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Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation

 
Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation

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Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation



 
 
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation , widely known as LBC, is the first private television station in Lebanon
Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
. It went global in 1996 when it launched its satellite channel LBC Al-Fadha'iya Al-Lubnaniya ( LBC Sat) covering the Middle East
Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
. It now has several channels covering Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, America
Americas

The Americas are the region of the Western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, and Sub Saharian Africa region.

Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) was launched over the airwaves of Lebanon on August 23, 1985.






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The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation , widely known as LBC, is the first private television station in Lebanon
Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
. It went global in 1996 when it launched its satellite channel LBC Al-Fadha'iya Al-Lubnaniya ( LBC Sat) covering the Middle East
Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
. It now has several channels covering Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, America
Americas

The Americas are the region of the Western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, and Sub Saharian Africa region.

Detailed history


Beginnings

The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) was launched over the airwaves of Lebanon on August 23, 1985. It was originally the brainchild of Bashir Gemayel, leader of the Lebanese Forces
Lebanese Forces

The Lebanese Forces is a right-wing Lebanon Political parties in Lebanon founded by Bachir Gemayel. During the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as one of the head militias within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front....
. At the time, the station generally voiced the opinions of the Lebanese Christian street, more specifically that of the Lebanese Forces
Lebanese Forces

The Lebanese Forces is a right-wing Lebanon Political parties in Lebanon founded by Bachir Gemayel. During the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as one of the head militias within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front....
. The Lebanese civil war
Lebanese Civil War

conflict=Lebanese Civil War |date=1984 - 1990|place=Lebanon|result=Taif Agreement|combatant1=|combatant2=|commander1=|commander2=|strength1=|strength2=...
 was at that time ten years old and any solution still seemed distant. Lebanon was characterized then by political unrest, military conflagration, and popular despair.

Civil War coverage

During the Civil war era, LBC was considered a tool used by the LF, thus it became a constant target for the Lebanese Forces
Lebanese Forces

The Lebanese Forces is a right-wing Lebanon Political parties in Lebanon founded by Bachir Gemayel. During the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as one of the head militias within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front....
 opponents. In 1989, the chaos in Lebanon took a turn for the worse after LF refused to comply to the Lebanese army commander General Michel Aoun
Michel Aoun

Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese people Military of Lebanon commander and politician. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he served as List of Prime Ministers of Lebanon and acting List of Presidents of Lebanon of one of two rival governments that contended for power....
, who then declared the war of liberation. The LBC premises were periodically targeted by the heavy shelling which raged uninterruptedly for six months. Throughout that time, the staff moved all the equipment to the basement where they set up makeshift offices. During fierce fighting in 1990, the LBC offices were again targeted and this time received direct hits during artillery duels. In addition to the shelling, LBC suffered the loss of one of their cameramen, who was shot dead while on-duty.

Post-War era

The Lebanese civil war
Lebanese Civil War

conflict=Lebanese Civil War |date=1984 - 1990|place=Lebanon|result=Taif Agreement|combatant1=|combatant2=|commander1=|commander2=|strength1=|strength2=...
 ended in 1990 with the signing of the Taef agreement. The Lebanese Forces
Lebanese Forces

The Lebanese Forces is a right-wing Lebanon Political parties in Lebanon founded by Bachir Gemayel. During the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as one of the head militias within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front....
 signed the agreement and held positions in the government, but still maintained an anti-Syrian position which was reflected in the LBC's news reporting. In July 23, 1992, the Lebanese government compelled LBC to evacuate its Jounieh premises without prior warning or notifications, before governmental troops took over the building. The station moved to Adma, several kilometers away. On March 23, 1994, the Lebanese government ordered the dissolution of the Lebanese Forces
Lebanese Forces

The Lebanese Forces is a right-wing Lebanon Political parties in Lebanon founded by Bachir Gemayel. During the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as one of the head militias within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front....
. And on April 21, 1994, Samir Geagea, leader of the party, was arrested. The ownership of the company was officially transferred to Pierre Daher, a co-founder who managed the station from its beginning. During the Syrian presence in Lebanon, the LBC political stance reflected the influences of its shareholders who varied throughout this period. LBCSAT, a free satellite channel, was launched in April 1996. The new channel was a success, especially to the Lebanese diaspora, disseminated throughout the world. LBCSAT has been broadcasting 22 hours a day since January 1997 and continues to rank first among stations in the Middle East. Shortly thereafter, within a period of three months, LBC launched three new encrypted and free-to-air channels: LBC Europe, LBC America, LBC Australia, and LBC Sub Saharian Africa. Today, all these channels broadcast around the clock. In December 2003, Alwaleed Bin Talal, the Saudi prince, bought all stocks of LBC Sat and 48 % of the local channel.

