‘Jordan TV to launch new channel’

AMMAN — Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTVC) is preparing to launch a third channel, a JRTVC official said Thursday.

“The new channel will focus on broadcasting youth, family and drama programmes,” JRTVC Director Ramadan Rawashdeh told The Jordan Times in a phone interview.

The corporation currently has one main satellite TV channel and another one dedicated for sports.

He noted that the budget of the new channel has not yet been decided, since it has to be sent to the Lower House for deliberation and endorsement.

 “The new channel will be mainly directed to an Arab and regional audience,” Rawashdeh said, adding that it will have around 170 employees. 

The 2015 JRTVC budget stands at JD3 million, with the corporation’s revenues in 2014 reaching around JD4 million, Rawashdeh noted, estimating the total number of the corporation’s employees at around 1,800.

The estimated expenditures for developing JRTVC over the last three years stand at around JD14 million.

In 1974, Jordan Television was the first Arab channel to broadcast its programmes in colour, instead of the older black-and-white format, according to the JRTVC website.

Jordan Television and Radio Jordan were combined under one institution in 1985 following the issuance of the JRTVC Law.