to survive; 18 December, 2007 11:16
Anonymous said...: Advertisers must be pouring in to a quality product?!; 18 December, 2007 15:00
Anonymous said...: Using the word "escrow" on the front page the other day probably didn't help attract the average punter to embrace a business daily. Reporting on what it's like in the Burj Al Arab for a spot of lifestyle journalism is just sad, boring and done to death.; 19 December, 2007 14:11
Anonymous said...: In my humble and educated opinion I think Emirates Business is fucking terrible; 19 December, 2007 17:00
Anonymous said...: 'A load of wank', to coin the phrase du jour?
Who edits/conceptualises this rubbish?
Seriously misguided indivduals. There are plenty of decent editors around - mainly those who don't shout about the job they do...but these guys aren't the ones who are appointed to these well paid positions. Instead, they slave away on the glossies, or on lower profile trade-type titles.
Any ideas why A (good editors) isn't meeting B (big money publishers) to produce some cracking, high-profile titles?; 20 December, 2007 00:20
Anonymous said...: Frankly I don't blame the people working on E24/7. It's about the culture of the place and how driven it is to succeed. I am assuming the management of AMG just is not focused enough - or perhaps ambitious enough.

That said, I don't think the paper is that bad. It has had some good stories, and I like the inside front cover spread. I also like some of the graphs. The thing is, so far that's not enough to make a paper. There are too many filler stories. DPS interviews don't help either - leading business people here are not that interesting.

E24/7 just needs to focus on what people want. Unfortunately - for it - I am not sure it knows what that is at the moment.

I know of course - but why should I give the game away..?; 20 December, 2007 10:47
Anonymous said...: Emirates Business is a PR's dream - send a press release and there it is unchanged the next day - perfect for the client - thank you very much; 20 December, 2007 11:41
Anonymous said...: Really? That's terrible.; 20 December, 2007 12:01
Anonymous said...: Why concentrate on the bad, or in E247's case the fucking dreadful? Xpress is quietly going about its business once a week and has recently had some good stories - this week's front page about sewage being dumped in Al Quoz is one of teh best I have read in Dubai for a long time. And have a look at the video on its website.

Last week's story talking to the mothers in the French boy rape case was also a decent piece of proper journalism (in my humble opinion, anyway).

Plus their sports section is consistently good.

After nine months or so they do seem to be keeping up their standards. Content and design-wise they seem to be the best out there, given the rider that it is still only a weekly.; 22 December, 2007 12:55
Anonymous said...: I agree. Bit quirky XPress, but not bad at all.; 23 December, 2007 13:32
DC-Lawyer-202 said...: In response to the post after my last one, I would just say have you ever heard of Wikipedia, and copy/paste?

In a separate vein, why is it that Emarat Al Youm (the Arabic version of Emirates Today) is still being published, while the English version has been deep-sixed? that seems strange to me.; 24 December, 2007 15:40
Anonymous said...: Did you see today's edition of 24 pages today/7 if you're lucky tomorrow?

I understand it's Eid/Christmas - but they have just launched it - first impressions matter, and they are not good.; 24 December, 2007 18:42
Anonymous said...: Yeah, we've heard of Wikipedia cut and paste. Wankers do it.; 25 December, 2007 11:48
Anonymous said...: and he is a wanker for pasting it from Wiki!!! ROFL; 26 December, 2007 03:32
Anonymous said...: I posted something on here about the banning of Geo by Dubai authorities. Geo is an anti-Musharaff Pakistani TV station based in Dubai. I am curious as to why this posting was taken down by this Blog - what are you guys scared of? Shouldn't we be discussing what makes you self-censor in such a manner? Isn't Dubai supposed to be open?; 02 January, 2008 16:59
Anonymous said...: Anybody who wants to read a good critique of Dubai please link to this piece by Mike Davis - he is one of the planet's leading urban theorists and wrote "City of Quartz" a bestselling book examining LA.

http://newleftreview.org/?view=2635; 02 January, 2008 17:02
anon_hack said...: I posted something on here about the banning of Geo by Dubai authorities. Geo is an anti-Musharaff Pakistani TV station based in Dubai. I am curious as to why this posting was taken down by this Blog - what are you guys scared of? Shouldn't we be discussing what makes you self-censor in such a manner? Isn't Dubai supposed to be open?

That post is on the other thread - TV thread - it's certainly not the kind of thing that we would censor. It's exactly the kind of comment we welcome (in fact I thought of posting it as a new thread, but then got lazy over Christmas).

If you have any more on it, feel free to post an update.; 03 January, 2008 00:12

Dubai Media Observer

Sunday, 11 November 2007

Here Toady, gone tomorrow?

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