LBC Sat and Al Hayat merger

At the end of the year 2002, LBC Al-Fadha'iya Al-Lubnaniya ( LBC Sat) and the London-based Al Hayat newspaper owned by Saudis, merged their news programs. Today, LBC Al-Fadha'iya Al-Lubnaniya ( LBC Sat) daily news report is called the "Al Hayat-LBC news report".

Current ownership battle

After the Cedar Revolution
Cedar Revolution

The Cedar Revolution or Independence Intifada was a chain of demonstrations in Lebanon triggered by the assassination of former List of Prime Ministers of Lebanon Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005....
 and the release of Samir Geagea
Samir Geagea

Samir Farid Geagea born October 25, 1952 is the leader of the right wing Lebanese Forces political party. He led LF in the Lebanese Civil War and after the war he was tried and found guilty of four war-related crimes, including the assassination of Lebanon's Prime Minister, in what Amnesty International called an "unfair trial [...] in a cl...
, the current leader (as of 18 Feb 2008) of the Lebanese Forces
Lebanese Forces

The Lebanese Forces is a right-wing Lebanon Political parties in Lebanon founded by Bachir Gemayel. During the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as one of the head militias within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front....
, the party started reestablishing itself and demanded that Daher surrender ownership of the TV station back to the party. Daher refused to do so, saying that "he will not allow the station to be subservient to a political party."

On November 16, 2007, hundreds of Lebanese Forces supporters gathered in front of LBC television in protest of the decision to cancel an interview with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. The interview was called off, after Geagea filed a lawsuit against Daher seeking to repossess LBC and restore its ownership back to the LF. The case is still pending in court.

LBC brands

LBC Group of companies completes 23 years in operation:

  • LBC LOCAL or LBC International:
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) was launched 23 August 1985. LBC is the first private TV station to be launched in Lebanon and a pioneer in the region. LBC Local or LBC International is by far the uncontested leader in the Lebanese market with an aprox 60% MS.

• Lebanese Youth: (Primary target) • Young Lebanese Family: (Secondary Target)

  • LBC SAT:
• Launched in 1996, LBC Sat, widely know as LBC Al-Fadha'iya Al-Lubnaniya , is an international version of LBC targeted to viewers in the Arab World
Arab world

The Arab World refers to Arabic-speaking countries stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast....
.

  • LBC EUROPE:
LBC Europe is an international version of LBC targeted to Lebanese
Lebanese people

The Lebanese people are a Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
 citizens in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
.

  • LBC AMERICA
LBC America is an international version of LBC targeted to Lebanese
Lebanese people

The Lebanese people are a Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
 citizens in America
Americas

The Americas are the region of the Western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions....
.

  • LBC AUSTRALIA
LBC Australia is an international version of LBC targeted to Lebanese
Lebanese people

The Lebanese people are a Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
 citizens in Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
.

  • LBC SUB SAHARIAN AFRICA
LBC Sub Saharian Africa is an international version of LBC targeted to Lebanese
Lebanese people

The Lebanese people are a Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
 citizens in the Sub Saharian Africa region.

  • LBC NAGHAM
    LBC Nagham

    LBC Nagham is a Lebanon musical television channel and is Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation's musical brand. Launched in 2003, as the brand's name suggests, it is one of the first specialised music channels launched in Middle East....
    :
LBC Nagham is a 24-hour, free-to-air channel that caters for the Arab youth with music interests. Filling a strategic consumer need gap, LBC Nagham, depends on a dual Arabic and English exclusive musical offering. Established in early 2003, ‘Nagham’ (meaning ‘tune’ in Arabic), as the brand name reflects, it is one of the first specialised music channels launched in the region.

Defunct brands

This is a list of other LBC brands which were once launched, but later removed for various reasons.

  • C33: C33 (pronounced Cée-trente-trois) was the French alternative to LBC's main channel, as in it used to broadcast programs mainly in French as opposed to the main channel that broadcasts mainly in Arabic. Although C33 did have some crucial shows in Arabic as well. Despite its success, the channel stopped its broadcast in the mid-1990s for reasons unclear.


