Egyptians Express Discontent Over Renaming of State TV Channel

A decision by Ahmed El-Meslemany, head of Egypt’s National Media Authority, to change the name and logo of the state television channel Nile TV International to Egypt News Network (ENN) has sparked widespread criticism and discontent. On Thursday, the National Media Authority announced a plan to update Nile TV International, introducing a new logo featuring the initials ENN, along with changes to the channel’s design and programming. The new name, however, has been widely criticised, particularly because it is identical to an Ethiopian channel that already operates on various social media platforms. Commentators described the move as “choosing names without study or effort, as happened before when programme names were announced and later withdrawn” after it became clear they duplicated existing ones. One user wrote: “Those who issued or helped make the decision did not even bother to check if other channels carried the same abbreviated English name, ENN.” He added that he hoped El-Meslemany would reconsider the decision carefully. Dr Azza Ahmed Heikal, former dean of the Faculty of Language and Media at the Arab Academy and daughter of former culture minister Dr Ahmed Heikal, said she completely rejected the name change. She added: “Who has the right to erase the name ‘Nile’? This is totally unacceptable.” Nile TV International is an official channel of Egyptian State Television (Maspero) and broadcasts in English and French.