The council also includes individuals from executive and financial backgrounds such as Engineer Ali Salem, representing the National Media Authority; Hesham Suleiman, former executive at United Media Services; and journalist Ezzat Ibrahim, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Weekly<\/em>. In addition, representatives from the Ministries of Finance and Planning are present, including Dr. Hussein Eissa and members of the technical secretariat of economic authorities. According to the announcement of its formation, the council aims to provide advisory insights and ideas to the Authority, covering financial, professional, and technical aspects, with a focus on improving the performance of the National Media Authority\u2019s sectors and offering proposals to enhance operational efficiency.<\/p>\n In recent years, the National Media Authority has failed to achieve noticeable progress in terms of content quality, viewership rates, or financial independence. On the contrary, reports issued by the Central Auditing Organization and official data indicate continued hemorrhaging of losses\u2014whether in various Maspero sectors or institutions affiliated with the Authority. Observers who spoke to Zawia3 attribute this to multiple reasons, most notably administrative bloat, weak governance frameworks, and the absence of marketing strategies capable of attracting both advertisers and audiences.<\/p>\n Moreover, many development initiatives\u2014such as studio upgrades or digital broadcasting transitions\u2014have faced setbacks due to poor planning and weak administrative capacities, as well as a lack of transparency regarding how resources are allocated to these projects.<\/p>\n Dr. Sara Fawzi, a media professor at Cairo University, believes that it is too early to assess the performance of the newly formed council, as it has not yet begun its work in a way that allows for objective evaluation. However, she points to some positive signs, most notably the growing attention now being paid to media channels, especially those representing Maspero\u2019s historic legacy. She argues that this legacy deserves to be revived in a manner that reflects its true value\u2014whether through strategies that generate financial returns or by re-presenting it to new generations in ways that highlight its prominent role in the history of drama and programming production.<\/p>\n Speaking to Zawia3, she explained that projects like Maspero Drama<\/em> and other planned initiatives represent a positive step, particularly with the move toward creating a digital platform to showcase this heritage content. She also considers the idea of founding Maspero Academies an important one, expressing hope that they will lead to real progress\u2014especially in areas like program content planning, applications of artificial intelligence, and addressing the technical challenges facing the media industry.<\/p>\n However, Fawzi voiced clear reservations about the absence of young people in advisory formations, arguing that any committee lacking effective representation of younger generations\u2014particularly those in their 30s and 40s\u2014will remain deprived of perspectives vital for media development. She added that this issue is not confined to the National Media Authority but has become a widespread pattern across many institutions, where youth are unjustifiably excluded, despite representing an essential source of energy and a key pillar in any genuine modernization process.<\/p>\n \n Don’t miss: Tarek Nour: From Allegations to Media Power<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The National Media Authority has recorded mounting losses over the past five years<\/a> (2020\u20132025), amid worsening indicators of the financial erosion of the institution responsible for managing state-owned media. Official financial reports reveal alarming figures that underscore the depth of the structural crisis within the Authority.<\/p>\n In the fiscal year 2020\/2021, the Authority announced that its cumulative losses had surpassed 42.6 billion Egyptian pounds ($878.4 million)\u2014a figure that reflects years of accumulated deficits and mismanagement of resources. This number was confirmed in an official statement issued by the Authority at the time, but was not accompanied by any announcement of a clear reform plan or spending rationalization measures.<\/p>\n In the fiscal year 2022\/2023, the annual losses of the National Media Authority reached approximately 10.6 billion Egyptian pounds ($218.6 million), representing around 74% of the total losses incurred by all government economic entities in Egypt. This figure prompted oversight bodies and members of parliament to call for an urgent review of the Authority\u2019s performance, though these calls have yet to produce any concrete action.<\/p>\n The crisis escalated further during the fiscal year 2023\/2024, with losses rising to 11.4 billion Egyptian pounds ($235.1 million), placing the Authority at the top of the list of the most loss-making government entities in the country for at least two consecutive years, according to official reports from the Ministry of Finance and the Central Auditing Organization.<\/p>\n In June 2023, the Minister of Finance announced that the total losses of the National Media Authority had reached 12.2 billion Egyptian pounds ($251.5 million)\u2014a figure that aligns with estimates from oversight agencies and points to a continued rise in annual losses, with no signs of imminent improvement or comprehensive review of the financial and administrative policies in place.<\/p>\n According to informed sources within the Authority who spoke to Zawia3, the National Media Authority currently includes no fewer than 15 internal and advisory committees and councils. Some of these are permanent\u2014such as the Media Planning Committee, the Technological Development Committee, and various oversight and content councils\u2014while others are temporary entities formed by seasonal decisions, such as the Maspero Development Committee or the Financial Reform Committee. However, no periodic reports have been published regarding the outcomes of their work.