Jordan TV upgrades equipment to improve broadcast quality, compete regionally

AMMAN — Jordan Television seeks to expand its viewer base by updating its equipment to compete with other regional satellite channels, Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTVC) Director Ramadan Rawashdeh said on Sunday.

On Saturday, the JRTVC bought a JD3 million high-definition (HD) mobile broadcasting unit equipped with nine cameras, one of which is wireless, Rawashdeh told The Jordan Times.

“The new unit will be used to cover field events such as football matches and festivals in a way that viewers will enjoy,” he said, noting that transmission quality of the main and sports channels improved as of Saturday.

Rawashdeh added that Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani on Saturday inaugurated an HD transmission zone, which improves the upload capacity from 3.5 megahertz to 5.5 megahertz.

“The corporation also rented a mobile digital broadcast unit on a three-year lease ending with ownership,” the director said, noting that JRTVC now has a total of five digital broadcast units and one HD unit.

Jordan TV will launch a new programming schedule on April 1, with changes to shape and content, according to Rawashdeh.

“For example, the newscast will start with important Arab and international stories if there is no important local news story, with local protocol news presented later,” he said, adding that this strategy is implemented under the directives of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour.

Regarding JRTVC’s projected third channel, Rawashdeh said there will be a meeting with Ensour on plans for the new channel, noting that it is more likely to be a private one.

The JRTVC director had told The Jordan Times in early February that the new channel will focus on broadcasting youth, family and drama programmes.