http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,18315932%5E15841%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html<br /><br />Arab-language channels anchor aspirations<br /><br />Simon Canning<br />MARCH 02, 2006 <br /> <br />NESTLED in a bunker-like building housing the studios of Fox Sports in inner Sydney is a broadcaster of a different hue, one that is heavily reliant on the Arab community for its future.<br /><br />As Prime Minister John Howard and Treasurer Peter Costello implore Arab immigrants to adopt "Australian values", UBI World TV is beaming 25 Arab-language channels via satellite into Australian lounge rooms. <br />UBI has emerged from the ruins of former multicultural broadcaster TARBS World, which was placed into administration two years ago after failing to meet payment deadlines to its satellite service. TARBS founder Mike Boulos quickly set up the new operation, UBI, sharing a stake with American philanthropist Gerry Lenfest, who also funded Australia's first failed pay-TV broadcaster, Australis. <br /><br />The model is a simple one: re-broadcast 65 foreign language stations into one of the most multicultural markets in the world. Among the portfolio of channels are 11 Turkish, eight Greek, eight Spanish, seven Balkan and one Persian. But it is the Arabic language channels that make up more than one-third of UBI's total broadcasts and are the anchor for its aspirations. <br /><br />From their origins in the Middle East, UBI's Arab channels are beamed into Australian homes within seconds and are monitored on an irregular basis by UBI for content. <br /><br />But chief executive Sam Bilge, a former Turkish banker who helped develop multicultural broadcasting in the US, says there is little fear the Arab channels could be subtly circumventing Australia's recently introduced anti-terror laws. <br /><br />"We are not monitoring on a 24/7 basis but almost all of our channels are either government-owned channels or light entertainment," Bilge says. "When the Australian Broadcasting Authority said Al Manar [a Lebanese station that supports Hezbollah] was under investigation we took it off air straight away." <br /><br />Along with light entertainment stations that broadcast game shows, variety shows and dramas, UBI also broadcasts Al Madj, an Arabic Muslim station, and Sat 7, an Arabic Christian channel. The Australian Communications and Media Authority says it does not monitor satellite stations for content but relies on complaints from the public. The investigation into Al Manar was prompted by a call from a journalist. <br /><br />While Bilge says there is no question that UBI's Arabic channels could be sidestepping anti-terror laws, he admits the issue of assimilation and the broadcaster's role is at the centre of debate inside UBI. <br /><br />Earlier this week Costello sparked controversy when he said: "If you don't want to take your shoes off, don't go into a mosque. If you want to come into Australia, you will be asked to respect its values. If you don't have respect for those values, don't come into Australia." <br /><br />"That is another debate we are having internally," Bilge says. "We do not want to position ourselves as maintaining the cultures of homes that we are servicing. We would like to see people moving forward and that is why we have educational programs, informative programs, that relate to their new homes in Australia. We want to support them in adapting in their new environment but still being able to preserve some of their values." <br /><br />Marketing manager Bill Paddis says the audience needs to be taken into context. "Our core audience is first-generation migrants," Paddis says. "These are people that think and speak in a language other than English. So when a government official says: 'Assimilate or else', even that communication needs to be communicated in their language. <br /><br />"If you look at us as a business, we are actually following market demand. People are saying: 'I want information about my homeland, but also about the community I live in.' <br /><br />"That makes sense to me and that's part of the business we are developing. We are not just streaming foreign channels, we are listening to our subscribers and communities and developing locally produced content." <br /><br />As the failure of TARBS has already proven, multicultural broadcasting is a fraught business. SBS has refused to run a number of campaigns for UBI and the broadcaster has managed to claw back less than half of TARBS' original 60,000 subscribers. <br /><br />Market leader is World Media, which broadcasts three Arab language stations on the Foxtel and Optus platforms, including the contentious Arabic news channel Al Jazeera. It also delivers a package of seven Arabic stations to subscribers via satellite. <br /><br />One observer notes: "They will never turn a profit in Australia. But the model is about taking it overseas." <br /><br />Bilge, however, is up-beat about the local market. He hopes the federal Government will become a big advertiser as UBI works to rebuild its business. <br /><br />The Australian