The Silent Majority: Who Misses Her?

I do not know if I am the only one who feels this way, or if there are others besides me. I am speaking here about BBC Arabic. Since it ceased broadcasting in January 2023, a qualitative news vacuum has persisted, and no suitable alternative is available.

Listening to the radio is not a (fad) that ends, nor is it (nostalgia) belonging to a generation attached to it; it is a need and a habit of listening and stimulating the imagination through hearing. Everyone has their own mood and taste in what they listen to, especially when driving long distances.

I mentioned that listening is a need. When any event occurs, everyone begins searching their phones and television screens for (real) news bulletins or reports that differ from what is officially presented. In the end, one must get into the car and enter a world where the radio remains the primary provider of news.

In Kuwait, we have our own specific experience with BBC Arabic during the brutal Iraqi invasion. It offered a different and unfamiliar style of news that contained not a shred of flattery or exaggeration. Therefore, BBC was unpopular among the public, yet at the same time, it was the refuge for confirmed news. This continued until the end of the Kuwait Liberation War, after which people returned to their old lives without it, and only a few continued to follow the disliked station.

The foregoing might make it seem that I am burning with longing for the return of BBC Arabic. The truth is, I do not deny my desire for its return, but not in the format that dominated most of its programs in its last decade. I summarize this format in three points: 1) The proliferation of repetitive interactive programs with an audience whose comments do not differ from fake accounts that direct much abuse and negative commentary on YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and other platforms; 2) The targeting of Gulf states in those interactive programs; 3) The bias in the coverage trajectory favoring the native countries of the channel’s presenters in terms of intensity and gloss.

In conclusion, my sense of loss regarding BBC Arabic stems from two main reasons. The first is the absence of an alternative news provider that fulfills its missing role. The second is that channel’s ability to delve into political topics that are otherwise off-limits. Beyond that, there is nothing, as I have reached the point of saying, “Praise be to God that it is no longer here,” given its biased editorial policy in its final years.