Saudi Arabian state television made its first broadcast on July 17, 1965, carrying signal tests in
Riyadh and
Jeddah. These tests consisted of static slides, music, and some
Mighty Mouse cartoons. The two stations were set up with assistance from
NBC International. It was the third television station to sign on in Saudi Arabia, after
Aramco TV (1957) and
AJL-TV (1955). The introduction of a national service was seen with controversy from conservative Islamic clerics, believing that television was the "devil's handiwork". The first regular broadcast of Saudi Television was a reading of the Qur'an. With limited resources, Saudi Television broadcast from the two centers with a schedule that didn't surpass five hours a day. By the 1970s, the station was broadcasting on two shifts on weekdays (10am to 1pm; 6pm to midnight) and a continuous shift on weekends (without the afternoon break). ==References==