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“Azerbaijan bans all foreign TV shows” – Hürriyet Daily News

“The broadcasting of all foreign TV shows has been banned in Azerbaijan as of today, in an effort to “support the domestic sector,” daily Milliyet reported.

The ban includes shows that have been dubbed in the Azerbaijani language. Turkish soap operas are included in the ban.

The head of Azerbaijan’s National Council of Televion and Radio, Nushirvan Meherremli, said the government is firm in its decision and will not back down from the ban.

A new legal regulation will first warn and then punish TV stations that broadcast foreign programming in violation of the ban. The punishment may be as severe as revoking a station’s broadcast license, the report said.

It is hoped that the ban will improve the domestic TV sector in Azerbaijan, Meherremli said.”

Source : Hürriyet

“Investments pour in for entertainment” – Sabah

“Turkey, a rising star in terms of global growth, is now becoming a regular stop for international stars such as Madonna and Zaz. Foreign investors are now racing to invest in Turkey’s four billion dollar entertainment sector.With international record growth and per capita annual income rising to over 10,000 dollars, Turkey is now drawing in international investors who are testing the waters in the entertainment sector.

With the increasing prosperity in the economy, international stars that used to pass on including Turkey in their international tours are now lining up to schedule concerts. This year a number of famous performers such as Madonna, Zaz, Pitbull and Leonard Cohen will be playing for their fans in Turkey. The country, which was not a favorite destination in the past, now has nearly 100 shows listed every day. With 36,000 events organized annually, Turkey’s entertainment market is expected to rake in over four billion dollars this year.

A 400 MILLION DOLLAR INCREASE

According to Turkey’s Entertainment Sector Association (TESDER) Chairman of the Board Fırat Kasapoğlu, every year the sector’s revenue is on a rise. According to the figures, in 2010 the sector brought in 3.2 billion dollars, in 2011 3.6 billion dollars. At present the entertainment sector is expected to bring in four billion dollars in revenue. However, Kasapoğlu explains that the sector has a significant amount of growth potential. Drawing on the United States as an example, Kasapoğlu says that including media spending, the entertainment sector is worth 458 billion dollars. The entertainment sector in Japan is worth 169 billion dollars, while in both China and Japan the sector has reached 90 billion dollars.

A CENTER OF ATTRACTION

Paralleled with the increase in revenue obtained by the entertainment sector, internationally acclaimed event operators are now scheduling in Turkey for their tours. Kasapoğlu explains that foreigners are now aware of Turkey’s potential and are showing increased interest in Turkey. “Turkey has become a center of attraction in the entertainment sector,” says Kasapoğlu who explains that there has been an increase in the number of foreign events held in Turkey which brings with it a serious tourism potential. “Tourists come from neighboring countries in order to watch foreign music groups perform. Tourists came from Russia to see Tarkan for example. But also foreignners flock to Turkey to see performances by U2, Bon Jovi and Madonna. They also come to Turkey from Arab nations,” says Kasapoğlu.” […]

Source : Sabah

“TV watchdog launches new rating inspections” – Hürriyet Daily News

Davut Dursun says the new rating measurement system should be trustworthy. AA photo. Source: Hürriyet

“A new draft of regulations for Turkey’s TV rating system, which said the Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK) will introduce a strict inspection mechanism, has been presented by RTÜK head Davut Dursun.

Dursun said the new mechanism will be based on four steps. The committee that will measure the ratings will be a legal entity, Dursun said, adding that publishers and broadcasters will take a much more active role in the measurement committee than before.

The new rating system will introduce rating mechanisms into towns with populations of over 5,000, Dursun said. The previous minimum population number was 20,000.

There will be more than one mechanism to inspect rating measurements, Dursun said.

“First there will be an internal inspector firm which conforms to international standards. Second an independent institution will check the outcomes from that firm. Third RTÜK will inspect them all,” Dursun said.

Dursun said RTÜK would rather to stay out of the issue, but that Parliament had changed its instructions on the subject, which gave them regulation and supervision duties.

“Our good will should not be abused,” Dursun said.

“It is a milestone for RTÜK to take part in the rating measurement system. I cannot say that this development will solve the problems because consensus among the actors is a must here. The new model we are talking about needs to be trustworthy. RTÜK is a new actor and now this institution will have a right to inspect and fine whenever it wants,” Professor Ali Atıf Bir, head of the advertising department at Bahçeşehir University told the Hürriyet Daily News April 27.

In December 2011, the Istanbul Üsküdar Prosecutor’s office launched a case against television rating agencies, finding that production companies had paid respondents to vote in favor of the television programs of their choice. The police raided AGB and several other production companies at the time.”

