The continuity of TV programmes is subject to their success and impact on the audience. The longevity of a programme is evidence of its increasing viewership and the audience’s response to it, which contributes to its continuity.
Dear reader, you have to completely forget the points above if you want to know the real factors that allow TV programmes to continue in Egypt. The good observers in the field of media and programmes figured out that there are other factors contributing to the continuation. You can know these factors through the following tips.
Do not care
Do not care about anything; do not care about ethics, norms, or professionalism.
Yes, it is very simple. Whatever subject matter you find that you believe may invite debate, broadcast it boldly and defend your position, even if it violates the privacy of people and even if you do not have the right to broadcast it. Just broadcast it and do not listen to any criticism.
This is what broadcaster Reham Saeed did in her programme “Sabaya El Kheir” when she presented personal photos of one of her guests and even alluded that she had more photos. Do not be afraid if the programme gets suspended, it will return with power like it had with hers. She is getting ready now to come back after about a month of suspension.
Cut broadcasting
This trick is easy and simple and it often leads to strong results. In brief, if what the guest is saying angers you, never think to finish the dialogue in a professional manner and do not discuss or debate with him logically. This is not the place for logic at all. Just look into his eyes and ask the producers to cut broadcasting or cut electricity, as broadcaster Wael El-Ebrashi did with his guest, former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahy. It is very simple.
Say whatever you want to say
More accurately, present anything the producers can find and do not care to verify its validity. This helps offer a new kind of amusement to the audience, as in “Ala Masoaliaty” presented by Ahmed Moussa. He broadcasted scenes from a video game, claiming they were of an attack by Russian fighter planes against one of the “Islamic State” (IS) camps. After it was exposed, many people expected that it would be the end of the programme or at least Moussa would apologise to his audience for this mistake. None of this happened.
Resort to threats
If these tips do not work, you have to use threats: threaten anyone with anything. After hours, it will become a short clip that spreads virally on social media networks. Some people will laugh and others will demand your suspension, but do not be afraid, nothing will happen to you and you will be able to distract everybody.
This tip is sponsored by broadcaster Tawfik Okasha, who comes up with a new threat every day. He threatened Syrians residing in Egypt that Egyptians will destroy their houses, he threatened the Ministry of Interior with a scandal , and he threatened the owner of a competing channel that he and his team will hold a sit-in in front of their office. Threats upon threats and you will continue to raise debate and people will not stop talking about you or your programme.
Finally, dear reader, if you want to be a successful Egyptian broadcaster and to guarantee that your programme will not be stopped, you have to follow the tips above. Otherwise, you will find yourself a failure of a broadcaster, though you will also host the most important international festivals and walk on their red carpets with the cameras and channels scrambling to get a statement out of you.
You will find yourself receiving offers to present the most important arts awards in the world and the world will be impressed by your words. Everybody will passionately wait for every word you say, every programme you appear in, and every tweet you write. You would have an international ranking and your name would be “Bassem Youssef”. All of this because you simply did not adhere to these precious tips that your fellow colleagues, the very successful Egyptian media professionals who have continuing programmes, follow.
Mohamed Abdel Kareem is a journalist and a columnist in different of newspapers and magazines including Dostour, Tahrir, Sayidaty, and Rotana. Abdel Kareem has a number of short films such as “The Painter”, “Mestany”, and “Not Entering the Festival”. The films participated in international festivals in France, the US, Macedonia, among others.
