Staff at Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC) have raised concerns that the Arabic-language station is to be sold. The rumours follow on from the recent decision by ARA Programming & Distribution to cease all activity related to its planned Sara Vision MMDS system in Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Walid al-Ibrahim, brother-in-law to King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, is chairman of MBC and closely involved in the Sara Vision project, where losses are understood to be significant. However, Ian Ritchie, chief executive at MBC, while accepting there had been some staff anxiety, firmly denied MBC was for sale. “There is nothing on the stocks at all. There is nothing happening, other than the chairman is as involved and as interested in MBC’s progress as ever,” he said. However, a well-placed industry insider close to Middle Eastern affairs said it was well-known that Sheikh Walid would sell MBC “this afternoon” if he could get a sensible price for the station, which has yet to make a profit.