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

“Turkish soap operas provide chance for dialogue with Arabs” – Hürriyet Daily News

Bahrain’s Culture Minister, who says she can’t watch Turkish TV series for lack of time, knows many around her is fond of Muhteşem Yüzyıl, (Magnificent Century), on the life of Sultan Suleiman. DAILY NEWS photos, Emrah GÜREL. Source : Hürriyet

By Barçın Yinanç.

“Turkish TV series demonstrate that Turkey has found a balance between different traditions of today’s worlds, which is very attractive to Arab audiences, says Bahrain’s culture minister. ‘The series present an image that shows Western lifestyles can coexist with Islamic culture,’ says Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa.

Turkey’s most famous current cultural export, its television series, have drawn huge Arab audiences because of the country’s ability to depict a lifestyle that is both ground in tradition and eminently open and modern, Bahrain’s culture minister has said.

“[Turkey’s TV] series present an image of stability wherein contemporary practices and Western lifestyles can co-exist with Islamic and Arab identities and culture,” Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa said.

Turkey’s economic prowess has equally proven that being Muslim need not entail backwardness, Al Khalifa said.

“The Islamic structure in Turkey did not prevent Turkey from developing,” she recently told the Hürriyet Daily News. “It is open to all views. We take Turkey as a model.”

Q: Why do you think Turkish soap operas are so popular in the Arab World?

A: Turkish soap operas are incredibly popular in Bahrain and throughout the Arab world. I think the reason for their popularity is twofold. The historical series serve people’s imaginations in reflecting different elements of the past, thereby appealing to their emotions and Arab identities, while the more contemporary series represent a picture of Turkey which is very positive.

The latter series present an image of stability wherein contemporary practices and Western lifestyles can co-exist with Islamic and Arab identities and culture. The image both types of series reflect of Turkey is of an open and engaging culture, which seems to have found some balance between the different traditions and practices of today’s world and which has both an Eastern and Western appeal. This is very attractive to Bahraini and Arab audiences and presents us with an interesting cultural dialogue and scope for exchange between Arabs and Turks today.

Q: How do you see Turkey’s role in the Middle East?

A: Turkey has a big influence on political balances. And we have big expectations. Turkey is an Islamic country, but it is developing and growing. The Islamic structure in Turkey did not prevent Turkey from developing. It shows that Islam does not mean backwardness. It is open to all views. We take Turkey as a model, especially in areas of culture and tourism. It is modern and progressive but, at the same time, it gives importance to its values.

Turkey’s stance toward Bahrain has been very valuable to us. It was very balanced and it has never changed. Turkey is becoming stronger economically, and this increases its influence. This is only natural. […]”

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

 

“Doğan TV chairwoman gets leadership award” – Hürriyet Daily News

Doğan TV Holding Chairwoman Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ receives her award. DHA photo

“Doğan TV Holding Chairwoman Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ, Nurol Holding Deputy Chairman Oğuz Çarmıklı and Tekfen Holding Founding Chairman Ali Nihat Gökyiğit received leadership awards at the ninth Leadership Summit held in Istanbul yesterday.

Speaking at the event Yalçındağ said leadership is a characteristic that one is born with but develops in life. Female leaders are more perfection-seeking while male leaders are more result-focused, Yalçındağ said during a session with TV programmer Cüneyt Özdemir.

“I would like to mention my mother and father, who raised us with the traditions of Anatolia. A leader should be brave, capable of making different decisions and know when to quit.”

“I hate the word postponing,” said Gökyiğit in a session. “A leader never postpones things but addresses them.” Coşkun Çoroğlu said in his opening speech that the meetings within the scope of the Leadership Summit contributed much to the vision of young leader candidates.”

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

“Analysts stress Turkey’s key role in Balkans and beyond” – SETimes.com

By Erisa Dautaj Şenerdem for Southeast European Times in Istanbul — 24/04/12

Turkey has followed a more proactive foreign policy towards the Balkan region in recent years, and along with its strong political and diplomatic ties with these countries, it can contribute to regional peace and stability. So say representatives of political organisations and NGOs from the region who urge Turkey to boost its economic presence there.

The signing of the Istanbul Declaration among the presidents of Turkey, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in Istanbul in April 2010 marked an important achievement regarding Turkey’s role in the Balkans. The revitalisation of Turkish foreign policy towards the region is also often referred to as “neo-Ottomanism,” following Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s approach and speeches.

The three heads of state — signatories of the Istanbul Declaration — expressed their “commitment to the territorial integrity, sovereignty and the legal personality of Bosnia and Herzegovina within its internationally recognised borders, while stressing the importance of national reconciliation within BiH,” in the document. This was considered the most relevant part, and although it was not a solution to all problems between the two countries, Turkey was praised for having Serbia comment on BiH’s territorial sovereignty.

