Weam Al Dakheel
A matter of mere days before the much anticipated, 88th edition of Saudi National Day, the kingdom made history for women yet again. Journalist, Weam Al Dakheel, became the first Saudi Arabian woman to ever anchor the main news bulletin on the country’s national channel, Saudia TV.
She made her television debut on 20th September 2018 as she read the nightly news at 9:30pm alongside her male co-host, Omar Al Nashwan.
Al Dakheel is not the first woman to have presented on a news channel. The first woman to appear on a news channel as a presenter was Jumanah Al Shami, in 2016, and primarily covered subjects such as women’s interest stories, cooking and the weather. However, Weam Al Dakheel has been the first to hold a main news anchor seat and is now being celebrated across social media.
Despite making history, the confident news reader is no newbie to the media industry. She has also previously worked at Al Arab News in Bahrain, and CNBC Arabia with a journalism degree from the Lebanese American University under her professional belt. Making Weam a main news presenter, national TV channel Saudia TV, launched its new identity with the objective to present the news in a more inclusive and diverse way.
Saudia TV aims to encourage youth driven and family friendly shows that will shine a light on the various progressive reforms taking place around the kingdom, including Vision 2030.
