Tag Archives: MTV

The Cost of Running An Ad on Lebanese TV During A Lebanese Politician’s Interview

MTV hosted Michel Aoun on Walid Abboud’s show “Bi Mawdou3iya” yesterday and he discussed the current debacle in the country regarding the electoral law and whatnot.

So because we live in extremely sensitive times, Lebanon’s main political foe for Michel Aoun is, naturally, going to seek out airtime as well. Samir Geagea will be on “Bi Mawdou3iya” as well tomorrow, all to MTV’s delight.

This isn’t about what both politicians want to discuss (or not discuss). It’s not about their propositions and constant tug-of-war leading nowhere. In order to announce the episode, I stumbled on the picture that follows.
The most interesting part of the picture to me was the cost to run an ad on MTV during Samir Geagea’s show. Two 30 second ads can cost you up to $5000.

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Every single second of commercial break is probably sold by now. This is how much audience our politicians bring in. Too bad there’s absolutely no tangible and efficient measures that are brought with them and the income they bring to the TV stations they appear on.

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MTV, OTV & LBC’s Sunday Programming: The Graduation Ceremony of the American University of Dubai

Graduation ceremonies are horrible. My AUB 2010 ceremony felt endless. Names upon names got called out as we sat there sweating like pigs under the June sun. I’d never do it again. But Lebanon’s TV stations felt it was a good idea to air a graduation ceremony all Sunday afternoon.

Except there was nothing Lebanese about the graduation. AUD, I had no idea you mattered to MTV, LBC & OTV this much. Let’s label this one big fat failure of TV programming. I don’t care what’s the reason behind those three TV stations airing the American University of Dubai’s graduation. There is no reason that can make this remotely acceptable – not when Lebanese universities have countless graduations every year which go unnoticed, unaired and, well, irrelevant. Not that graduation ceremonies should air on live TV anyway.

How empty is the Sunday afternoon slot on Lebanese TV exactly?

I bet those students of AUD feel nice to be appreciated. By Lebanese TV stations. Lebanese students, on the other hand, are not classy enough. Not even those who pay thousands of dollars to attend Lebanon’s brand of Ivy League campuses, let alone those whose university is – lowers voice into a barely audible whisper – free.

Update: Apparently this is the FIFTH year they air this. Hopefully it’s the last as well.

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MTV’s Side of the Firing of Joe Maalouf

A friend of mine just sent the following screenshots my way of Jihad el Murr’s explanation of why MTV decided to fire Enta Horr’s Joe Maalouf (link), following the controversial episode during which he criticized Dekawne’s mayor Shakhtoura. I have decided to publish the screenshots because they offer a viable, albeit possibly incomplete alternative, of what happened. And, for the sake of at least trying to sound professional, here they are:

Joe Maalouf MTV - 5

 

Joe Maalouf MTV - 4

 

Joe Maalouf MTV - 3

 

Joe Maalouf MTV - 2

Joe Maalouf MTV - 1

Much of the above makes sense to me for many reasons, most of which revolve around the notion that it was pretty difficult to believe MTV was always okay with what Maalouf was doing on his TV show. Perhaps they didn’t mind him going on a crusade against the politicians ruining Lebanon’s mountains with their quarries but, regardless of what I or anyone might think of the TV station, I believe they had a problem with many of what of the things Maalouf did on the show, such as naming the victims of the Ayntoura school molestation last year, among many other. 

I don’t like Joe Maalouf nor his brand of reporting that borders on the sensationalism. But given newly surfacing information that MTV had given him many heads up about the direction they want his show to go through, who can we blame?

I believe the answer goes both ways.

Joe Maalouf, as an employee at MTV, should have stuck with what they were asking of him. After all, this is what employees do. They weren’t asking him not to say his opinion but to present the other side of his opinion as well, which is quite fair.

MTV, on the other hand, should have at least waited until the end of the show’s current season in order for them to do what they want. The timing of firing Maalouf is the key element that led to the outrage at hand. For all of us, the way this appears to be is the following: major Lebanese TV station silencing a comparably irrelevant person because of his opinion regarding a person who’s politically affiliated with their board of directors. And given information that surfaced around the time of the news that Joe Maalouf was fired, Shakhtoura being a Murr-affiliate definitely played a role.