“I need to say that we are quite thankful for [Turkey’s] role in whole political process in the region. [However,] in recent years, we did not really have diplomatic and political problems with our neighbours. We [rather] have problems with every day lives … that we need to solve on our own,” BiH’s Federal Minister of Education and Science, Damir Masic, told SETimes.

Among these, he cited trade problems BiH has with Croatia, saying Bosnian companies lacked the same reciprocal treatment that Croatian firms enjoy in BiH. Another concern, he said, is the fact that BiH never established and signed an agreement on exact borders with Croatia and Serbia.

Turkey has definitively had a positive impact and influence across the Balkans in all circumstances, Masic said. “But the part which we are not satisfied and [where] we think there is space for improvement is definitively economic co-operation,” he noted.

Turkish diplomacy’s considerable advancement in the Balkan region gives the country a stronger negotiating position within NATO and with the EU, according to Hüseyin Bağcı, the chairman of the international relations department at Middle East Technical University in Ankara. The country has supported international initiatives regarding regions in the Balkans exposed to conflict, wars and ethnic cleansing after the collapse of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, and has played an especially active role regarding the BiH and Kosovo crises.

Noting that Turkey has participated in all important initiatives of peace and stability, and has been active in the NATO operations regarding the Kosovo issue, former Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said it has also contributed to his country’s post-war economic development through strong investments.

“It is crucial that Turkey continues with its strong support for Kosovo, and naturally continues its co-operation with countries [in the Balkan] region that will help build a co-operation climate among these countries and beat eventual obstacles in front of us, particularly Serbia’s unfair approach towards Kosovo,” Sejdiu told SETimes.

As one of the first countries to recognise Kosovo’s independence, Turkey has intensively lobbied for its recognition by other countries, particularly members of the Islamic Conference, Sejdiu said. However, he argued that Turkey had to involve Kosovo in regional official meetings as well, especially referring to meetings Turkey has with Croatia, Serbia and BiH.

“I think Turkey must expand the network in this direction … so that Kosovo is part of the [regional] partnership and that it is not understood as if [the latter] is being avoided.”

“In order to assist in such a situation, there should be will by both parties [Kosovo and Serbia], otherwise Turkey risks taking a unilateral stand,” İlter Turan, a professor of international relations at İstanbul Bilgi University, told SETimes. Turan, however, said that Turkey could show an interest in solving Kosovo’s issue as it did with BiH.

Bağcı, on the other hand, argued that this could be an opportunity for Turkey to play a mediating role, if desired by both Kosovo and Serbia. Noting that Serbia will have to take several steps regarding the Kosovo issue by July, due to obligations regarding its candidate status for EU membership, Bağcı said a demand for mediation could come from the EU as well.

Turkey’s political relations with Serbia have been at their peak in the past couple of years, which is another important element in the context of Turkey’s more proactive role in the Balkans. Highest level officials have paid formal visits to each other in recent years, after ups and downs following Turkey’s recognition of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence.

“The priority of Belgrade and Pristina [should be] economic collaboration and [increasing living] standards of the people. Political pressures will be finished with time,” Nebojsa Randelovic, a member of the Serbian parliament and deputy chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party — a political party that supports recognition of Kosovo as an independent state in Serbia — told SETimes.

In contrast to Turkey’s direct involvement in the BiH and Kosovo issues, the country has played an indirect role regarding the Albanian issue in Macedonia, according to Abdula Saliu, vice president of the Skopje-based Balkan Peace Club.

Turkey has not been involved officially regarding this issue, due to very good relations it enjoys with Macedonia, Saliu told SETimes, adding that Turkish NGOs as well as the Turkish International Co-operation and Development Agency had played an important role, supporting Albanian minority people with aid for education and restoration of important cultural monuments.

Turkey has absolutely played a positive role for stability in the Balkans during the post-Yugoslav era and has excellent current relations with all Balkan countries, according to Vujica Lazovic, deputy prime minister of Montenegro

“It is very important to have a common friend-country …, especially in case there is no good collaboration among the region’s neighbouring countries themselves,” Lazovic told SETimes. He also said he hoped more and more Turkish companies would invest in the region. “You know, a [good] economy is the base for everything, the solution to any problem,” Lazovic said.

 

(An expanded version of this story is being published at turkey.setimes.com)

This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.

Source : SETimes.com

” Comedy ‘Yalan Dünya’ sweeps third Antalya Television Awards ” – Sunday’s Zaman

The cast of the Kanal D comedy “Yalan Dünya” pose for photos at the 3rd Antalya Television Awards. (Photo: AA, source : Sunday's Zaman)

“The Turkish comedy TV show “Yalan Dünya” (Fake World) became the big winner at this year’s Antalya Television Awards on Saturday, taking home five trophies in the comedy category, including best comedy series and best director for a comedy series.

