Saudi woman becomes first to anchor evening news on state TV

Weam Al Dakheel made history as the first woman in the history of state-owned Saudi TV Channel 1 to present the 9:30pm newscast.

She appeared alongside co-anchor Omar Al Nashwan on Thursday to present the evening news bulletin, a field previously dominated by Saudi men, as female presenters used to focus on morning and family programs.

“Jumanah AlShami was the first women to present morning newscasts in 2016. Today history repeats itself as Weam AlDakheel becomes the presenter of the main nightly newscast, setting a precedent in an historic first for Saudi TV 1,” Saudi TV said on its official Twitter channel.

The following night, her colleague Nada Al Dahham co-presented the nightly news bulletin.

The empowerment of Saudi women is a key pillar of Saudi Vision 2030, initiated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The past year saw the entrance of some 600,000 Saudi women to the workforce, women started to drive after the lifting of a decades-long ban in June, and ladies are now able to enter sports stadiums for the first time and to attend concerts and other public gatherings.