Hadashot (Israeli Television News)

Hadashot was the successor name of Channel 2 News.[1] Following the November 2017 division of Channel 2, programs produced by Keshet moved to Channel 12 and programs produced by Reshet moved to Channel 13, while the shared nightly news program initially continued on both stations.[1][2]

A Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs commentary describes Amnon Abramovich, who was hired by Maariv editor Shmuel Schnitzer in 1981, as having gone on to become the leading commentator for Channel 2 Television News.[5]

Public television broadcasting for general audiences began in Israel in 1968, later than in Jordan and Egypt.[6] During Israel's one-channel era, the primetime news program Mabat LaHadashot ("A Look at the News") became an important institution of public life. It was reportedly so popular that placing telephone calls during its broadcast was considered improper.[6] A 1987 survey found that approximately 75 percent of the public watched Mabat every day.[4]

Channel 2 transformed that landscape. It began broadcasting in November 1993 and was Israel's first commercial television station.[3][4] Three private franchise companies operated the channel, each broadcasting two days per week, with Saturday broadcasts rotating among them.[3][7] The Second Television and Radio Authority supervised the channel.[3] A National Library of Israel archive record for a September 1993 article in the Hebrew newspaper Ḥadashot carries the title "ערוץ 2 בוא!"—approximately, "Channel 2, here we come!"[8]

Channel 2 had a news division shared by its three licensees.[7] Its main nightly newscast occupied the 8 p.m. time slot alongside the public broadcaster's equivalent program.[4] Channel 2 became one of Israel's principal broadcast outlets, alongside Channel 10 and the Israel Broadcasting Authority.[9]

The core of the Channel 2 news operation was its nightly 8 p.m. newscast.[4] Under the original three-licensee structure, the news division was shared among the companies operating the channel.[7] After the 2017 split, Hadashot's nightly program continued to air simultaneously on channels 12 and 13.[1][2]

Hadashot also operated the Knesset Channel from that channel's founding in 2006. The service broadcasts all plenary sessions of Israel's parliament, together with political and current-affairs programming.[10]

Following the 2017 split, the Hadashot news network was shared by Reshet and Keshet, with Keshet designated to become its sole owner following regulatory approval of the proposed merger between Reshet and Channel 10.[11] After that merger, Hadashot stopped airing simultaneously on channels 12 and 13 in January 2019 and began broadcasting only on Keshet 12. The change followed Keshet's purchase of Reshet's shares in the news company.[1]

Hadashot's operation of the Knesset Channel was also contested through a tender process. The High Court of Justice suspended a proposed transfer of the contract, allowing Hadashot to continue operating the channel while the tender was investigated.[12]

Hadashot carried forward the shared news operation of Channel 2, one of Israel's principal broadcast outlets alongside Channel 10 and the public Israel Broadcasting Authority.[9][7] Its main nightly newscast occupied the 8 p.m. slot in competition with the public channel's news department.[4] Operation of the Knesset Channel added continuous parliamentary coverage to its commercial-news role.[10] Together, these functions gave Hadashot a place in both daily news broadcasting and Israel's wider broadcast infrastructure.

In May 2018, Hadashot covered two major events occurring simultaneously: the opening ceremony of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem and violent scenes along the Gaza border.[13] A Times of Israel report said the broadcast initially used a split screen for the two events but later replaced the Gaza coverage with full coverage of the embassy opening.[13]

The report compared the decision with a controversial Channel 2 split-screen broadcast in 2002 that showed a terrorist attack alongside a live soccer match.[13]

A distinct Hebrew daily newspaper titled Ḥadashot was published in Tel Aviv from 1984 to 1993. The print publication predates and is separate from the television news operation.[14] The earlier program Mabat LaHadashot carried a related but distinct title, while Educational Television operated the news program Erev Hadash ("A New Evening").[6][15] The subject of this article is the television news operation formerly known as Channel 2 News.[1]