“Yalan Dünya,” which airs every Friday on Kanal D and follows a group of smalltime actors and hipsters living in İstanbul’s upscale Cihangir quarter, also won best actor in a comedy series, best supporting actor and best supporting actress in a comedy series at Saturday’s awards ceremony, aired live on the private television station TV8.

Saturday’s ceremony marked the third edition of the annual awards, a joint venture between the Greater Antalya Municipality and the Antalya Foundation for Culture and Art (AKSAV), who are also the organizers of the southern province’s long-running Altın Portakal (Golden Orange) International Film Festival.

The ceremony also served as an occasion to pay tribute to recently deceased TV scriptwriter and actress Meral Okay, whose immensely popular screenwriting effort “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (The Magnificent Century) won four prizes, including the best script for a drama series, for the late Okay. The announcement brought tears to the eyes of those in attendance at the packed gala, who commemorated her with a standing ovation, the Anatolia news agency reported. “Muhteşem Yüzyıl,” an account of the intrigue-ridden 16th-century Ottoman court during the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent aired every Wednesday on Show TV, also won the best director of photography in a series, best art direction in a series and best period drama awards.

Other winners included Kanal D’s “Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki” (As Time Goes By), which won best actress in a drama series, best supporting actor and best supporting actress in a drama series and best score for a series; and atv’s “Hayat Devam Ediyor” (Life Goes On), which won the best drama series award.

Veteran radio and TV show host Orhan Boran was honored with the Radio Honor Award but was unable to attend the ceremony to accept his award due to health reasons. Eighty-three-year-old Boran told the gala in a live telephone call that he was honored to be recognized and especially glad he was considered for the award despite having been away from the limelight for more than 10 years. “I am going through a tough battle for my health. Receiving this award has given me an immeasurable morale boost,” he added.”

Source : Sunday’s Zaman

“Another TV rating scandal hits sector” – Hürriyet Daily News

Confidence in TV ratings sector is faltering as an another TV ratings agency has failed to keep identities of its respondents a secret, an investigation reveals. Souce : Hürriyet

“Turkey’s TV ratings sector is facing a new scandal as a fresh inspection reveals that TNS, the latest rating agency, may have failed to keep the names of its respondents a secret.

In December 2011, the Istanbul Üsküdar Prosecutor’s office launched a case against television rating agencies, finding that production companies had paid respondents to vote in favor of the television programs of their choice. The police raided AGB and several other production companies at the time, and the Turkish Television Viewing Research Committee (TİAK) ended its contract with AGB, to sign a new contract with TNS.

TNS received a list of 100,000 respondents from the Turkish Statistical Institute and outsourced the actual survey distribution to five different intermediary companies. TİAK then chose Marmara University to oversee that the respondent pool was chosen in a healthy fashion.

However, in its March-April report, Marmara University found that the respondents were not chosen in the appropriate fashion and that some respondents either did not complete or inaccurately answered the survey questions, or that their addresses did not match their profiles. The university also found that the surveys could have been leaked after being completed, and were not destroyed as required to protect confidentiality.”

Sourc : Hürriyet Daily News

” ‘Businesses, media should also be questioned in Feb. 28 probe’ ” – Sunday’s Zaman

“Former deputy and former head of the Human Rights Association (İHD) Akın Birdal has stated that big businesses and media organs that enabled the military to stage the Feb. 28, 1997 unarmed military takeover, which resulted in the overthrowing of the coalition government of the time, should also be investigated as part of an ongoing probe into the military officers who staged the intervention.

Speaking at a conference organized by the Socialist Platform of the Oppressed (ESP) in Eskişehir on Sunday, Birdal said the media and capital owners played an important role in the Feb. 28 era. “The media moguls, the writers who encouraged the coup and business organizations including the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association [TÜSİAD] and employer unions are also part of this. These should also be investigated.”

He also criticized leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who accused the prosecutors of acting as an instrument of revenge for the government when warrants were issued for the main actors of the Feb. 28 coup. Birdal said that if those who staged Turkey’s earlier coups had been brought to justice, later interventions including Feb. 28 would not have happened. “If Turkey had confronted the coups of 1960, 1971 and 1980, Feb. 28 and the April 27 [2007] memorandum wouldn’t have happened.”

Birdal said: “Finally they have detained the actors of [Feb. 28]. But they were taken in accordance with the rules of the European Court of Human Rights [ECtHR]. They weren’t picked up at from their homes at 5 a.m. like before. It is important that [Feb. 28] be discussed. That this is on the agenda now.” “

Source : Sunday’s Zaman

“Turkey enjoys ‘soft power’ in Arab countries” – Hürriyet Daily News

Lisa Anderson, President of American University in Cairo (R) and Barçın Yinanç (L). Source : Hürriyet Daily News

By Barçın Yinanç.