  • LBC Plus: Plus was a separate subscription version of LBC Sat, and used to broadcast premium shows. Plus was launched a year after LBC Sat's debut, but it lasted only for a short while, and some of the shows on Plus later moved to LBC's free channels.


  • Waw: Waw was a separate subscription channel aimed for a younger adult audience. Like Plus, it did not last long, and some of its original shows were moved to other LBC channels. Waw was originally established to compete with Future Television
    Future Television

    Future Television a television station broadcasting from Lebanon. It was founded in 1993 by the late Rafik Hariri, a former Prime Minister of Lebanon....
    's Zein, a similar but freely-aired channel, even though it too is now defunct.


Popular programs

LBC has produced many popular programs including Star Academy Arab World
Star Academy Lebanon

Star Academy Arab World is a pan-Arab televised talent show, which began in 2003 that features a group of young male and female candidates from all over the Arab world....
, Ya Atel Ya Ma'toul (Arabic version of Greed
Greed (game show)

Greed was a television game show where a team of contestants answered a series of multiple-choice trivia questions for a potential prize of up to United States dollar2 million ....
), Miss Lebanon
Miss Lebanon

.Miss Lebanon - Lebanon's Official National Beauty Pageant is a beauty contest in Lebanon.Miss Lebanon is the only national beauty contest that awards prizes worth more than half a million US dollars to its winners....
, Hilla w Htalla (Arabic version of French TV Show Fort Boyard
Fort Boyard

Fort Boyard is a fort located between the ?le-d'Aix and the Ol?ron in the Pertuis d'Antioche straits, on the west coast of France. It is 61 metres long, 31 metres wide, and its walls are 20 metres high....
), Survivor
Survivor (TV series)

Survivor is a popular reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes....
 Middle East, El Wadi (Arabic version of The Farm) and the most recent one is The Perfect Bride, although there's Mission Fashion released right after Star Academy 4 during the month of April. Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal (Middle East)

Deal or No Deal?s Middle Eastern version was first broadcast in 2005, having a brief weekly run on the Pan-Arabic channel MBC 1. The top prize was 1,000,000 Saudi riyals ....
 is currently a big hit, despite the first season already ended.

Its most famous talk show is Kelam Al-Nass (Arabic for "The people's words") hosted by Marcel Ghanem
Marcel Ghanem

Marcel Ghanem is a Lebanon Christian Maronite journalist....
. The show, which originally aired on C33, moved to LBC after C33 was shut down in the mid-1990s. Another famous show is BASMATWATAN (a pun
Pun

A pun, or paronomasia, is a form of word play that deliberately exploits ambiguity between similar-sounding words for humour or rhetorical effect....
 in Arabic for either "The smiles of the Nation" or "When the nation died", depending on how people see the joke of this title), a sketch-comedy show that deals with politics and current events.

LBCI personalities


Past

  • Giselle Khoury
    Giselle Khoury

    Giselle Khoury is a talk show host on the Al Arabiya news channel. She has her own Television program, Bil Arabi, hosting many prominent and high profile guests, political decision makers, heads of states, prime ministers and ministers of foreign affairs....


Present

  • Tony Baroud
  • May Chidiac
  • George Ghanem
  • Marcel Ghanem
    Marcel Ghanem

    Marcel Ghanem is a Lebanon Christian Maronite journalist....
  • Dolly Ghanem
  • Hilda Khalife
    Hilda Khalife

    Hilda Khalife is a one of the recognized TV presenters in the Arab world. Despite her modeling career, Khalife's fame started in 2004 when she began hosting the first season of the pan-Arab televised talent show Star Academy Lebanon, the Arabic adaptation of the France television show Star Academy produced by Netherlands company Endemol....
  • Tony Khalifeh
  • Chada Omar
  • Roula Bahnam
  • Yazbek Wehbe
  • Malek Maktabi
  • Tony Abou Jawdeh
  • Carla Abou Jawdeh
  • Tony Khalifeh
  • Majed Bou Hadir
  • May Mata
  • Annabella Hilal
    Annabella Hilal

    Annabella Samir Hilal is a model and the first runner-up in the 2005 Miss Lebanon contest.Hilal participated in Miss World 2006 in Warsaw , and was between the semifinalists, finally ranking the 7th place....


External links