Perhaps the true reason why MTV fired Joe Maalouf is an accumulation of little kinks here and there that broke the chain with him going on a rampage against someone they like being the straw that broke the camel’s back, which is an unacceptable reason for the camel’s back to break in my opinion. However, if they wanted this not to turn into a Lebanese mini-scandal, they could have at least waited and canceled the show very silently in a few months. They can trust me on this: few people would have minded because many  remember all the horrific mistakes Maalouf did on his show.

Joe Maalouf or no Joe Maalouf, I hope MTV at leasts decides to hire someone else to fill in Mr. Maalouf’s place in a show that is similar thematically. There are plenty of more professional journalists out there who are waiting on their major break and plenty of facets in our life as Lebanese that need highlighting. It’s a shame an opportunity to light on some injustices in society goes to waste because of a possibly incompetent employee and a politically charged board of directors.

MTV Cancels Joe Maalouf’s “Enta Horr”

Enta Horr Joe Maalouf MTV

Enta Horr, arguably Lebanon’s most controversial TV show, has been reportedly canceled by  MTV according to Lebanon Files (Arabic link).

Joe Maalouf, the show’s host, has been involved with many now-infamous scandals which were started on his show, the most famous of which is that revolving around a cinema theatre raid which culminated in anal tests being done on several men suspected of homosexuality. Many believe he was the cause for the raid. Lebanon’s syndicate of physicians has since outlawed such practices by its physicians.

However, it seems a growing disparity between MTV and Joe Maalouf’s opinions has led the TV station to cancel the show altogether, effectively stopping the promo for any new episodes and re-airing older ones instead. The straw that broke the camel’s back was Joe Maalouf’s opinion regarding the Dekawne night club closing, which I haven’t seen yet. For those who are interested, here’s my opinion on that matter (link).

Many who are not fans of Joe Maalouf and his show will rejoice at this news which MTV wants to keep on the down-low for the time being. But I have to ask: even if they have the legal right to do what they did, is it  correct to stop a TV show that sparks debate – regardless of what that debate might be – just because you don’t like the opinions being put forward?

It could be that MTV has grown tired of trying to set a distance for itself from what Joe Maalouf advocates. Or it could be that Joe Maalouf’s politics aren’t in sync with the Murr clan. But isn’t effectively silencing the man doing a station which was silenced for years a bigger disservice given that I’m sure his show isn’t causing them financial woes?

Regardless of what I may think about some of the show’s episodes, Enta Horr has often been a candid and scathing critic of some Lebanese realities that many of us don’t like to tackle. And even though Joe Maalouf’s approach towards some issues, especially those of homosexuality, is unacceptable, I believe the type of shows that Enta Horr represents is much needed in this country. It’s a sad day when that type of shows bites the dust.

Ironically, this has happened around World Press Freedom Day.

May Hariri vs MTV: The Conclusion

It all turned out to be one big misunderstanding – or so was the easiest legal loophole for May Hariri to get out of:

  1. Calling the CEO of MTV a horny old man,
  2. Calling the entire DWTS a fabrication,
  3. Making herself a victim of her support to the Syrian regime,
  4. Going on several TV shows, such as Tony Khalifeh’s Lel Nashr, to prove her point but to no avail,
  5. Trying to sue MTV for bringing Haifa Wehbe on one of the DWTS shows.

That’s the May Hariri vs MTV story grosso modo. It started with a bang (click here) and today it was apparently solved amicably with May Hariri apologizing, saying about two months of constant drama were only one “slip of the tongue.”

That’s one big slip if you ask me. Freud would be more than baffled if he had been her to witness it. As a testament to the now fixed relationship between MTV and May Hariri, she will be on this Sunday’s episode of Dancing With The Stars.