“Turkey is enjoying a wave of cultural soft power in the Arab world thanks to its popular soap operas, American University in Cairo President Lisa Anderson says, She notes that Arabs are attracted to the shows because they show that a Muslim country can produce modern stories for television that are also culturally authentic.

Turkish soap operas have become extremely popular throughout the Arab world because they are seen by locals as having reconciled modernity with Islam, according to the President of the American University in Cairo.

At the same time, however, the series’ popularity does not mean the “Turkish model” can be applied to the Arab world because there are fundamental differences between Turkey and Arab countries, said Lisa Anderson.

“People are taking bits and pieces of it; everyone is [just] taking what suits them the most,” she told the Hürriyet Daily News in a recent interview. […]

Everyone is talking about the Turkish model, but is there an understanding of what the gist of that model is. For some, the key word could be secularism; but secularism does not resonate in the Arab world.

No, it does not resonate at all. There are some fundamental differences between Turkey and the Arab world. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed, 80 percent of the Ottoman bureaucrats came to Turkey and they became the core of the state apparatus, while most of the provinces of the empire which became mandates were completely denuded of experienced bureaucrats.

Turkey started with a very sophisticated state apparatus while the Arab world has been in the process of state building.

That’s why you will see different trajectories. But there are reasons why there are people that will look to the Turkish model and use it. The liberals, the MB, everyone will use it for their own purpose. It is a credit to Turkey that people will take whatever will suit them because Turkey is considered a success. But the model is not translating at all; people are taking bits and pieces of it.

How is Turkey’s increasing profile perceived?

They are very comfortable with it. It varies from country to country. Turkish soap operas are popular all over the Arab world. Turkey has a cultural, soft power influence right now. People will refer to soap operas as an indication that a Muslim country can produce modern, culturally authentic TV stories; there is a kind of Turkey [showing that there] is a way to be modern and Muslim. Since many of these old governments, including [Hosni] Mubarak’s, said basically that these two things were not reconcilable, but people want that and they love to see Turkey [doing] that. People think Turkey is respected as a country; this is also appealing. There is more interest and hope for attention in Libya and Syria than there is in Egypt and Tunisia. By and large, people are pleased to see Turkey taking an interest in what is going on in the region. […]”

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

” ‘Media published manufactured lies during Feb. 28 coup era’ ” – Sunday’s Zaman

Sabah’s former boss, Dinç Bilgin, says he is ready to testify in the Feb. 28 investigation. (Photo: Today's Zaman)

“The former owner of a media group has said Turkish newspapers published lies under orders from the military during Turkey’s Feb. 28, 1997 period, saying he is willing to testify in front of prosecutors, who on Thursday issued arrest warrants for 31 generals accused of orchestrating the coup.

Dinç Bilgin, a businessman who was the owner of the Sabah newspaper at the time, said Feb. 28 generals relied heavily on the media to manufacture stories about a growing Islamist threat and that there was a lot of pressure on newspaper owners and editors at the time. “I see the new developments as a very positive step forward. The military at the time saw itself as the hegemon of the country. They saw themselves as above all the country’s constitutional agencies.”

He said the media, as well as academia and the judiciary and other segments of society, were under significant pressure from the military. Bilgin also noted that he would be happy to testify and share what he knows about the Feb. 28 era with prosecutors or judges.

Bilgin said during the Feb. 28 period, he met once with generals Çevik Bir and Erol Öskasnak, who complained about Sabah’s staff, saying they were not doing enough to assist the military. “I was invited to the General Staff headquarters in Ankara. Chief of the General Staff İsmail Hakkı Karadayı invited me for dinner. Before dinner, we sat together with Çevik Bir and Erol Ökasnak in a room. It was a very unpleasant conversation. They complained about Sabah columnists. They complained because the writers weren’t writing the things they wanted to see. I tried my best to explain that newspapers don’t work like the military; however, at the time, it was impossible to explain this to those people. Being a strong media mogul, I gave snide, arrogant replies. It was very unpleasant.”

He said the press, instead of fighting a democratic struggle, published untruthful stories to instill fear about the imaginary threat of rising Islamism that the military had said it was committed to fighting. “After the media, the generals’ strongest ally was the judiciary. Think about the prosecutors of the day. If you opposed them, you would end up in front of Nuh Mete Yüksel,” he said, referring to the chief prosecutor of the State Security Courts (DGM).

