Dubai 30 April.  BBC Arabic has been inspired by the success of its Your future... who decides it? events in Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, West Bank and Syria which encouraged debate around a range of national and social issues relevant in the lives of young people. 

Head of BBC Arabic, Hosam Sokkari said the five-week radio and online campaign showed that there is a huge hunger for content focused on the youth in the Arab world:  

"Your future... who decides it? tapped into the lives of young Arabic speakers in the Middle East and North Africa.  It went to the places where young people meet and mingle, to interact with them on their own terms and engage them in discussions that touch on their lives.  We have been inspired and delighted by the response.  Hundreds of thousands of young people personally engaged in the events and thousands took the opportunity to comment on the issues at the broadcast debates, online on bbcarabic.com and by writing their views on the pioneering 'grafitti' style posters.

"They generated passionate and impressive editorial content for our radio listeners and online users and inspired our programme makers with their energy and forthright views. We have learned an enormous amount about this important audience, the young men and women who are the future of the Arab world. It's obvious they want a platform for debate and they want a relationship with the BBC. 

"As a result, we are currently exploring a number of themes we think are very relevant to young audiences in the Arab world.  In the spirit of Your future... who decides it? we want this audience to continue contributing ideas and opinions which will shape our output.  We know they welcome the opportunity and we look forward to hearing from them via bbcarabic.com"

Over 270,000 people met the BBC, through live broadcast debates, the interactive booths placed in central locations, and the "graffiti" posters.  The dedicated micro-site, bbcarabic.com/future generated around 300,000 page impressions.  Almost 33,500 people registered with the site and 4,500 people sent their email contributions to the online version of the debates while the special radio programming on BBC Arabic will have reached millions of listeners worldwide.  

Nouran Sallam, moderator of the live debate held in Amman, Jordan, said that the road show gave her an opportunity of a lifetime to get in direct touch with the BBC Arabic audience: 

"I was thrilled to feel, firsthand, how passionately our audience follow us and how eager they are for us to get closer to them, to understand them and to engage with them.  I met young people in Amman who weren't our listeners, and it was great that they were 'discovering' BBC Arabic for themselves through our debate which, I hope, showcased the best of the BBC."

Safaa Faisal, who presented the BBC's live debate from Khartoum, Sudan, said meeting with the young Sudanese to talk about one of the most sensitive issues they face, identity, was an eye-opening experience for her: 

"We had over 250 passionate, educated and opinionated young people, and many of them were very brave, debating in public an issue normally reserved for private discussions.  We were keen to make sure every form of opinion was represented to the millions of our listeners across the Arabic-speaking world.  In fact, it was the heart of the matter, the whole reason why we embarked on this debates road show: giving the youth a voice, listening to their untold stories."

And here's a sample of the feedback from those who engaged with the BBC: 

"I never listened to the BBC - but will do now." (Cairo, Egypt)

"This debate was inspiring." (Amman, Jordan)

"I was not aware that BBC Arabic interacted directly with ordinary people." (Khartoum, Sudan)

"BBC took the time to hear the concerns of the young people." (West Bank)

"I was not aware that the BBC follows up its audience in this way." (Damascus, Syria)

BBC Arabic has over 12 million listeners while bbcarabic.com attracts around 19 million page impressions a month. Broadcasting 24 hours a day, BBC Arabic is a respected voice in the region, widely acknowledged for its independent and unbiased coverage of regional, national and international news.

BBC Arabic transmits on an expanding network of FM frequencies including:  

Bahrain: 103.8 FM

Djibouti: 99.2 FM

Gaza: 107.4 FM

Iraq: Baghad 89.0 FM, Al Kut 98.0 FM, Al Nasiriya 100 FM, Alamara 89.0 FM, Basra 90.0 FM, Kirkuk 92.9 FM, Mosul and Erbil 96.0 FM

Jordan: Amman 103.1 FM and Ajloun 89.1 FM (which can also be heard in parts of Jerusalem and the West Bank)

Kuwait: 90.1 FM

Qatar: Doha 107.4 FM

Somalia: Hargaisa 89 FM, Mogadishu: Radio HornAfrik 99.9 FM.

Sudan: Khartoum 91.0 FM, Al Ubayyid 91.0 FM, Port Sudan 91.0 FM and Wad Madani 91.5 FM

UAE: Abu Dhabi 90.3 FM and Dubai 87.9 FM

West Bank: Bethlehem 89.6 FM

-Ends-

Notes to editors: 
BBC Arabic is the leading international radio news service in Arabic, and bbcarabic.com is the leading Arabic online news site.  BBC Arabic broadcasts 24 hours a day, every day, with news on the hour, every hour.  BBC Arabic broadcasts to the whole Arab world on short wave and through digital audio channels on the principal satellites covering the Arab world.  In most of the eastern Arab world, BBC broadcasts are heard on medium wave, and in key cities the BBC is available on FM.  The award-winning site bbcarabic.com also carries a live audio feed of BBC Arabic radio.  BBC Arabic is one of 33 language services broadcast by BBC World Service, the international radio and online broadcaster which has a global audience of 149m listeners. Its international websites receive over 330m page impressions a month.

For more information contact:
Abeer Al Qadi/Fakher Daghestani,
ASDA'A Public Relations
Exclusive Edelman affiliate in the Middle East & North Africa,
Dubai,
UAE
+971 4 3344550;
Fax: +971 4 3344556 ;
info@asdaa.com

Lala Najafova,
International Publicist,
BBC World Service
+44(0)207557 2944;
lala.najafova@bbc.co.uk

© Press Release 2006