A center for media excellence

MINISTER of Culture and Information Adel Al-Turaifi opened on Thursday evening the new headquarters of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) in Riyadh.

Speaking on the occasion, Al-Turaifi, who is also chairman of the board of directors of SPA, described the new building as an excellent addition to the Saudi news organization in its march of four decades in the media field, holding fast to professionalism, credibility and objectivity, in accordance with the Saudi policy and without compromising national principles and values.

The minister thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, and Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman for their unflinching support and guidance to the Kingdom’s cultural and media sector in general and SPA in particular.

“In this evening, we are reaping the fruits of this support and guidance. It is highly commendable the efforts being exerted to realize this integrated building to meet SPA’s current and future needs as well as to make available the best working environment and a good ground for strenuous and continuous work in continuing the news agency’s contributions to disseminate the Kingdom’s message to the entire world,” he said while noting that SPA is conveying this message in different languages so as to present a true image of this benevolent nation.”

Al-Turaifi also underscored the keenness of SPA in maintaining the credibility of news. “The media, with all its highly advanced means and tools, have become a basic component in informing the people about the latest events and developments around the world. News agencies are exerting great efforts to keep pace with the fast changes taking place in the media industry year after year,” Al-Turaifi said while expressing pride in the caliber and proficiency of SPA’s young Saudi staff who speak five languages. “We will increase the number of languages being used by SPA within the coming few months.”

In his speech, SPA President Abdullah Al-Hussain explained the evolution of SPA into one of the leading news agencies in the region. “The opening of the new building would be a giant leap to the future and continuance of more serious and fruitful work in shouldering the tasks and responsibilities in presenting excellent media work to win the confidence of everyone. Within the span of 46 years since its inception, SPA was able to put its own stamp in the map of the global media where there are more than 200 news agencies.”

The 10-story building, with the state-of-the-art facilities, is located in Al-Sahafa district in the north of Riyadh.

Al-Hussain said that the new headquarters, spreading over an area covering 10,000 square meters, consists of several parts. The first part of the complex includes departments for news with various specializations and the offices of the chairman of the board of directors, president of SPA and his deputies as well as administrative and financial departments. The building contains three meeting halls equipped with video transmission to hold video conferencing with the staff in their rooms. It also has special rooms to record events for distribution among different media organizations.

“The second part consists of a three-story media center and a theater, with a capacity for 380 people. It is equipped with a highly sophisticated and integrated light and sound system and facilities for instant translation into three foreign languages. There is also a two-story building especially designed for the offices of female administrative and editorial staff.
The premises also host a mosque, parking areas and buildings for support services.

Al-Hussain emphasized that SPA is committed to maintain its credibility, objectivity, transparency and professional ethics, which categorically reject sensationalism in the wake of stiff competition brought about by the IT revolution.

The new headquarters hosts a replica of Planet Earth, covering a 37 sq. meter area. The statue of the universe indicates the agency’s continuous communication with the world to monitor and distribute news around the clock. Four high-caliber cameras, linked to the control room, will cover all major events. In addition, there are a number of small studios for interviews.

The president noted that the decision to transfer the management of SPA to a general authority four years ago is one of the landmark achievements in its history. He also referred to the training programs to develop young Saudi media persons and technicians. “In addition to English and French, SPA this year started disseminating news in three foreign languages — Russian, Chinese and Persian,” he said.

A documentary depicting the evolution of SPA and a video showing various offices and facilities of the new headquarters were presented during the ceremony. Al-Turaifi honored former ministers of culture and information, including Ali Al-Shaer, Fuad Al-Farsi, Iyad Madani, Abdul Aziz Khoja and Abdul Aziz Al-Khudairy, and former Deputy Minister Abdullah Al-Jasser. He also paid rich tributes to the former ministers the late Ibrahim Al-Anqari and Muhammad Abdu Yamani. Former directors of SPA and senior officials and veteran staff of the official Saudi news agency were also honored.

Al-Hussain presented a memento to Al-Turaifi. The ceremony was also attended by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed Al-Suwayel, President of the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution Sheikh Mohammed Al-Abdullah, editors in chief of print and online newspapers, and representatives of local and foreign media.