The necessity for producing educational television programs nationally in order to preserve the national culture in the Arab states: Case study of the state of Kuwait

This study deals with the phenomenon of dependency on imported western television programs in the Arab states. The primary concern of this study is that the Arab culture is under siege by western culture through the massive importation of western television programs. This influx has jeopardized the continuity of the indigenous national Arab culture since the content of most of the imported materials has no connection with the authentic culture, which needs help in its promotion and enhancement. The aim of this study is to search for the reasons that cause the Arab governments to depend heavily on imported western programs rather than the nationally produced programs. This study concludes with some suggestions to promote the production and airing of Arab nationally produced programs which could provide a solution or alternatives to the issue, or at least reduce its impact in order to preserve and promote the national Arab culture. The study examines and analyzes the experiment of the Arabian Gulf States Joint Production Programs Institute (AGJPPI) as the first professional and successful Arab educational television production and seeks the secret behind its success. The state of Kuwait is selected as a case study for the research, and presents Kuwait television as a model of Arab television systems