Establishment:
The origins of Saudi media can be traced to the establishment of the Umm Al-Qura newspaper in 1924, during the reign of King Abdulaziz Al Saud. The newspaper is the official publication of the state and publishes all of its decisions and government statements related to Saudi citizens.
In 1936, King Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered the establishment, under the Ministry of Finance, of a Propaganda and Pilgrimage Council to counter malicious campaigns against the Kingdom.
Thereafter, the Saudi Radio was established by a royal decree issued on 19/7/1949, signed by King Abdulaziz and directed to Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz to implement the idea. The aim of the radio was to connect the Kingdom with the outside world, and to promote culture and knowledge within the country. In order to achieve this, the Kingdom sought the expertise of Sudanese experts who had previous experience in the field. These experts were seconded from the Sudanese Ministry of Information and the Sudanese Broadcasting Corporation. This team trained a number of Saudis in radio work, and the broadcast continued for a period of time under their supervision, especially in terms of engineering supervision and program coordination.
On 10/2/1955, a royal decree was issued to rename the radio as the General Directorate of Radio. Subsequently, the General Directorate of Press and Publishing was established, and the radio was linked to it. His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Omar Balkheir was appointed as the Director-General of the Directorate. The Printing and Publishing System was issued in 1958.
Given the growing domestic and international interest in media and its expanding scope, King Faisal issued a royal decree on 5/3/1963 to transform the General Directorate of Press and Publishing into the Ministry of Information, which was to oversee media outlets.
In 2003, the Council of Ministers issued a decision to amend the name of the Ministry of Information to the Ministry of Culture and Information.
On 1/6/2018, a royal decree was issued establishing a separate Ministry of Culture, which was given tasks and responsibilities related to cultural activities and changed the name of the Ministry of Culture and Information to the Ministry of Media.
Vision:
To consolidate the Kingdom's position as an influential and globally open country, and to develop a pioneering media sector.
Objectives:
The Ministry of Media's strategy is to build a competitive media industry by developing the media sector to achieve economic contribution, increase the size of the sector, diversify media content, enhance its quality, and strengthen the impact of government communication in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and establish a positive perception of the Kingdom locally, regionally, and globally.
In a nation propelled forward by visionary leadership and a holistic outlook, the Ministry of Media bears the weight of its responsibilities intricately tied to skillfully conveying the Kingdom's story to the global stage. At the core of its mandate lies the cultivation of local content, an indispensable foundation within the influential media landscape. To fulfill these critical tasks, the ministry aligns its efforts with a set of strategic objectives:
Elevate the media sector's economic impact within the Kingdom.
Enrich the standard of local media content.
Empower the media framework to align with global changes.
Enhance both the local and global perception of the Kingdom.
Strengthen communication regarding the Kingdom's milestones, decisions, and future ambitions.