Dubai: Forty years ago, on September 30, 1978, the UAE witnessed the birth of an English language newspaper called Gulf News.
Launched in a tabloid format, the newspaper began with a modest circulation and a few years later, on December 10, 1985, it was relaunched under a new ownership by Al Nisr Publishing LLC, marking a new beginning for Gulf News that went on to achieve phenomenal success.
In the decades since, Gulf News has grown along with the UAE to chronicle the country’s remarkable, unparalleled success story of growth and development, evolving into a media brand that is synonymous with credibility, reliability, innovation, reader affinity and market trust.
As it marks its 40th anniversary on September 30 this month, Gulf News will share with its readers in the coming days many glimpses of this four-decade long journey that is distinguished by many milestones and achievements.
Reflecting on Gulf News’ journey, Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director of Publications, Al Nisr Publishing, said: “As Gulf News turns 40, we can say that it has been an integral part of the UAE’s history.
- Abdul Hamid Ahmad | Editor-in-Chief
It has grown from a basic newspaper into a smart and sophisticated media brand with an incredible reach across various publishing platforms. As Gulf News has always been a part of the journey of the nation, it has witnessed and documented its development and progress in every field — statecraft, infrastructure, health, science and technology, commerce and culture.”
Mohammed Almezel, Managing Editor of Gulf News, noted that as the UAE grew into a progressive modern state, Gulf News was there not only to record and report on the amazing journey, but also became a regional leader in the media, with a unique character and an ability to inform, explain and report on all relevant events on different platforms. “We are very proud to be an integral part of the phenomenal success story of the UAE,” he said.
- Mohammed Almezel | Managing Editor
Hamid Ahmad added: “As we celebrate 40 years, we are at a turning point where media companies are under increasing pressure from new media platforms. But as the market leader, Gulf News has the capability and resilience to face such challenges and successfully evolve to stay on top of the game. It’s the age of digital media and we are taking that giant leap to be able to always provide the best content to our readers across all digital platforms with our strong news website and social media presence.”
As the UAE and the wider region move to another level of development and growth, AlMezel said, “Gulf News too is evolving to bring its credible and authoritative journalism to our readership in new and innovative ways”.
Did you know
In 1978, Gulf News was published in tabloid format six days a week, with the first copy rolling off the press at 11am. It was not published on Fridays.
On the future course of action, Hamid Ahmad reiterated that Gulf News will continue to adhere to its core values of being a credible and responsible source of news and information while making that experience the most reader-friendly. “This abiding principle does not however connote that we have not made mistakes, but we possess the highest degree of professional and ethical courage to have learnt from them and corrected the mistakes. We have always put our readers at the heart of everything we do, and that has earned us their full trust and faith,” he said.
Given the challenging media scenario, it is important to note that Gulf News’ journey would not be complete without the support of readers and advertisers. “We thank our readers and our business partners and advertisers who have been with us on this exciting journey since September 30, 1978 and whose support through the decades has made it possible for us to bring quality journalism to your doorstep and screens every day,” Hamid Ahmad said.
AlMezel also thanked readers for their faith in the newspaper. “We are grateful to our readers who accompanied us in this great journey and pledge to them that we will stay true to our promise of serving them with objectivity and professionalism. The readers will always remain the driving force behind what we do and partner in our success as we move to the next level in our great journey,” he said.
On This Day
Leading up to September 30, we will publish news highlights of this day from select years starting with 1978, the year that Gulf News was launched by His Highness Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as a midday newspaper for Dubai and Sharjah.
Oil drilling operations off Jebel Ali officially got under way, when His Highness Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, pressed the button that activated the giant drill heads. The eight-legged jack-up rig was on a ‘wildcat’ mission — oil terminology for an exploratory well — and it could take up to six months before the operators knew the result of their work.
