Saudi Gazette report DAMMAM — During an event held last Monday at the Movenpick Hotel Al-Khobar, Saudi Gazette marked the occasion of printing in Eastern Province at Dar Al-Yaum for Press, Printing and Publication . Addressing the audience, Saudi Gazette Editor-in-Chief Khaled Almaeena said print media was still alive and will always be as long as it provides the reader with a mixture of news from the Internet, Facebook, Twitter and other sites. Saudi Gazette started as an economic paper 36 years ago and has developed today into an English daily that focuses on all types of news in addition to presenting in-depth analysis on current issues, Almaeena said, addressing consuls, diplomats, businessmen, dignitary figures and top executives of big companies like Aramco. Almaeena attributed the increase in Saudi Gazette's distribution to the professional team working for the newspaper. To meet today's challenges, Saudi Gazette has expanded its team and recruited additional staff. The deputy editor-in-chief is a highly-qualified Saudi woman while the managing editor for the Kingdom and GCC is a dependable person, Almaeena said. A Saudi woman as a deputy editor-in-chief of a daily paper and such a young managing editor was unheard of over 20 years ago, he said. Online, Saudi Gazette's visitors are on the rise from all corners of the globe, Almaeena said, adding that the newspaper presents a non-propaganda view. In this age nothing can be hidden from readers, he said. The newspaper offers an insight into Saudi thought to the expatriates by translating local viewpoints from Arabic local media so that English readers can be acquainted with the ongoing debates in the changing Saudi society, said Almaeena. Almaeena presented Al-Yaum Editor-in-Chief Muhammad Alwaeel and the assistant director of Dar Al-Yaum for Press, Printing and Publication Saeed Al-Ghamdi with two Saudi Gazette plaques at the end of the event. Saudi Gazette's advertisers in the Eastern Province were also presented with plaques. The customers included Al-Barrak Group, Red Tag, the National Inspection and Technical Testing Company (NITTC), Malabar Gold and Diamonds, SIPCHEM and LuLu Hypermarket. NITTC quality control manger Tareef Rasheed spoke highly of Saudi Gazette's new look and contents while LuLu Hypermarket's EP regional manager, Abdul Basheer Muhammad, said the newspaper has become one of the best channels for advertisement and publicity, adding most hypermarkets look for this quality in a newspaper. Malabar Gold and Diamond's general manager Abdul Ghafour Edakoni said Saudi Gazette's content makes it an attractive option to most advertisers because the newspaper targets a variety of readership regionally and locally. Statistics have shown an increase in the newspaper's sales in Dammam Al-Khobar, and Jubail since printing in the Eastern Province thanks to its attractive contents that distinguish the newspaper from others. The event was also attended by the assistant manager of advertising of Okaz Organization for Press and Publication Adel Al-Hindi, assistant manager of distribution Abdul Majeed Othman, Saudi Gazette's managing editor for the Kingdom and GCC Mahmoud Ahmad, supervisor of public relations and community service Abdullah Al-Husoon, manager of distribution and promotion Haitham Madani, Saudi Gazette's communication director Hatem Ghorbal, and manager of administrative and marketing affairs for the Eastern Province Shadi Badawood.
