CNNARABIC.COM RELAUNCHES WITH RAFT OF NEW FEATURES
CNN Press Release - CNN 's redesigned Arabic-language website www.CNNArabic.com reinforces CNN’s on-going commitment to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as well as bringing CNN news to Arab-speaking communities across the globe. It follows a year after the opening of CNN Abu Dhabi in November 2009, which made CNN the first Western news organization to have a permanent broadcast and production hub in the region.
The investment is the most substantial in the website’s history and means that CNNArabic.com will now be aligned with the look and feel of the brand’s award-winning CNN.com/international and CNN.com sites, at the same time as introducing a significantly enhanced content offering.
The refreshed website is a direct response to extensive audience feedback on what they looked for from CNN. It puts ease of navigation, regional stories, exclusive interviews and content, and more video and enhanced interactivity at the heart of the re-design, and has invested in additional stringers to deliver the increased local content.
“This is a fundamental re-imagining of CNNArabic.com as part of our ongoing engagement with the Arabic speaking world,” says Rani Raad, senior vice president and managing director of CNN International Ad Sales and Business Development and General Manager of CNNArabic.com. “The investment is a statement of the scope of our ambitions in this important part of the world.”
CNNArabic.com editor Caroline Faraj adds, “CNNArabic.com is your home for not just breaking news, but also human interest stories, expanded regional sports and business coverage and an aggregator for the best from the Arab blogosphere. We’ve put video content front and center to enrich the user experience, and we have made it easy for users to interact with the content and put their imprint on the site with their commentary and recommendations.”
About the new features Connecting with the blogosphere and Facebook forums in the Arab world Expanding on current activity with influential bloggers and Facebook forums in the Arab world, there are two dedicated segments for key social media influencers in the region to post their latest thoughts and ideas, and at the same time add their URL so users can easily access their pages. The site’s team will provide their weekly roundup of the most important and interesting Arab blogs and Facebook forums and invites users to recommend their own favorites.
Bringing the latest regional business, sports and entertainment news CNN’s reporting takes on a more localized perspective to provide a daily roundup of the stories making the headlines across both Arab and international media. There are daily reports from the MENA markets as well as weekly roundup of financial news. Moving beyond the news headlines, it also throws the spotlight on the big sports names from the region with regular segments on Arab athletes and brings the latest news from the world of entertainment with recommended movies of the week. Each week a feature story tackles the hot topics from the region and users are encouraged to post their comments online.
Keeping users up-to-date on CNN’s local programming Users can stay up to date on CNN’s most popular programming from the region, including Inside the Middle East, Inside Africa, Marketplace Middle East, and Marketplace Africa via locally edited programming pages.
Mohammed Jamjoom Tapped As CNN's New Middle East Correspondent
CNN Press Release:New Middle East Correspondent Mohammed Jamjoom to join CNN’s Abu Dhabi Production Hub
Saudi-born Jamjoom joins CNN’s roster of anchors and correspondents covering the Middle East and his remit includes reporting the day-to-day news from the United Arab Emirates, covering breaking news stories across the region where the network’s newsgathering needs require and continuing as part of the rotation of correspondents reporting for the network from Iraq.
“I’m delighted Mohammed is bolstering our growing team in the Middle East. This appointment signals CNN's continued commitment to the region and investment in our Middle East production hub based in Abu Dhabi which launched in November 2009. He brings additional experience to the region gained from reporting and producing major breaking news stories for CNN and previously in Saudi Arabia. He is a strong talent with an impressive track record and we're pleased viewers will get to know Mohammed much better as he becomes an integral part of our reporting from the region,“ says Parisa Khosravi, senior vice president of international newsgathering for CNN Worldwide.
Jamjoom was most recently based at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters where he was the assignment editor on the international news desk. While in Atlanta, Jamjoom also continued to work extensively on Middle East-based stories for CNN, both as a reporter and producer covering breaking news, politics, human rights and business in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In 2009 and 2010, Jamjoom also travelled to Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen to produce and report.
