Banning airing outside Production City to thwart MB channels' work

CAIRO - 3 May 2019: Tamer Abdel Qader, a member of the Egyptian Parliament's media, culture and antiquities committee, lauded the decision of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation banning broadcasting from outside the state's Giza-based Media Production City.

Abdel Qader said in an interview with Egypt Today that stopping broadcasting from outside the City will thwart the work of the channels linked to the Muslim-Brotherhood, earlier designated by the state as a terrorist group, which incites against Egypt from abroad.

Also, MP Ismail Nasr al-Din said that the council's decision will definitely eliminate chaotic activities practiced by some media channels. There are some channels that rent properties in slums and broadcast unethical materials, which contribute to destroying the values of the Egyptian society.

The Supreme Council for Media Regulation issued a statement in April warning TV channels against airing from outside the Media Production City headquarters.

Below is the statement:

The Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) sent several letters to a number of broadcasters and television channels that own Satellite news gathering “SNG” units, stating that they should broadcast from within the Media Production City and [that they are] limited to studios available within the city.

An official source in the council said that these letters come as part of the regulations of the media scene in accordance with the law and the authorities it provides for the council in this regard. It also comes after the council spotted some companies broadcasting from outside the city and violating the law 180 of 2018.

The law states in Article 59 that no broadcasting or re-broadcasting is allowed outside the locations approved by the Supreme Council. Additionally, it is permissible to broadcast from outside these areas provided that the office or company has a studio where it can operate within the Egyptian Company for Media Production City and that they have a prior permission issued by the council.

The source pointed out that the council had granted the channels a period of three months to reconcile their status, noting that the permits obtained by those channels will expire within days and will not be renewed unless they settle their status.