Bilgin said some people that the media reported on, who appeared to be reactionary Islamists, were in fact hired actors. “I am saying this for the mainstream media. Generally, such stories on Islamic fundamentalism were being published through the Ankara offices. Whoever is the head of the Ankara office usually wants better ties with the General Staff. The military was the strongest institution in the country at the time, so they wanted to get along with them.” Bilgin stated he would be happy to testify and share his knowledge with the prosecutors if summoned.

Rector of Onsekiz Mart University Sedat Laçiner also made a statement evaluating the recent developments. He said the Feb. 28 intervention was a crime that went unpunished. “Because there were ongoing coup attempts inside the military, those responsible for the Feb. 28 and the Sept. 12 [1980] coups couldn’t be tried earlier,” Laçiner said.

He said the fact that the Feb. 28 intervention was a military takeover is accepted by both those who staged it and those who were victimized by it. He said there was a clear intervention by the military in the civilian government. “Just like the Sept. 12 coup, Feb. 28 also involved torture and many violations of human rights. This is more than the crime of military intervention; there are also people who have been victimized. People were fired from their jobs with no justification, people were treated as if they were second-class citizens. There are people who were put in a cell and interrogated there, people who were told they would be denied their right to education unless they changed the way they dressed. There are people who killed themselves because they were slandered.”

Laçiner noted that the civilian aides of the Feb. 28 architects kept tabs on hundreds of university students and reported on them regularly to the Higher Education Board (YÖK), saying this was a huge violation of human rights. “Despite the fact that millions of people have been victimized, the guilty ones are freely walking the streets. Letting this go unpunished is tantamount to encouraging the crime. You can’t have any statute of limitations here. This crime at hand is obvious.”

Source : Sunday’s Zaman

“Sudan’s youth trying to look like Turkish actors” – Hürriyet Daily News

Posters of Turkish artists have a positive effect on customers, according to a barbershop owner. They take the place of internationally renowned artists. AA photo . Source : Hürriyet

“With the popularity of Turkish TV series increasing in the Middle East and North Africa every day, Turkish actors are becoming idols in the region.

In all of the barbershops in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, one sees posters of Necati Şaşmaz, who plays Polat Alemdar on the Turkish TV series “Kurtlar Vadisi” (Valley of the Wolves), Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ (Muhaned on “Gümüş,” which is very popular in Arab countries), and Kenan İmirzalıoğlu of the TV series “Ezel.”

Turkish barbershop owners in Sudan are being overwhelmed by Sudanese men who want to have their hair cut like Polat Alemdar, Muhanned, Ezel and also young Turkish singer Barış Akarsu, who was killed in a traffic accident a few years ago. Mehmet Kazan, who owns a barber shop in Khartoum, said that many young people also want to have their hair bleached blond to look more like Tatlıtuğ. He said that he does not recommend blond hair to his customers, but they insist. “Şaşmaz and Tatlıtuğ are very popular in this region. Since we are a Turkish barbershop, customers often ask us if we can do their hair like Turkish actors,” Kazan said.

Posters of artists like Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and other Western actors, which used to decorate the walls of barber shops until a few years ago, have now been replaced by posters of Turkish actors. Another barbershop owner in the city, Muhammed Hasan, said that posters of Turkish artists have had a positive effect on customers, adding that the interest in Turkish artists is due not only to the popularity of Turkish TV series but also to the good relations between Turkey and Sudan.

Süleyman Çay, who runs a barbershop in one of Khartoum’s most crowded streets, said that characters from Turkish TV series are better known in Sudan than they are in Turkey, adding, “Polat Alemdar, Ezel and Muhaned are the most popular characters with the people of the Middle East and North Africa. Almost all customers ask for haircuts like these actors first. There are people who pose in front of the posters and ask for a style like Polat Alemdar’s.”

One of the customers in Çay’s barbershop, Muaz Hasan, said that the people of Sudan find Turkish TV actors to be more like themselves. “It’s not only in barbershops; you can also see lines from ‘Valley of the Wolves’ on the streets. We in Sudan like and are more interested in Turkey than any other part of the world.””

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

Mettre à plat les concepts. Carte mentale d’une approche pluridisciplinaire des industries culturelles.

Avril 2012. Diagramme des relations entre notions, auteurs et corpus utilisés dans ma thèse. Cliquez pour agrandir

Voici une petite tentative – en perpétuelle évolution – de préciser quels sont, ou seraient, les ponts reliant des concepts-clés issus des disciplines structurant ma recherche sur les séries TV turques. Ces disciplines sont : les sciences de la communication, la géographie, et le binôme sociologie/philosophie. J’ai ordonné ces concepts selon la logique suivante : un concepts original (cad dont il est possible de préciser quel en est l’auteur) peut être relié à des disciplines particulières ainsi qu’à des “inter-concepts” ayant plusieurs acceptions selon le champ disciplinaire depuis lequel ils sont énoncés. Ce point me semble important car le fait de ne pas préciser les sources ces “inter-concepts” peut conduire à une multitude d’interprétations, et les transformer ainsi en mot-valises vidés de leur sens.

