Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTV) is Jordan’s state broadcaster whose history goes back to 1985 when the corporation was formed through the merger of Jordan Radio and Jordan Television. The broadcaster underwent a major restructuring in 2001 that led to the emergence of three television channels, a generalist one, a sports channel and a channel specializing in movies and children’s programming.
Media assets
Television: JRTV 1, JRTV 2, Al Ordoniyah
Radio: Radio Al-Urdunniyah, Radio Amman, Radio 3, Radio 4
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
JRTV was created by a special law, the Jordanian Radio and Television Corporation Law of 2000. The main governance structure of JRTV is a board of directors whose members along with the station’s general director are appointed by the Council of Ministers based on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and subject to formal appointment by a Royal Decree. The chairman of the Board is a minister who is appointed by the Prime Minister.
Source of funding and budget
Some 80% to 90% of the JRTV annual budget comes from the government, according to local experts and journalists. Some of that comes from a license fee worth some US$ 1.5 a month, which is collected through the electricity bill. In 2022, the company had a total budget of about JOD 24.6m (US$ 34.7m), 90% of which came from the government, according to a state budget document.
Editorial independence
JRTV lacks editorial independence as the state is regularly interfering with its editorial coverage. According to an older UNESCO report about Jordan, JRTV’s board continuously interfered in the editorial matters of the station. Practices such as journalists being ordered not to interview experts critical of the authorities are commonplace at JRTV, according to local journalists and experts. At the same time, state officials laud the broadcaster for spreading and defending the message of the Kingdom in the country.
JRTV doesn’t have a statute that establishes its independence.
No independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate JRTV’s editorial independence has been identified.
August 2023