Two radio stations launched in Jordan
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 Two new private radio stations went on the air in Jordan in February, raising the number of private stations in the Kingdom to 10 compared to zero just a few years ago.
The boom is the direct result of the liberalization of the audio visual sector in 2002, which allowed private local and foreign companies to invest in the nascent market.
“Before the law was passed, there was a complete monopoly of the public sector over radio and television broadcasting. But afterwards, the door opened for (private) investment in the audiovisual sector,” said Hussein Bani Hani, the head of Jordan’s Audiovisual Commission (AVC).
“So far, we have had 50 license applications for radio and television stations. We have already approved 14 FM radio stations, a terrestrial (non-satellite) television station and we are in the process of approving 13 satellite televisions,” Bani Hani told MEB Journal.
Radio station Sawt al Madina (SAM), which is owned by Al Baddad Media and Communications (BMC), began its broadcast in February with a variety of programs including political and economic news.
Earlier in February, the first Islamic radio station went on the air waves. Al Hayat FM, owned by Al Salam Audio Media Company, broadcasts a variety of cultural and social programs with an Islamic flair.
Only two private radio stations, Amman Net and the newly established Sawt al Madina, are, allowed to broadcast political content after paying an additional fee.
Bani Hani said there were no restrictions on the type of broadcasting or the content of programming “except for the conditions that fall under the umbrella of public order.”
“This includes respect for humanity, the rights of others, freedom of expression, objectivity, obeying public order and the needs of national security, as well preventing the broadcast of any material that causes sectarian or religious tensions or harms national unity, ” he said. The annual license fee associated for an FM radio station differs according to the geographical coverage and the type of radio station. The fee can range anywhere between JD 25,000 (US$ 35,265) for the greater Amman area to JD 15,000 (US$ 21,170) for Zarka and Irbid and JD 10,000 (US$ 14,114) for the remaining parts of the Kingdom for a variety radio station with no political content.
Bani Hani said the commission is still processing the applications for three licenses. If approved, this would bring the number of stations in kingdom to 18. “The (audiovisual) law did not provide a limit for the number of licenses. It’s the market that decides that. Citing statistics by the French Ipsos-Stat company, Bani Hani said that advertising spending on radio stations rose to $3.5 million in 2005 compared to a mere $400,000 in 2001.
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