Arab Media Moguls (Library of Modern Middle East Studies) (Library of Modern Middle East Studies, 148)

Transformations in the Arab media landscape are a key element in the regional dynamics of political change. Where do the private owners of Arab media outlets stand on the scene? What part, if any, have they played in weakening dictatorships, countering sectarianism and political polarisation, and reforming business practices in the Arab world? Arab Media Moguls charts the rise of some leading investors and entrepreneurs in Arab media, examining their motives, management styles, financial performance and links to political power. Responding critically to scholarship on Western moguls, this book uncovers the realities of risk and success for Arab media potentates and billionaires.

Naomi Sakr is Professor of Media Policy at the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI), University of Westminster, and Director of the CAMRI Arab Media Centre. Her publications include Arab Television Today; Satellite Realms: Transnational Television, Globalization and the Middle East; Transformations in Egyptian Journalism and Women and Media in the Middle East (all published by I.B.Tauris).

Donatella Della Ratta is Postdoctoral Fellow at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. She holds a PhD from the University of Copenhagen.

Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen is Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Copenhagen. He is the author of Defining Islam for the Egyptian State: Muftis and Fatwas of the Dar al-Ifta and (with Bettina Graf) The Global Mufti: The Phenomenon of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi.