By IANS
Damascus : Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), the pioneering media organisation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced it will establish an advanced news centre for Syrian national television.
The establishment of the state-of-the-art media centre is part of a cooperation agreement between the DMI and the General Organisation of TV and Radio of Syria, said Ahmed Al Sheikh, DMI managing director, WAM news agency reported Sunday.
“DMI will offer a grant of $8 million to build and equip the advanced news centre. The centre will make a qualitative leap in the standard of news coverage of Syrian Television,” Al Sheikh said at a joint press conference with Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal.
“The centre, which will have a $4 million studio, will be ready by mid-2008,” he added.
Al Sheikh said 20 TV journalists and technicians from Syrian television would be trained at DMI. The Syrian TV will be provided with sophisticated equipment to enable it to cover the upcoming Arab summit, which Damascus will host next March.
Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum had earlier pledged to extend cooperation between DMI and General Organisation of TV and Radio in Syria, Al Sheikh said.
Bilal hoped the media cooperation between Dubai and Syria would facilitate greater cooperation among Arab media institutions.
The state-owned DMI is the parent company of Dubai’s One TV, Dubai TV, Sama Dubai and Dubai Sports Channel.