HOW does one insult Islam in Malaysia? And how does one insult Muslims in Malaysia? Over the past few years and increasingly over the past months, the state, politicians and pressure groups like Perkasa have demonstrated just how to do either one or both. For the most part, these incidents are an insult to Muslims […]
8TV
The problem with the 8TV ads
WHY were the three 8TV Ramadan ads so offensive? “I don’t get it,” more than one person said on the social network they were on. “Chill guys,” 8TV executive director and Media Prima chief executive officer of Alt Media Ahmad Izham Omar told critics on Twitter. “Don’t overthink the ads. It’s written, produced and directed […]
Show biz challenges
THE Nut Graph held its third Found in Conversation forum on 8 Aug 2010, titled Creativity and Innovation in Show Biz. Panelists Ahmad Izham Omar, Azmyl Yunor and Joanna Bessey, together with moderator Shanon Shah, reflected on mainstream vs indie artistes, censorship, and what artistes need to do to sustain themselves economically. Moderator, singer-songwriter and […]
Lights, camera, show biz!
THE third installment of The Nut Graph‘s forum series Found in Conversation focused on Creativity and Innovation in Show Biz. It featured 8TV executive director and Media Prima chief executive officer of Alt Media Ahmad Izham Omar, independent singer-songwriter Azmyl Yunor, and actor-director Joanna Bessey. The event was held at Leonardo’s Dining Room & Wine […]
Controlling the media
(TV pic by Frecuencia; remote control pic by Lusi; source: sxc.hu) JUST before Datuk Seri Najib Razak became Malaysia’s sixth prime minister on 3 April 2009, I was asked by a Malaysiakini reporter whether I thought there would be further media restrictions under his administration. Some sectors of society imagined, rightly or wrongly, that Najib […]
“Mana saya mau letak ini?”
BEHIND many a talented artiste or group is Ahmad Izham Omar. Names such as Too Phat, OAG, Poetic Ammo, Ruffedge, VE and Innuendo were under the Positive Tone label, which he founded and became managing director of in 1994. In recent years, he’s unearthed more local talent through Malaysian Idol, So You Think You Can […]
Serving the BN
“I will be looking at the role of television and radio stations in nation building. There are 34 radio stations under the government.” INFORMATION, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, who blamed the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s recent poor elections performance on private television and radio stations that did not “carry messages good […]