I won’t go into how big of a mess May Hariri got herself into especially that with every statement she made, she kept coming off as a bad sport who couldn’t handle being the first one to lose on Dancing With The Stars especially after all the pimping the show’s executives gave her.

The more May Hariri initially spoke about the show, the more I got convinced that a show like Dancing With The Stars where famous people will most probably end up losing could never work in Lebanon. Our famous people, regardless of how famous they are, always think they are more important than what they truly are and cannot handle not coming out as victors all the time.

That’s what I had thought. It turned out though that May Hariri is the only participant star who needs a crash course in sportsmanship:

Lesson 1:

Lesson 2:

Lesson 3:

Lesson 4:

Lesson 5:

MTV let her off way too easily. The amount of slander she threw at the network and the show is too high to be solved amicably. They should have shown May Hariri exactly how much she was mistaken to go on her unfounded foolish tirade.

But MTV doesn’t seem to care: the show is a huge success, at least in Lebanon. May Hariri is the only person who came out on the losing side and she barely registered on their radar.

 

 

May Hariri’s Serious Lack of Sportsmanship

Dancing With The Stars, Lebanon edition had its first elimination round on Sunday and I had no idea who lost until I watched this YouTube video in which the reaction really surprised me:

May Hariri who was so bad at dancing she ranked last with the judges found herself in the bottom two teams. She was then eliminated by not garnering enough votes to put her on top the other team – no puns intended in any way whatsoever.

You’d expect the famous person who loses to take it well and be, in typical cliche manner, thankful for the experience, blah blah blah. Except with May Hariri who apparently aimed to lose because – and I quote – “[she] has lots of other stuff to do.”

It seems plastic fillings reach the brain as well.

Update: There’s paranoia on top of the plastic.

According to the following video, Michel el Murr, MTV CEO, has “lusts” that he can’t control. It seems there’s a “contract breach” and that she was used to “bring them viewers boom” because she’s in the same league as Haifa, Elissa and Nancy. Nidale Ahmadiyeh is on the line as well so you know shit just got real.

May Hariri is also a political victim now because she’s against “anyone who touches Syria.” And leave it to Nidale el Ahmadiyeh to be “thankful they didn’t shoot [her] on stage because MTV’s politics are known.”

The amount of stupidity that some B-listers with high-profiles in this country have is outstanding. This lack of sportsmanship just turned into absolute disgust – this is the definition of pathetic.

The Participants of Lebanon’s Dancing With the Stars

Dancing With the Stars Lebanon

MTV has just unveiled the participants of Lebanon’s version of Dancing With the Stars. Here’s the list:

  • Nada Bou Farhat (actress)
  • Wissam Hanna (former Mr. Lebanon)
  • May Harriri (singer)
  • Naya (singer)
  • Rosarita Tawil (former Miss Lebanon)
  • Mirva Kadi (Model & singer)
  • Nicolas Mouawad (actor/TV anchor)
  • Rabih Baroud (Singer)
  • Haifa Haddad (Trainer)
  • Michel Bou Sleiman (comedian)
  • Walid Alayli (actor)

Each of these famous people will be paired with a professional dancer. The couple will be judged by a panel as well as audience votes. The winning team has to garner the highest combination of audience votes and panel grades. I don’t know how well this show would do with non-Lebanese audiences though seeing as all of the participants are Lebanese. But I’m not complaining.

The Age of Fortunetellers

Last time I checked, fortunetelling was reserved for New Year’s Eve when people with some form of “sight” grace our airwaves to tell us what to expect over the coming year – although they give themselves a few years as a range to make sure what they say eventually happens.
It got to a point where all our TV stations would host anyone. Those who pay the most get prodigy Michel Hayek. Those who can’t get Michel Hayek but are high profile enough get Layla Abdul Latif. And if you’re miserable like NewTV, you get an Australian card reader and give her pictures of our political leaders for her to look at.

However, it seems that the dark times the region is witnessing have gotten Layla Abdul Latif to get her “sight” together and inundate the world with predictions that will eventually happen. It might be in a year, or two, or ten. One could never know. It seems she’s also hell-bent on overthrowing Michel Hayek as Lebanon’s most celebrated neo-prophet.