Archive décembre 2011. Cliquez pour agrandir

Afin que cet exercice ne se cantonne pas à la théorie il est aussi nécessaire de relier ces concepts et ces disciplines à un corpus précis et circonscrit. Le second objectif de cet exercice est donc de retracer l’effectivité de mon corpus, en reliant ses composantes aux concepts centraux et périphériques de ma réflexion. En effet chacune des sources de données ou d’information se doit de répondre à une exigence à la fois scientifique et méthodologique afin d’être analysée et de participer ensuite à l’échafaudage de la thèse.

Enfin, il est important de préciser que les cartes mentales présentées ici ont une vocation avant tout épistémologique, et qu’elles sont donc amenées à se transformer durant le travail de thèse. C’est la raison pour laquelle l’archive de décembre 2011 est elle aussi visible dans ce billet, pour témoigner d’un processus. La carte mentale des concepts est comme une sorte de photographie de ma problématique à un instant précis, photo dont la fonction serait à la fois de garder une trace des champs abordés au préalable, tout en rappelant constamment à l’esprit qu’il faut faire évoluer cette réflexion vers plus de précision. Cette évolution constante trouve sa source dans les nouvelles lectures, les dernières références ou dans l’avancée de l’enquête de terrain.

Petite généalogie d’une nouvelle pratique : 

D’un point de vue uniquement pratique, l’envie de cartographier ces concepts est venue de la manière suivante. Au dépôt du sujet, j’avais comme tout doctorant une bibliographie de base. Une fois la thèse commencée depuis plusieurs mois, lorsque j’ai voulu reprendre cette bibliographie préparatoire, l’exercice m’a alors semblé vain avec les outils que j’avais à disposition : à quoi bon peaufiner une bibliographie sachant qu’à chaque article lu les références évoluent ? Comment s’y retrouver dans un fichier word de dizaines de pages, même thématique, lorsqu’on veut s’atteler à une recherche transdisciplinaire dont le but est de jeter des ponts entre les disciplines plus que de chercher l’érudition dans une disciplines particulière ? Et tout simplement quel outil utiliser au quotidien, outil qui puisse accompagner les lectures de la façon la moins invasive possible ?

Trois grands champs nourrissaient de manière abstraite ma démarche (géographie, communication, sociologie-philosophie). Certains de ces concepts m’étaient tout à fait familiers car ils m’accompagnaient depuis plusieurs années déjà. D’autres étaient pour moi nouveaux car je les avaient découverts dans les premiers mois de  la thèse, lors de la préparation plus fine du sujet, ou encore dans des lectures très récentes. Les premiers mois de recherche m’ont aussi forcé à définir un corpus plus précis et réaliste (qu’est-ce qui est à disposition sur place?), chose qui force en retour à trouver les concepts ad hoc permettant d’interpréter ce corpus. Complexité supplémentaire tous ces concepts, tous ces auteurs, toutes ces informations, possédaient des échelles et des niveaux d’abstraction très divers : certains concepts sont très abstraits et très englobant ( qu’est -ce que le “libéralisme” ou la “post-modernité” ?), quand d’autres lectures sont extrêmement situées dans le temps ou l’espace et sont purement informatives (tel immeuble a été construit par monsieur X telle année).

Peut-être par goût de la symbolisation et du graphisme, ou du fait de ma formation en architecture (dessiner des plans sur des grands formats) ou encore bêtement par jeu, j’ai d’abord tenté de tracer à grand traits la carte de ces familles d’idées qui à mon sens avaient un lien entre elles. L’intérêt de cette deuxième dimension, celle de la carte, est comme on peut le faire sur une table de pouvoir “mettre à plat”. On peut alors faire des regroupements, trouver des gradiens (du plus au moins abstrait), des filiations, voire de créer des parallèles entre des idées qui ne sont pas évidents à priori et de les tester. L’exercice est ensuite devenu de plus en plus prenant au fur et à mesure que la pratique de ce logiciel m’est devenu plus familière et que le terrain avançait, apportant avec lui nombre de nouvelles questions d’ordre sociologique, historique, méthodologique.

A défaut d’encourager d’autres à faire de même, j’essaie d’engager les autres chercheurs ou étudiants avec lesquels je discute à “rentrer” dans ces cartes, à – comme face à un plan de bâtiment – tracer des itinéraires, des parcours imaginaires, ou à errer, flâner, sans but dans des cartes de ce genre. Flâner d’une idée à une autre en quelque sorte. Si on met de côté l’aspect technico-technique (le fait que ce soit un logiciel par exemple), ce type d’outil n’est jamais qu’un autre outil de représentation,  ne remplaçant pas l’écriture et le récit mais offrant la possibilité du changement d’échelle (le zoom), la sélectivité (les calques), la symbolisation (les formes basiques et les couleurs) et une deuxième dimension de lecture par rapport à l’écriture (la co-existence d’éléments).

