Mark N. Orzech

“Inside Arab Reality Television” Response

Not having much prior experience with reality television, this study was interesting to me

in that it helped me understand reality television as a phenomenon as well as how it has

manifested in the Arab world. Throughout the article, the author is explicit in making the point

that, while the majority of Arab reality programming is adapted from western models, the current

popularity of the genre in the Arab world is not only due to its current success in the West, but is

the result of a long process of development and experimentation. I was aware of the long history

of “copycat TV” in the Arab world, though I had no idea about the logistics of converting

western programs to Arabic or the years of studying trends to buy the formats of shows that

would assure success based on their popularity in the West. It was also interesting to see the

attempt of producers (with varying degrees of success) to make the subsequent adaptations not

only maximally acceptable to Islamic sensibilities but also to appeal to a pan-Arab audience.

As opposed to western reality shows which are often focused on one segment of

American society and are generally limited to American participants, the reality shows produced

by Arab media are, out of necessity, targeted at an multi-national Arab audience, which creates

some very interesting dynamics in shows such as “Superstar”, where Arab viewers from many

countries are all sharing the experience together, though are often divided along national lines in

their preferences and voting for the winner. This is a very interesting way of at once

acknowledging pan-Arab identity and preserving (or perhaps promoting) pride in one’s own

country. I wonder if there are any reality programs that have become popular within a specific

country, targeting a national (rather than ethnic) audience. The author’s discussion of the period

of experimentation in the Arab world with reality TV was very interesting to me as well,

particularly the evolution of the very beginnings of a “reality” style of programs in the “real

drama” shows of the 50’s and 60’s, to the massive popularity of “Candid Camera” in the 80’s, to

Lebanon’s Zen TV in the early 2000’s which served as an incubator of both ideas and Arab

television producers as they experimented with different varieties of shows and how to produce

them.

The vast majority of Arab reality programs are produced in Lebanon (the largest

company being LBC) and those made elsewhere often have a Lebanese crew and producers,

which is no surprise considering Lebanon’s reputation as the most liberal of the Arab states in

terms of pushing the boundaries of social acceptability and addressing potentially taboo subjects,

though they still must keep in mind the sensibilities of the more conservative gulf states, who are

a large and (generally) wealthy consumer audience. Of course, competitors try to get in on the

massive popularity generated by shows such as “Star Academy”, thus the attempts by Gulf-

operated MBC to get into the reality television market. It is the difference between these two

major networks that is interesting, and reflects the societies of their home countries. While LBC

combines a regular primetime television spot with a special 24/7 broadcasting channel, the gulf

network, following a perceived threat to Islamic values posed by their adaptation of the show

“Big Brother”, is stricter in controlling what actually makes it to the viewers through editing in

an attempt to reduce unpredictability. The great power of the gulf countries to sway Lebanese

programing is intriguing, and I would like to look more into the nuances of these relationships.

It was mentioned in the article that, with the exception of “Candid Camera”, there are no

reality specials during Ramadan, despite the large viewer turnout during this month. I know that

there is a focus on religious programming at this time, but I wonder what makes “Candid

Camera” different from other imported shows.