A number of officials and experts in the media field have underlined that Qatar TV has reached an advanced stage of leadership, development and creativity, making it one of the most important media outlets that shape the culture and awareness of the public.
In special statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of World Television Day, which falls on Nov 21 of each year, they said that Qatar TV has been able, throughout its journey spanning from 1970 until today, to witness tremendous development, whether at the technical level or the level of programs and the diverse content it provides, including news, cultural, economic, social, artistic and other materials.
In this regard, Ali bin Saleh al-Sada, Director of Qatar TV, said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the celebration at Qatar TV of World Television Day is based on its consideration of this national media institution as a great gain for spreading our culture, values and authentic heritage, and that this day represents a message to all followers inside and outside Qatar that it conveys their concerns, explores their dreams and ambitions and strives to be an honest mirror of their reality. He stressed that Qatar TV has become a window through which the world can see the creativity of the younger generation.
The Director of Qatar TV noted that television has become stronger and more widespread with its innovative programs that are close to the people, but also with its active platforms on social media and its digital platforms that broadcast diverse and sophisticated cultural, entertainment, media and social content. Therefore, the desired integration has occurred between the screen and the digital platforms, and the exchange of content between them has become evidence that they succeed together.
For his part, Saad bin Mohammed al-Rumaihi, Chairman of the Qatar Press Center, said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that this is an opportunity to look back on the long journey of Qatar TV, which began on Aug 15, 1970, passing through several stages until it reached its current state of remarkable development in various fields. He highlighted the distinguished programming and qualified technical cadres the institution has.
He reviewed Qatar TV journey since 1974 when it converted to colour television, followed by the addition of channels called 37 and 49 as a parallel channel to present programs in English, in 1982. Al-Rumaihi, who previously held the position of Director of Qatar TV, pointed out that the television's journey was full, as it witnessed the presentation of many programs and coverage, whether live, documentary, drama programs, or others related to competitions, as well as sports programs, and many others Which distinguished Qatar TV, which made it gain a large share of followers in Qatar and the Gulf and those who receive Qatar TV transmissions.
The chairman of the Qatar Press Center confirmed that the great effort made by the Ministers of Information who succeeded one another at the Ministry of Information contributed to enhancing the public's communication with television, making it a very important and valuable media process.
He pointed out that Qatar TV, since the beginning of its career, has been distinguished by presenting a distinctive news bulletin, which is the 8:30 news bulletin, which enjoyed a large share of followers.
Despite the presence of satellite channels at that time, this bulletin maintained its privacy because it covered many local news, and other news that the region was going through at that time.
Al-Rumaihi said that Qatar TV kept up with events, especially before it switched to satellite broadcasting, including the political events that it was very distinguished by, and its keenness to be present and provide everything that is useful to the viewer.
In turn, Mubarak bin Jaham al-Kuwari, former CEO of Qatar Media Corporation, confirmed in a similar statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), that television is considered one of the important media devices for every person, and therefore a world day was allocated for it, in recognition of what it offers, and because it is linked to peoples lives and touches their conditions, which made it an indispensable device within the family.
He noted that throughout the history of television, it has witnessed many aspects of development, and was not limited to one field, as it was in the past, with the presence of terrestrial television, and its broadcast for a limited number of hours per day, but the situation went beyond it to satellite broadcasting, for specialized television channels to later appear, such as documentary, sports, news, drama channels, and others, which created diverse segments of viewers, in addition to other areas in media coverage.
He added that among the developments witnessed by television is its presence on social media, which has made it more popular among viewers, and has gained new viewers as a result, which reflects the keenness of television to adapt to the technical development witnessed by the media field in general, noting that television in Qatar has had a share of this development since its inception, as it has been keen to be present in its Gulf and Arab surroundings, not just Qatar, until it has a long history in what it provides of purposeful content that meets the various segments of society.
Mubarak bin Jaham al-Kuwari pointed to the State of Qatar's interest in media expansions in the field of television, as channels such as Al Jazeera, Al Rayyan, beIN and Al Arabiya TV have emerged as a result of this interest, which reflects the keenness of the media in Qatar to have a television presence, starting from the early inception and launch, and reaching the stages of development.
The celebration of World Television Day on November 21 of each year came under a UN resolution issued in 1996, and aims to recognize the increasing influence of television in decision-making by drawing public attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security, and its role in increasing focus on other key issues, including economic and social issues.
This event came as a recognition of the increasing influence of television in the decision-making process, which means recognizing it as a basic means of conveying information to, communicating and influencing public opinion, and its impact on global politics, its presence in it and its influence on its course cannot be denied.