He takes up his position mid August.
About Mohammed Jamjoom
Jamjoom began his career at CNN as a freelance reporter and producer while he was living in Saudi Arabia in late 2006. His first story for CNN International involved Iraqi conjoined twin girls who underwent successful separation surgery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and he then worked with the CNN Hajj Coverage team that same year.
Jamjoom then joined CNN's International Desk in late 2007 and until July 2010 worked as a full time assignment editor. While in Atlanta, Jamjoom also continued to work extensively on Middle East-based stories for CNN, both as a reporter and producer covering breaking news, politics, human rights and business in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In 2009 and 2010, Jamjoom also travelled to Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen to produce and report.
In Iraq, Jamjoom reported on several aspects surrounding the country’s parliamentary election. In April 2010 he interviewed the family of the Iraqi journalist - Saeed Chmagh - killed in a 2007 attack by a US helicopter gunship in Iraq, after WikiLeaks posted a video showing that he was being rescued when the gunship’s crew fired on the van to which he was being carried. He has also worked on CNN’s Iran desk covering stories such as the case of the Iranian mother who was sentenced to be stoned to death after an adultery conviction.
He was part of the team nominated for the 2010 News and Documentary Emmy Awards for CNN's coverage of the story of the failed attempt to down the Northwest Airlines flight from Schipol in the Netherlands to Detroit in the US on 25th December 2009.
In January 2010, Jamjoom travelled to Yemen to produce a series of reports and set up an exclusive interview with Dr. Nasser al-Awlaki, the father of American-born Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. The CNN team also filed stories on how Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab disappeared in Yemen for more than two months before he allegedly tried to bring down a Northwest Airlines jet with explosives concealed in his underwear, plus how al Qaeda is able to operate across large areas of Yemen.
In May 2010, CNN gained exclusive access to one of Baghdad’s two female juvenile prisons and Jamjoom became the first reporter for a Western television network to file a story from inside.
Prior to joining CNN, Jamjoom worked for Saudi Arabia’s English language Channel 2, where he worked as a co-anchor on its primetime news show; anchored the news-in-brief segments; co-hosted, the morning show 2U; and hosted, wrote and produced for several other programmes for the channel. He also freelance produced and coordinated for other journalists and outlets visiting the Kingdom.
Jamjoom was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He spent his childhood living between Saudi Arabia and the United States. He attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he studied journalism, cinema and history. He is fluent in both English and Arabic.
CNN International today launched the latest addition to the European primetime schedule with the network's first news bulletin to be broadcast from the new Abu Dhabi production center.
Anchored by Stan Grant, "Prism" airs at 1700 GMT (2100 Abu Dhabi) on CNN International.
Earlier today, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince, officially opened the Abu Dhabi production centre, as the new outfit was given a network-wide welcome.
CNN International will launch its new broadcast center in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The new studios and bureau will become the fourth such operation for the network, joining existing centers in Atlanta, London and Hong Kong.
As well as launching the new broadcast center, CNN International will debut the network's first ever live news show to be broadcast from the region. Titled 'Prism', and hosted by veteran correspondent Stan Grant, the program will take one issue each night and dissect the story from multiple angles.
Ahead of the Tuesday launch, Monday's edition of 'Amanpour' was taped from the new studios in Abu Dhabi.
Three pictures showing part of the newsroom of the new Abu Dhabi bureau were released by CNN today.
Finally, Stan Grant presents a four minute tour of the new Abu Dhabi outfit for this month's 'Inside The Middle East'.
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CNN Press Release - CNN 's redesigned Arabic-language website www.CNNArabic.com reinforces CNN’s on-going commitment to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as well as bringing CNN news to Arab-speaking communities across the globe. It follows a year after the opening of CNN Abu Dhabi in November 2009, which made CNN the first Western news organization to have a permanent broadcast and production hub in the region.
