تلفيزيون لبنان

In 1959, Télé Liban emerged from a sandy hill in Beirut. This hill, known as Tallet El-Khayat, cradled the first television station building in the Middle East. Télé Liban’s story began a few years earlier. In October 1954, two Lebanese businessmen requested to create a TV station. Their dream materialized in May 1959. General Sleiman Nawfal, Télé Liban’s first General Manager, officially launched the station. The station initially broadcast for a mere six hours daily, from 6 pm to midnight. Télé Liban transmitted programs in Arabic on Canal 7 and in French on Canal 9. Its success prompted other businessmen to establish Télé-Orient in 1961. This second station broadcast from Hazmieh, east of Beirut. It used Canal 5 and Canal 11. Télé Liban’s journey has three distinct phases. The first phase spanned from the late 1950s to the late 1970s. The second began in 1978 when Télé Liban merged with Télé-Orient. This joint venture equally split ownership between the public and private sectors. The newly merged entity retained the name Télé Liban. It enjoyed a 25-year broadcasting monopoly, lasting until 2012. The third phase started in 1996. The Lebanese State purchased all private sector shares. Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri had been among the last private investors. Télé Liban lost its monopoly in 1994 due to the new Audiovisual Media Law. This law allowed private stations to broadcast. The competition significantly impacted Télé Liban’s advertising revenue. The government shut down Télé Liban in February 2001. All employees were laid off. The station reopened three months later with government funding, but reorganization efforts continued. Télé Liban eventually regained its footing. It modernized its infrastructure with fiber optic cables. Under Chairman Talal Makdessi, Télé Liban expanded its reach. The number of operational broadcasting stations increased from 5 to 17. This allowed Télé Liban to cover over 95% of Lebanese territories. The station even broadcast the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Sadly, a conflict arose between Makdessi and Information Minister Melhem Riachi in 2017. This led to Makdessi’s dismissal, and the chairman position remains vacant. Télé Liban continues to broadcast. Its current news director is Saeb Diab.