Tuesday 18 November 2008

Is the death knell sounding for City 7?

From a reader:

Rumours are flying that City 7 is about to go bust. Would anyone notice if it did?

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not surprised. The channel was doomed from the start with Binhendi involved. Although he paid some cash for the channel and a decent piss up in a 5* location for the launch, he had no idea about the true cost of running a TV station and constantly went back on signed contracts with distribution companies meaning that the channel was filled with cheap shows that were only meant to be filler until the "good" stuff arrived.

It was a great idea in terms of a concept, but something that Dubai One is now trying to fill the void on.

Rumour has it that staff havent been paid for 2 months now.

Yet another case of a decent idea going down the drain.

Anonymous said...

What is City 7?

Anonymous said...

yet another example of a potentially good media opportunity being mucked up becayse of inexperienced management and unrealistic owners.

dubai is crying out for a local TV channel that does justice to the local news agenda but until someone is prepared to pout their hands in their pockets and do it properly it will fail.

Anonymous said...

total idiots running it.ruined by crap manaement, woeful talent and a tyranical boss who didnt understand what his train set wasd for.
dubai deserves better and should have a very good tv station covering the plethora of local news and events.

frankly i am not suprised - another media venture messed up thanks to local muppets

Anonymous said...

It's like ITP, with a video camera.

Anonymous said...

I thought they had been improving. Some of the stuff was good on the channel but I've been told that Binhendi did not give them any money to market themselves, and everything was done on shoestring budgets.
I heard that the staff have not been paid for two months and some of them are now being called by banks because their cheques for loans and credit card payements have bounced.

Anonymous said...

makes the dubai media scene look a laughing stock - again.

why is it that a country that runs a world class airline and and aspires to being a world class tourist and business centre settles for a second rate media industry. shaikh mohammed needs to look into this because in the race for excellence there is no finsihing line. blah blah blah

Anonymous said...

I think Showtime should focus on airing latest shows and cult movies like Boise Moi instead of showing Seinfeld and Friends again and again. What do you think?
Could we have a separate post on Showtime, please?

Anonymous said...

No - Emirates is not world class anymore - top is singapore, cathay etc.

As a tourist destination dubai is incredibly limited - basically a one-trick pony that relies completely on high-end punters. Sure it might attract the Jim Davidson set but they're a dying breed,

The media? You're just part of the big toy-set. The censorous nature of Dubai prevents the very cultural freedom essential to a flourishing media. I mean where else on the planet do they expect to have a flourishing TV industry and make homosexuality illegal?

Anonymous said...

Showtime! OK on sport (actually, very god on sport) but movies and series - terrible. I suppose it's expensive to buy a lot of good programming on a small subscriber base but I'd pay more for something decent.

Anonymous said...

Showtime guys are so afraid of not ruffling any feathers that they censor/edit even comedy shows like The Daily Show and Colbert Report!!!

Anonymous said...

bring back channel 33. that was a class act 30 years ago compared to the rubbish that is aired now.
the devlopment of dubai which continues at a psychotic pace does not mean it is a better place to live and its media reflects that

Anonymous said...

city 7 IS going under.

(this is aimed at the kids TV presenter) - if you want to come round to my house when you lose your job for a little bit of comforting you're more than welcome.

Kipp Report said...

Rumor has it that City 7 is firing
But the chief operating officer of the channel denies the news.


check out http://www.kippreport.com/kipp/2008/11/17/rumor-has-it-that-city-7-is-firing/

Anonymous said...

Thank God - someone please let them out of their misery! The presenters range from way too much plastic surgery to just down right ugly. Make it go away.

Anonymous said...

This on today's Kipp Report (Monday, November 26)
The UAE’s ranking on the World Press Freedom Index this year has fallen two points from last year. Will upcoming regulations change that?

Worthy of another thread?

Anonymous said...

Oh please, stop spamming for the barely warmed-over pile of plagiarised bullshit that is the Kipp Report

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad that City 7 is closing. They are an embarassment to Dubai. Why would anyone want to come to a 'world class' city and see a 3rd world TV channel? No one will miss it.

Anonymous said...

'Hey, the Kipp Report said that when I grow up I'll be a real journalist just like them! Worthy of another thread?'

You're boring us now. Jog on.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone see City 7's Greg Fairlie interview station boss Mohind BinHendi last night to quiz him about station closure and staff not being paid?

No? Fear not, you can watch it here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqwC9qSft3o

i*maginate said...

I don't fully appreciate City 7 in terms of their presentation format. The website doesn't function as per my needs, so I can't view their programmes list.

When I tune in in the evening, the substance is not enlightening, by international standards.

And the chase for the new "anchor": am far from impressed.

Anonymous said...

That Greg Fearless must have been sh****ng himself interviewing his big boss, whom is in the middle of laying off staff. As he read from his sheet of pre-approved questions, he seemed to be.