LONDON: The Ray Hanania radio show returns for its second season on Wednesday with a wide array of guests tackling crucial topics in the Arab world — a timely return at the start of Arab American Heritage Month.
“Although we are Arab American and Middle East oriented, in English, our audiences are not just Arab American but Americans and others who are interested in understanding the Middle East issues and events,” Hanania told Arab News.
“I’m hoping that President Biden will tune in when he is getting up in the morning at the White House because we will be talking about him and his administration, and about the American people.”
The show, sponsored by Arab News, will be broadcast on the US Arab Radio Network every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. EST, with a new guest each week.
Arab News Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas said: “We are delighted to sponsor Ray’s radio show because it allows Arab voices from the region to reach listeners in the US, and at the same time allows the American perspective to get regional coverage, given that we also report on the show through our various digital platforms and Arab News print edition.”
This season’s first guest is the politician and activist Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, former spokesperson for the Palestinian delegation to the Middle East peace process, who will talk about the Biden administration and the everyday challenges of Palestinian life.
Apart from hosting regular guests, the show will also showcase a writer from Arab News each week to discuss a feature from the paper.
This week Shounaz Mekky will unpack her piece on the “curse of the pharaohs” and other superstitions that gullible Egyptians blame for modern disasters.
“Our aim is to be on top of the stories that mean the most for Arab American and Middle East audiences,” Hanania said. “
The goal of the radio show is to be the ‘Talk of the Town’ and help audiences understand events and issues in the Middle East.”
The radio show will be a podcast and available after the live broadcast on Arab News and on iTunes, Spotify and other podcast platforms.
