Star over Egypt

Despite rumors of delays in opening up its Dubai office, with its recent announcement of a move into Egypt, the Beirut-based Daily Star (DS) is fast realizing its plan to be positioned as the most widely read English language daily in the Middle East.
Already distributed in Qatar and Kuwait along with its parent company’s paper, the International Herald Tribune, DS General Manager Ayad Tassabehgi explained that more countries may be in the offing if suitable local partners can be found.
“The arrangement is that we team up with local people who we then share the profits with… We satisfy our demand for being a regional paper and, on the other hand, we allow a local flavor since we have local staff who send copy to Beirut where it is sub-edited [for the local edition].”
Tassabehgi said that the DS began in Egypt in April by printing 5,000 copies, of which an estimated 50 percent on average is sold (various promotional campaigns have distributed free copies). The company also obtained a local printing license, thus avoiding the one to two day delay that came previously when the DS and Herald Tribune had to be shipped from Beirut.
“The minute we find a local partner that makes sense we do it,” he added. “Our strategy is that we will be widely available across the Middle East in a cost efficient manner.”