Arab News chief announces paper's relaunch

Editor in Chief Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi has highlighted the progress achieved by Arab News during the past six months in terms of content, circulation and ad revenue, and said the English daily would continue its efforts to further develop its content and appearance, realizing the hopes and aspirations of readers.
Addressing a sahoor party organized by Arab News at InterContinental Hotel in Jeddah on Sunday morning, Al-Harthi disclosed plans to relaunch the paper within three months, incorporating ideas and proposals of its committed readers as well as the latest developments in the print media.
The party was attended by a large number of prominent personalities, including media persons and senior officials of Saudi Research and Marketing Group as well as Arab News staff.
“This annual gathering aims at strengthening contacts with prominent personalities in order to exchange ideas to further develop the paper,” the editor in chief said, adding that Ramadan is an ideal time for such meetings.
Al-Harthi said Arab News would hold special functions in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai to relaunch the paper, indicating the paper’s plans to expand regionally and adopt innovative ideas. “We have been holding meetings of focus groups in major cities to get their ideas to develop the paper,” he pointed out.
Arab News columnist Sabria Jawhar said the “remarkable” progress by the paper in 2013 is due to Al-Harthi’s vision to engage readers by producing a newspaper that has quickly become Saudi Arabia’s only English-language news source.
“I am happy to see that Arab News is ready to relaunch the paper,” Jawhar said. “But it’s not just making it a new newspaper, but bringing together the improved content we have since the beginning of the year. It’s a new phase, I’m sure, that will capitalize on its increasing presence in online media as well.”