<\/p>\n The National Media Authority depends almost entirely on financial support from the public treasury. In the fiscal year 2022\/2023, its total allocation reached 24.9 billion Egyptian pounds ($513.4 million), with 18.4 billion Egyptian pounds ($379.4 million) directly covered by the state. This reflects a financial dependency of over 75% of its total revenue. The Authority is listed among 16 government entities with chronic losses that burden the national treasury\u2014alongside institutions like the Egyptian National Railways.<\/p>\n \n Don’t miss: Egypt\u2019s Economic Authorities Bleed Billions Amid Governance Failures<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Journalist Mona Ezzat asserts that the development of media institutions is primarily tied to the level of freedom they are granted and the extent to which creativity is allowed to flourish within them. She emphasizes that institutions do not evolve through superficial decisions, but by creating an environment that enables the production of genuine content reflecting people and their issues\u2014whether artistic, cultural, political, or social.<\/p>\n In exclusive comments to Zawia3, Mona explained that the essence of media work starts with a fundamental question: \u201cWhat do we want to present to the public?\u201d She believes that the absence of this question from the agendas of media institutions is what leads to recurring crises and escalating losses. She adds: \u201cWe need to create real space for creativity\u2014space that allows for raising and debating all kinds of issues from multiple perspectives, rather than remaining captive to restrictions and red lines that strip media of its meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n The journalist notes that Egyptian media in the 1990s and early 2000s enjoyed wide viewership\u2014not only due to the limited alternatives at the time, but because it offered artistic and cinematic works that reflected the concerns of society and carried high artistic value, delivered through prominent names in writing, directing, and acting.<\/p>\n She told us: \u201cPeople used to look forward to what was broadcast on television because it genuinely represented them and tackled their issues with high artistic and professional quality.\u201d She stresses that the current drop in viewership rates is no mystery, but rather a natural result of the absence of real content. She adds: \u201cIf the viewer doesn\u2019t see themselves represented on the screen, if they don\u2019t hear their issues discussed seriously, they\u2019ll simply turn to other channels that do.\u201d In her view, the problem does not lie in the names or age groups involved in production, but rather in the nature of the messages and content offered by programs\u2014whether artistic, cultural, or political.<\/p>\n She continues: \u201cWhen I don\u2019t see content that represents me on screen, when I don\u2019t find genuine discussion of crises, and when I don\u2019t see quality in the product, I stop watching. And when that happens on a wide scale, it\u2019s only natural that media institutions will suffer financial and reputational losses.\u201d<\/p>\n Mona places the blame for this decline squarely on editorial policies and criticizes the approach of forming new committees or hiring consultants without fundamentally reviewing the content. She says: \u201cYou don\u2019t solve the problem by moving a chair from right to left, or by replacing one person with another. It\u2019s solved only when we define a clear vision, decide what we want from this media, and determine the type of messages we aim to deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n She warns that the continued lack of professionalism leads to the recruitment of unqualified personnel: \u201cWhen the available space for expression becomes extremely narrow, we are forced to select presenters, producers, and directors who fit that limited space\u2014not based on competence or experience. The result is weak content that isn\u2019t worth watching.\u201d She also affirms that if the current situation continues, further deterioration is inevitable. She says: \u201cNo matter how many committees or figures are brought in, nothing will change as long as the content remains the same. If the content stays weak, the losses will persist, and the standing of Egyptian media will continue to decline\u2014while other Arab media institutions advance because they\u2019ve mastered the formula of influence.\u201d<\/p>\n Journalist Dalia Nasser, from Radio and Television Magazine<\/em> and herself a product of Maspero, agrees. In a statement to Zawia3, she said that media everywhere in the world is measured by its level of influence, presence, and reach\u2014benchmarks that Maspero has failed to meet for years. She points to several causes behind this decline, chief among them \u201cthe exodus of talent from the building to the private sector\u2014both local and regional\u2014where there are better opportunities in terms of professional recognition and financial compensation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n She adds that Maspero\u2019s crisis goes beyond human capital to include technical and production aspects, noting severe shortages in modern equipment, weak sound systems, and a lack of proper sets and engineering infrastructure needed to produce competitive content. She continues: \u201cThe state no longer pays any real attention to Maspero, even though it was possible to inject investment from United Media Services into the building, with oversight and performance accountability later. But what happened was quite the opposite\u2014development was abandoned, and Maspero was left to face its fate.\u201d<\/p>\n As for the proliferation of newly formed committees within the Authority, especially those including members from outside Maspero, Dalia asserts they will bring no real change. Instead, they will merely impose superficial regulations on \u201ca dysfunctional system that will lead nowhere.\u201d She concluded her remarks with a striking analogy: \u201cMaspero has become like a patient ravaged by illness, for whom death is the only cure.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Don’t miss: Fragile Paper: An Existential Crisis for State-Owned Newspapers in Egypt<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/\u0637\u0627\u0631\u0642-\u0646\u0648\u0631.png\")
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<\/p>\nOngoing Bleeding of Losses<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/p>\nWhy Is the National Media Authority Losing Money?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nDreams of Reform<\/strong><\/h3>\n