Over the weekend, MTV launched its first foray into the Middle East with MTV Arabia. The channel debuted Saturday at midnight with a pre-recorded show featuring the rapper Ludacris, Akon, as well as two Middle Eastern hip-hop acts. It's not quite "Video Killed The Radio Star" but for the conservative Arabic-speaking television market, it marks a liberal departure. MTV is aware of the cultural climate into which it enters. Abdullatif al-Sayegh, chief executive of Arab Media Group which co-owns MTV Arabia said, "When we come to people's homes, we want to earn their respect." Programming Directors indicated that all content would be pre-screened for nudity, offensive language and references to the consumption of alcohol. In the same statement, MTV Arabia is said to focus on R&B and hip-hop, two genres popular in the region. How hip-hop will co-exist with censorship of nudity, offensive language and the consumption of alcohol remains to be seen but Soulja Boy probably won't "super man" any "hos" in Riyadh. The network hopes to replace existing satellite programs that currently spin music videos in the region. [AP]