After the departure of the “lbci” … Rima Assaf and the selection nights reveal the reason!

Finally, attention turned to the LBCI news section, the station, which is based in the Adma (Jounieh) area, lost in a short period of time several news stations that moved to Arab channels. It is noteworthy that some of these were among the founders of the station, who watched on its screen for more than twenty years. The beginning was with Bassam Abu Zeid, who announced last September that he would move to Al-Arabiya Al-Hadath to join the news stations of the Saudi station that broadcasts from Dubai. Bassam, who is known for his casting and dialogue expertise, said goodbye to the Lebanese broadcaster after working for almost 31 years and joining the Saudi screen for three months in principle, provided he later made the decision to stay in Dubai. permanently or return to lbci. But Abu Zayd is not alone, he was followed by his colleague Remy Derbas, who works as a reporter and news anchor. Derbas took this step after receiving and accepting an offer to join Al-Jadid.

However, LBCI board chair Pierre Daher rejected Remy’s resignation and asked him to stay. Indeed, Derbas agreed, but it seems that the transmission infection spread within the news section and reached the selection nights and Rima Assaf, who announced yesterday that they are leaving the local screen. Later it became clear that the presenter had signed a contract with the American channel “Al-Hurra” to take over the tasks of presenting a political program for Layal, while Rima would be the producer and producer of the program. In this context, Rima Assaf explains in relation to “Al-Akhbar” that the only reason behind his movement is the factor of change and renewal. The presenter, who worked for almost 24 years at LBCI, says: “Some of them were surprised by the transfer decision, but the management of the Lebanese station knew the details of my steps due to my close relationship with those in charge of it. and they asked me to revoke my resignation, but I refused. The channel gave me a lot, the most recent of which was my participation in the host of the program “2030” with Albert Costanian, and I liked this experience. Even the material factor was not essential in the transfer. ‘ On the nature of his work on the “Al-Hurra” channel, Assaf explains: “Moving to Al-Hurra means going to a wider and more complete space than the local channel.” Television production on that Arab station is generous compared to the budgets of Lebanese channels. I will be the producer and producer of the political show that you will host on Choice Nights. The new program will be political about the situation in Lebanon, but its focus will be broader than tackling the issues on a local screen. Assaf concludes by emphasizing that he is staying in Beirut to work at Al-Hurra’s office in Beirut, and that by the end of this month, he will be his last Lbci screen presence. For his part, Layal Al-Selection points out that he will say goodbye to the Lebanese station with his colleague Rima to bypass the US channel. The presentation, which went from otv to lbci two years ago, explains that the name of its show has yet to be agreed, but that it will air weekly. Regarding the reasons for leaving the Lebanese channel, he replied: “The material factor is never a reason and everyone knows it. In two years, I have made remarkable progress at LBCI in my work. But in the recent period, I was under pressure from the environment of the country, so I decided to take a break or start a new experience, so it was the second option. Regardless of the “free” policy, I’ll just do my job. The new show airs weekly, so I might have more space to take a break. “

For her part, Lara Zalloum, LBCI news director, refuses to speak to the media about what was reported about the differences between her and some news department workers, and the reflection of those differences in Zaalloum’s relationship with channel management as well. Zalloum tells Al-Akhbar that he has always preferred not to reveal matters related to his work and the rumors that spread about it.

For his part, Pierre Al-Daher refutes the main reasons why some employees leave his channel, saying: “When international media organizations put Lebanese journalists in their eyes, especially those who work at LBCI, this is a test of the professionalism and ethics of your colleagues. This is a source of pride for them and the rest of the channel staff. As for the reason for his departure, he replied: “It is due to the new Lebanese invention known as Fresh Money.” Al-Daher does not forget to send political messages, concluding by emphasizing that “the Lebanese will be able to hold accountable the ruling political system that destroyed what the Lebanese built for 30 years and that we will soon return stronger than before.”

In conclusion, it seems that the economic factor is one of the main reasons for the transfer of Lebanese stations to Arab screens. Although the lbci channel returned almost two months ago to pay full pensions (in Lebanese pounds) after a year of employees receiving half their salary due to their financial crisis, anxiety and insecurity may have encouraged the resignation of some employees, especially after receiving offers in US dollars. Therefore, the economic factor played a prominent role in the migration of Lebanese station providers, although most of the employees disguise this motive, arguing that the economic factor is not among their priorities.