Did you know we are having elections next year? Did you also know it’s going to be based on the 2009 law which everyone “theoretically” hates but no one is willing to change? Did you know the Sunnis and the Shia of Lebanon will NOT kill each other more than they already are?
Did you also know that Lebanon will soon become an oil exporter? Yes, because the massive amounts of national gas and petrol we’re sitting on are not meant to stay there apparently. You can check out the rest of the “predictions” here.

So people tune in to LBC which gets all the audience numbers of a Sunday night and even though they ridicule Layla Abdul Latif for the “visions” she gets, they still listen. And even though what she says is an absolutely logical reading of what might happen, somehow the clout she has thrown around herself as someone with a “gift” makes people feel more secure somehow.

It is the age of fortunetellers. And since fortunetelling seems to be in lately, I’ve decided to try my hand at it. *clears throat* these are my predictions for an unnamed period in time:

- People will continue dying in Syria until the revolution ends. Some people will die after that too.
- The Future movement will keep on hating Hezbollah. And vice versa.
- The animosity between the FPM and the LF will not decrease.
- Wi2am Wahhab will witness a markedly decreased spoken words per minute rate.
- Michel Aoun will become more paranoid.
- Samir Geagea’s word-repeats will extend to new items in the vocabulary.
- Saad Hariri is enjoying his vacation in France. But he will return eventually.
- Hassan Nasrallah has a thing for underground bunkers and will not leave his anytime soon.
- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has no near ending in sight.
- The Lebanese people will vote for the same people in 2013 and they will then nag about the same people reaching power again.
- The 2013 elections will witness below the belt accusations thrown by the different camps at each other.
- The 2013 elections will feature an increased role for social media. Bloggers will be paid to support one candidate over another.
- Saudi Arabia will suppress its women even further.
- The Islamic revolution in Iran will come up with new interesting ridiculous fatwas.
- The Middle East’s Christians will remain panicky about their future.
- The United States will remain divided between Obama lovers and Obama haters.
- The United States will be hit by new hurricanes… Eventually.
- Sh*t will keep hitting the fan in Greece.
- Big quantities of rotten and expired food will be discovered somewhere within the 10452km2 of Lebanon.
- People will keep violating the smoking ban without any repercussions whatsoever.
- Lebanon will not see an improvement in abiding by traffic laws in the near future.
- There will be new anti-Islam material which cause outrage across the Muslim world.
- Lebanon’s Maronite patriarch will vote for the pope that will succeed Benedict XVI.
- Apple will release a new iPhone that keeps the iPhone 5′s form factor. And people will nag. Droids will hate. Everyone will buy anyway.
- Samsung will lose yet another lawsuit and be made to pay another billion.
- World peace will not happen.

I personally do not have the gift of “sight” and I came up with these while a physician was lecturing me about anemias. But if Michel Hayek and Layla Abdul Latif do it, why not me? Enno shou we2fet 3layon?
Now who wants to pay me thousands of dollars to host me on some TV show? I have stuff to buy and vacations to plan and people to fool.

Ignorant Lebanese “Journalism”

When I was about thirteen, the talk of the nation was about satanism. People used to go on televisions to tell us how these people desecrate the Holy Communion, have sex in graveyards and whatnot. And at thirteen, I believed all the stories. Education at school also geared us towards fearing such cults. They instilled fear in us. They warned us about the dangers of the music they use, which might infiltrate our minds with the subtle messages interspersed between their notes. So I never got into any form of metal music – because metal equaled satanism. And that’s what I was told.

Things today are very different, to me at least. I barely watch any Lebanese TV because I believe it’s absolutely pointless to do so and I fail to see any rewarding experience coming out of it, except to get me more exasperated at the state of decadence we’ve reached as a nation.

Joe Maalouf, MTV’s prodigy “journalist”, has found his name synonymous with controversy in recent months. It started with homophobic reporting about homosexuality. Some Lebanese responded. MTV responded back. The responses died. Joe Maalouf stayed… and he’s at it again.

