Presenting ...

Mira Al Muhairi, news presenter on Dubai TV

My experience in local news started when Dubai Television began the search to recruit UAE nationals for both its radio and TV channel.

When I first started working there, I was not sure how people would react because there existed a preconception about (Emirati) women working in the media.

Although I had studied Media at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), I had distanced myself completely from gaining experience in television work.

But certain things happened which were to change everything.

My colleague, Miriam Al Filasi, was supposed to be the presenter at the first award distribution ceremony for Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Youth Projects Awards but two days before the event, she apologised to be let off.
Mona Al Marri, who was then the Dubai Press Club manager asked me to step in.

Since I had no experience in this field, I trained intensively for two days ...
...with Ghassan Tahboub and became presenter at the ceremony in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Hussain Lootah and a number of Dubai TV executives.

After the ceremony, Mona asked me if I wished to be a TV presenter. My first reaction was no! I also requested her not to broach the subject again. I honestly thought she was joking but she came back the next day and said Hussain Lootah is waiting for my answer and what should she tell him?

I told her it was impossible for me to accept the assignment. She suggested I approach my parents so I told her that the issue was not so much my parents as it was my inability to believe I could do the job.

Although, I must confess I had always loved the idea of being a TV presenter since childhood. I would read newspapers aloud imitating TV presenters!

When I grew up I went on to study graphic design.
(At college) my professors used to encourage me to be a radio presenter because they said I have a clear and strong voice but I never gave it serious thought.

But Mona, however, wouldn't give up and so one day I talked to my mother who encouraged me immediately. Try it, she said, as an experience. What do you have to lose? She also reassured me that I was surrounded by people who cared for me and would always protect me.

Thus I started training at Dubai Television.

For a year and a half, I went to the news centre every other day, spent four hours with TV presenters such as Mohammad Abdul Rahman, who is one of the best international news presenters at Dubai TV.

He volunteered to train me and I benefited greatly from that. When he was absent, I used to open the I-news screen and train myself by reading the news. I also bought an Arabic grammar book, a Qur'an reciting tape, as reciting the Qur'an is the best way to improve Arabic phonetics and performance.

While I continued to train myself, I would occasionally wonder if all this would one day translate into reality for me. Would I actually be reading news one day on television or would all this training simply evaporate?

I was training to read international news but the head of the international news section informed me that there were no vacancies. There was one in programme presenting however but I was not interested in it.

I was very disturbed by the turn of events as by then I wanted to present news. I was not at all interested in presenting programmes. I spoke to my mother about it and she advised me to have courage and continue as one never knows what will happen next.

I continued training using a clear Arabic accent this time, whereas my previous training entailed classical Arabic. I was not doing well. Even my supervisors said my expressions were not right.

As it turned out, Ali Al Rumaithi, Dubai's TV director, realised my predicament and finally, I was asked to join the local news department. I trained an additional two months before finally appearing on the screen.

Today, I feel self assured. I have developed my skills and I can feel the change in the way society now views women in the media, which is great. I am also very happy to be considered a role model.

My experience has helped me define my beliefs even more strongly and I would like to share some of them with other women.

I would like to continue to perfect my professional skills, hold on to my principles because I believe that as a UAE national, I have to be a responsibile role model.

Anything that affects my name will affect young Emirati women. I am highly conscious about my conduct during presenting news and otherwise as well.

I was reluctant at the beginning to make a career in television as I did not want to lose my privacy. However I am happy to acknowledge that I have not been subjected to any sort of harassment.

I am also happy when people commend my work but I do not have the freedom to sit anywhere with anyone and at any time. And most certainly, I do not want any sort of gossip.

As for meeting Mr Right ...
I am very flexible and I have a way of convincing people. (If it is a) 'Mr. Right' he will at least hear me out and give me a chance to convince him or prove my point.

At the same time, if I find myself unable to balance my family and home responsibilities as a result of my career taking up too much of my time, I will give it up voluntarily.