ARAB NEWS, a Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG) publication, celebrated its 39th anniversary at Jeddah Inter.Continental recently in the presence of a large number of government officials, diplomats, intellectuals, media persons and representatives of advertising agencies. Speaking on the occasion, Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi, editor-in-chief of Arab News, said the ceremony was aimed at highlighting the newspaper's achievements and its remarkable progress over the past years. It was also aimed at honoring major advertisers and outstanding employees of Arab News as well as managers of Al-Khaleejiah advertising company. “The event gave a good opportunity for executives and experts to exchange their thoughts and ideas on the media's role in society and new trends of the social media,” the editor-in-chief said. Arab News achieved positive results in 2013, exceeding the targets set for the year, in terms of distribution and advertising revenue, Al-Harthi said. “This was the result of joint work of the editorial team and existing cooperation between the various companies of SRMG,” he said while praising the editorial team's outstanding performance. The editor-in-chief disclosed that Arab News would soon appear in a new shape with better content. “This comes in line with the newspaper's policy to bring about total change after every few years. The new edition will have specialized pages for health, computer, education and interviews,” he explained. “We have made these changes after conducting enough research and holding meetings with prominent readers to know their viewpoints and requirements,” the editor-in-chief said. “Development projects at the group's publications are carried out on the basis of research to achieve the desired results.” The managers and representatives of the advertisement companies who stood by Arab News in these historic 39 years were also honored along with some of the senior team members of the newspaper who have given their best for the success of this newspaper. Arab News completed 39 years on April 20, 2014 after the publication of its first issue. The English daily gives great importance to national and international issues, the development of Saudi economy, human rights issues, consumer protection and other social issues as some readers call it “The Green Truth.” Al-Harthi also pointed out that during the past four decades Arab News achieved great transformation from a daily read by expatriates working in the Kingdom to a reputable international newspaper that highlights major developments taking place in the Kingdom. “It is read by a large number of Saudis, foreign workers, academics, executives, businessmen, intellectuals and Saudi graduates as well as foreign diplomats in the Kingdom and other Gulf countries,” Al-Harthi said. — SG