In a November 6th episode, Maalouf went back to the same subject that was being discussed when I was thirteen, almost ten years years ago, to say how all metal bands are cult-worshippers, teaching our children and teenagers the arts of satanism. Here’s a link for the episode if you’re interested.

Absolutely stupid? You bet. But Joe Maalouf isn’t the only one. Every weekly episode of Malek Maktabi’s show: Ahmar bl Khatt el 3arid is a reminder that cheap journalism is popular journalism. Maktabi gets guests that are as taken out of society as you could get and imposes them upon his viewers as fact. His attitude as he presents one ridiculous topic after the other is that of a know-it-all who’s taking himself way too seriously.

The result of both Maalouf and Maktabi’s approaches, which are very similar, is a broad viewership that is taking in what they’re saying as scripture, which is even worse when you know that both TV shows are some of the most watched on their corresponding channels, data that I obtained from a TV private source a few weeks back. Yes, those metal bands are all satanist. Those people from Akkar are all demented. Those women who like to sing are all whores. And the list goes on and on.

The viewer is not to be blamed for the monstrosities committed against him. You can’t just say it’s the fault of the person who has nothing else to do than watch TV for believing what TV station is throwing at them. It’s the fault of TV stations and platforms that allow such content to be broadcast from their airways without vetting it.

No, I’m not talking about censorship. I’m talking about monitoring of quality. Maalouf & Maktabi should not be allowed to present absolutely ridiculous information as facts to viewers and be able to call upon equally unqualified “testimonies” in order to prove a moot point that is not valid in any way. They should not be allowed to tell viewers how “many more unspeakable things happen behind closed doors.” What closed doors are they taking about? What things are they referring to?

The sad thing is it’s not only Maalouf and Maktabi. Ignorant Lebanese journalism goes to political talk shows which rehash the same arguments at people over and over again, most of them unfounded, in the hope that one sticks. Ignorance is also in news reports, such as the HIV in Pepsi incidence recently, which people also believe because, I mean, how could the news be wrong? How could anything that makes it to TV, for that matter, be wrong?

I am not a journalist and I don’t intend to be one. But, as a viewer and possible audience of such TV shows, I know what I’m getting is ridiculous. I know that my TV stations should offer us something more mentally stimulating than the mental vomit they keep hurling at us with a lot of people taking it in. I know that what’s happening on our airwaves daily is not right. And I know that Malek Maktabi, Joe Maalouf and countless other self-proclaimed journalists are a bunch of ignorants whose words should never be taken to more than what they are: utter crap. Maalouf and Maktabi are a disgrace that graces our TV screens in a weekly manner to bestow upon us their eternally craptastic wisdom.

The problem is the collective of the Lebanese society thinks their crap is gold. They think Maalouf and Maktabi and others like them are absolutely right, every single time, and the cycle of willful ignorance of the Lebanese community continues because ignorance is truly bliss and dismissing entire demographics, entire discographies, entire mentalities because of the psychological complexes of a TV anchor is much easier than going on a limb to see that the presumed golden TV we get is crap at its best.

Dancing With The Stars Coming To Lebanon

The United States’ most watched competition TV Show is coming to Lebanon thanks to MTV. A source has told me that the show’s presenter will be Carla Haddad, former weather anchor at LBC, who went to MTV solely in order to quick start the show.

MTV has already started promo for the show on its airways by teasing viewers about the most watched TV show in the world coming to its airways, along with scenes of people dancing. This is the promo in question:

Don’t expect a lot of current famous people to make their way to the TV show but expect “stars” that we are at least familiar with. I will update this post if I get definite names of anyone who’s participating in it.

DWTS pairs famous people with a dancing partner and they dance to a judging panel which grades them. Their grade is then combined with audience vote to determine who gets kicked off. The American version is now in an all-star season which has brought back winners and finalists from all previous seasons.

I personally think MTV has the chops to pull off such a production, similarly to how MBC and LBC are pulling off The Voice. I guess we’ll wait and see. DWTS should start airing on MTV soon.