Pour information, les diagrammes ont été réalisés avec le logiciel libre VUE dont j’ai déjà parlé dans un précédent article.

Si vous souhaitez voir cette présentation dans une résolution correcte merci de poster un commentaire juste en dessous.

Article créé le 300/11/2011.
Mis à jour le 05/04/2012

“$30,000 paid for hour-long series” – Hürriyet Daily News

"Turkish TV series ‘Nour’ immediately became a hit when it was shown on Saudi sattellite channel in 2008." Source : Hürriyet

“The high production values of dubbed Turkish television dramas, which are extremely popular in Arab households, pose a huge challenge, experts say, according to a report in the United Arab Emirates-based newspaper Gulf News on April 1.

The remarkably popular Turkish series are increasingly becoming a source of delight for sponsors and advertisers on Arab television channels, the newspaper said. The demand for Turkish drama has increased, especially with the decreasing output of the two important TV production cities of the Arabic-speaking world, Cairo and Damascus, due to the political turmoil in both countries in the past year.

But expansion into this market has its price. As the economic rule goes, an increase in demand leads to an increase in prices. Some experts in the industry believe that the increasing prices of Turkish dramas will eventually lead to a shift in demand. The high prices that Turkish series command have begun to suggest to TV networks the necessity of searching for a new profit window.

Adeeb Khair, general manager and owner of Sama Art Productions, a Syrian TV-production company which dubs Turkish dramas into colloquial Syrian Arabic, was quoted as saying, “Several years back, I bought a one-hour (one hour of copyright) Turkish drama for $600 or $700. Today, there are [those] who are willing to pay $40,000 for one-hour dramas.”

“This has opened the door for Turkish [production] companies to reconsider their prices and say they won’t sell for less than $30,000 [for a one-hour show]. This will create a problem. Who will buy them and take such a risk?” Khair said, speaking to Gulf News. His Damascus-based company has already dubbed nearly 60 Turkish dramas in the last four years.

Success of ‘Nour’

The series “Gümüş,” sold in Arabic-speaking markets under the name of “Nour,” the name of the main character in the dubbed Turkish drama, which was shown on the Saudi-owned MBC satellite channel in 2008, immediately became a hit, according to Gulf News. The high ratings it got were partly due to its unconventional use of colloquial Arabic. Non-Arabic dramas used to be more commonly dubbed into classical Arabic.

Another Turkish series popular in Arab households is “Aşk-ı Memnu” (Forbidden Love). It was among the top 10 series in Egypt last year.

The duration of Turkish dramas, some of which can exceed 100 episodes, also helps bring in advertising, because viewers get hooked on a series and become loyal to the channel that airs it.

“Once you get someone hooked, it is not just 20 or 30 episodes, it is 60 or 70 or maybe 90 episodes, so you actually guarantee an audience for a long time,” Veda Rizk, a Dubai-based TV and marketing consultant, told Gulf News.”

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

“Hürrem, Süleyman return to Russia” – Hürriyet Daily News

Turkish TV series ‘Muhteşem Yüzyıl’ were shown in a 11-hour marathon by national broadcaster Damasniy TV in Russia. There were only short commercial breaks." Source : Hürriyet

“The first 13 episodes of the hit Turkish TV series “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (The Magnificent Century) were shown in a back-to-back, 11-hour marathon in the country on April 1.

National broadcaster Damasniy TV began airing the first season of “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” at 10:10 a.m. on April 1 and continued to broadcast all the shows until 11 p.m. There were only short commercial breaks during the marathon.

A Turkish website in Russia, Turkrus.com, said Damasniy TV had announced that the new episodes of the series would be aired starting April 7.

Damasniy TV promoted the series, which is known as “Velikolepniy Vek” in Russian, saying it was “the story of Roksalana [Hürrem Sultan] and Süleyman.”

Russian viewers reacted angrily after the series went on hiatus after the first 13 episodes were shown, with some claiming broadcasts of the series had been discontinued because of negative reaction.

Damasniy TV, however, said their broadcasting agreement only extended to the first 13 episodes and that talks were continuing for the airing of the new episodes.

Officials promoted the series in its Russian trailer with the words teaser, “Palace decoration, magnificent chic dresses and unbelievable success in the world. The story of concubine Roksalana, who stole the heart of the sultan … Roksalana and Süleyman.”

Source : Hürriyet Daily News