The Omani media maintains an intent focus on both individual and institutional performance. The Public Authority for Radio and Television (PART) was founded, and subsequently refined, under, respectively, Royal Decree No. 108/2010 of 19 October 2010 and Royal Decree No. 100/2011 of 22 October 2011, and is a legal entity with financial and administrative independence. It is affiliated to the Council of Ministers, but with free discharge of its own resources. The Authority has responsibility for media development in terms of content and delivery, which to be effective must keep up with the rapid pace of progress in society. The process is often a balancing act that cannot be allowed to forget the broader mission of supporting social values that rise above negativity to encourage a spirit of individual responsibility and community participation.

The media in Oman has been used with powerful effect to validate productivity and a work ethic, to celebrate distinction and excellence, and that includes the many achievements of Oman, of Omani institutions and Omani citizens at home and abroad. Technically, the field is in a state of accelerated change, and the Authority is constantly reviewing the technological aspects of radio and television broadcasting and associated fields to keep abreast of that change. In the fiercely competitive scramble for radio and television audiences, there is no place for a medium that has fallen behind technologically. Equally important are the professionals who deliver the media message, and they are given every facility in terms of training and equipment to do an effective job. In 2015 and 2016, the Sultanate’s audio and visual media underwent a major overhaul, which culminated in the launching of PART’s new identity and a revamped image for television channels and radio. The digital studios were commissioned and the News Centre inaugurated. The overhaul brought quality upgrades to both audio and visual media. Production and transmission processes were facilitated by the new technology, and this had a positive impact on the delivery of content, benefiting programming across the field.

The audio sector describes the field served by the various radio stations operating in Oman. As an area of broadcasting activity, it has specific audiences with unique interests and the audio sector formats programming to the service of these needs. It derives content from newsworthy issues or entertainment preferences in all areas, and tailors delivery format accordingly. Radio has a very special influence in reaching certain listener groups. Radio programmes have an immediacy that facilitates direct and indirect communication with the public. It makes the connection easy, by way of dial-up windows, via phone or SMS, or via social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Five radio channels broadcast out of the Sultanate, Public Radio, Youth Radio, Holy Qur’an Radio, English Radio and Classical Music Radio, each targeting a readymade audience. Public Radio articulates its public service mission with a programming schedule revolving around social, cultural, intellectual, economic and religious issues of general interest. It encourages dialogue on these issues and reinforces the emerging ethos of self-motivation and engagement with the broad horizon of national development.

The 24-hour public radio schedule mixes longstanding favourites with more experimental programming for newer audiences. Youth Radio, as its name implies, has a typically younger format, given its somewhat difficult task of targeting a listenership more acquainted with visual and social media. Its content is also cultural, economic, artistic and sports-oriented, and addresses segments of Oman’s youth-heavy population. Again, interaction with the listenership is a goal, and this is a field where easy familiarity with digital media is an advantage. Youth Radio has solid audiences for all segments of its 24-hour transmissions. Holy Qur’an Radio broadcasts to a huge audience, offering a mix of live and recorded programmes around the theme of the Holy Qur’an and its interpretation. It regularly hosts interviews and panel discussions on religious and social issues. Its round-theclock transmissions include Qur’an recitations featuring celebrated reciters from across the Islamic world.

English Radio communicates with an Omani audience, as well as non-Arabic speaking communities resident or visiting the Sultanate, with a schedule tailored to their particular interests. It also broadcasts around the clock. Classical Music Radio broadcasts 19 hours a day, from 6.00 am to 1.00 am, and serves as a platform for presentation of the works of the world’s great classical music geniuses. All musical presentations are preceded and followed by a brief explanatory narrative in Arabic and English.

The visual sector consists of the three channels of the national broadcaster, Oman TV: the General Channel, the Sports Channel and the Cultural Channel. The national broadcaster is responsible for all television programming and broadcasting of live and recorded events. It also recruits and manages the technical and other professional cadres who produce, present and deliver the schedule. The three main channels divide their programming schedules into segments that target specific viewing audiences, always maintaining the delicate balance between entertainment and education.

There is a heavy focus on celebration of the positive in Omani society, past and present, with the same positivity projected into the future. The wealth of material provided by the Sultanate’s rich heritage and the successes of the Renaissance constitutes a sound basis for promoting the values of citizenship, moderation, tolerance and dialogue. Diversity and inclusiveness are two noticeable features of the programming package offered by Sultanate of Oman TV through its various channels, and this integrative approach has impacted positively on viewer satisfaction, cementing the social impact of television. Oman TV, through its three channels, covers news, culture, sports, development, youth, children, entertainment and miscellaneous other areas of interest. These programmes are produced and delivered by teams of young Omani professionals highly qualified in the technicalities of formatting and presenting material to sophisticated viewing audiences. This goes a long way towards achieving one of the principal aims of the national broadcaster, which is to narrow the gap between presenter and viewer.

The other main operating tool of this approach is content, and Oman TV does this through its programming, ensuring that its coverage of events in the Sultanate is broad, relevant and immediate. In this context, it offers regular and timely coverage of news, government announcements and community activities. Its entertainment schedule includes age-appropriate children’s programmes, nature features from around Oman, documentaries and drama serials and films of Omani, Gulf, Arab and international origin. The Sports Channel was the Sultanate’s first specialised channel to broadcast around the clock. It covers local, regional and international sporting events, which it intersperses with features of interest to both enthusiasts and spectators, including celebrations of sporting achievements by Omanis past and present.

One of the successes of the Sports Channel has been to encourage greater participation in sports nationally, and this has not only had positive health benefits within the broad community, but spurred Omani sporting champions to greater levels of achievement. With every passing year, Omanis are logging new records in regional and international competition. The channel hosts talk shows and panel discussions that analyse performance in popular sports events involving Omani participants or international stars and these engage particularly large audiences, as do sports events for which the channel provides high quality coverage nationwide.

The Sports Channel’s coverage of local sports activity is extensive and popular with viewers. This broadcasting segment has a public service aspect, in that it encourages participation at community level and establishes a healthy, competitive but noncontentious, dialogue in the analysis of these events. On 1 January 2016, the Oman Cultural Channel began a 24-hour broadcasting schedule. The source of the channel’s content is the Sultanate’s rich archive of cultural, scientific, artistic and musical material, and it creates programmes that celebrate this heritage. Oman has a strong literary tradition and has many scientific and technical innovations to its credit.

Meanwhile, the Omani identity is strongly bound up in the combination of geography and circumstance that were the foundation of its very long and successful history. The Cultural Channel in its programming has demonstrated a particular interest in the powerful historical events that impacted this unique history and culture, and that left its imprint on the Arab and larger worlds. It has translated this interest into a schedule prepared and presented by an elite team of professionals from the human resource bank of PART, supplemented by talent from the domestic cultural scene. It covers all the major cultural events in the Sultanate and maintains an archive of spinoff features.

The Public Authority for Radio and Television holds a special position in the audio-visual sector as the principal overseer of local radio and television activities, both official and private. It is the official broadcasting resource for Royal decrees, news of official government interactions with overseas representatives, as well as of urgent statements by government agencies on matters of public concern. PART reports developments in government-related projects and services coming on stream. It covers activities organised by government agencies or initiated by civil society organisations. It provides timely news of regional and international developments of political, social and economic significance, accompanied by impartial analysis and commentary.

The Authority also oversees Oman Direct, which delivers live daily coverage from local conferences, seminars and festivals, as well as workshops taking place in conjunction with large events, such as the Muscat International Book Fair. It highlights in particular activities taking place throughout the governorates and provides updates on ongoing projects of national relevance. In 2016, the news sector added five newsfeeds, to be televised at 10.00 am, 1.00 pm, 4.00 pm, 9.00 pm and 12 midnights.

Digital Media

The digital media sector is the link that connects PART with the online public, via digital services that deliver news to the internet and social media platforms.  At the present time 40 such subscriber and public web portals and phone apps are actively supplying news to the public, expanding the reach of broadcasters to new audiences.   Young people are turning in ever greater numbers to hand-held devices for their consumption of news and PART’s digital policy is responding to this trend.