Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTV)

The Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTV) is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s national state broadcaster, established by the 1985 merger of the previously separate Jordan Radio and Jordan Television services and reorganised under the 2000 Jordanian Radio and Television Corporation Law (Law No. 35 of 2000) governing the corporation’s contemporary structure. JRTV operates a portfolio of television channels, radio services and digital platforms, with a large staff base (earlier sources placed staffing around 1,500, while recent budget tables indicate a lower current total) and a budget overwhelmingly derived from state allocations.

Media assets

Television: Jordan TV / Al-Urdunniyya (general news and entertainment), Jordan Sport TV (sports), Al Ordoniyah (films and children’s programming)

Radio: Radio Al-Urdunniyah, Radio Amman FM, Radio Jordan (foreign-language service), Holy Quran Radio

Ownership and governance

JRTV operates under the framework of the 2000 Jordanian Radio and Television Corporation Law, which establishes the corporation as a public-sector institution and sets out its governance mechanisms. The Board of Directors and the Director-General are appointed by the Council of Ministers on the Prime Minister’s recommendation and formally endorsed through Royal Decree. The chairmanship of the board is typically held by a minister designated by the Prime Minister, anchoring JRTV within the executive branch of the Jordanian state and leaving little room for insulation from political direction at the topmost levels.

Ibrahim Bawarid has served as Director-General throughout the 2025/26 review period, continuing in post from his appointment by Cabinet in November 2022 and confirmed in office by Jordan media reporting through late 2025 and into early 2026. Under Bawarid’s stewardship, JRTV has continued the modernisation programme initiated in earlier cycles, including the integrated broadcasting system, the glass studio construction and studio renovations, and in September 2025 announced a modernisation strategy to bolster original drama production and enhance content quality. Gheith Tarawneh has served as Chairman of the JRTV Board of Directors throughout the 2025/26 review period and was confirmed in post by Jordan media reporting through September 2025.

The 2025/26 cycle’s wider political environment for JRTV’s governance was shaped by the September 2024 parliamentary elections and the formation of the Jafar Hassan government. King Abdullah II appointed Jafar Hassan as Prime Minister on 15 September 2024 following the resignation of Bisher Khasawneh after the parliamentary elections held on 10 September 2024, in which the Islamic Action Front (the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood) became the largest single party in the 138-seat lower house with 31 seats, though parliament remained largely in the hands of centrist, tribal and pro-government members. Mohammad Momani was appointed Minister of Government Communications and Government Spokesperson under the Hassan government, succeeding Muhannad Al Mubaidin. The structural framework governing JRTV, including the Board composition, the Director-General appointment and the ministerial chairmanship arrangement, remained intact across the government transition.

Source of funding and budget

JRTV is predominantly state-funded. SMM-retained expert sources, drawing on prior cycle interviews with Jordanian media observers and official data, place the state-funded share of JRTV’s annual operating budget at between 80 and 90 per cent; this funding-share characterisation should be treated as an SMM-retained expert estimate rather than as a published official budget line. A portion of the state funding is sourced through a mandatory licence fee modestly levied at approximately US$1.50 per month and collected alongside electricity bills; the remainder of operating revenue comes from advertising and other commercial activities.

In 2022, JRTV operated on a budget of approximately JOD 23 million (approximately US$32.4 million), increasing to JOD 25.18 million in 2023 (approximately US$35.5 million), of which JOD 23.1 million was a direct government allocation. Earlier reporting placed the 2024 JRTV budget at approximately JOD 27 million. In the 2025 budget discussions, the Lower House Finance Committee reported JRTV’s budget at approximately JOD 29 million, an increase of about JOD 2.5 million over the previous year. The 2026 General Budget Department chapter for JRTV lists estimated total expenditures of approximately JOD 31.97 million for 2026. As of the close of the 2025/26 review window, no significant shifts in JRTV’s funding model had been introduced and no structural funding reforms had materialised.

Editorial independence

JRTV continues to face persistent criticism over its lack of editorial autonomy. The broadcaster has long been regarded by Jordanian media observers and international press-freedom organisations as functioning as a state mouthpiece, with editorial lines closely mirroring official government positions and with no formal charter or statutory guarantee of editorial independence operating during the cycle. Journalists working for JRTV affiliates have reported being discouraged or forbidden from interviewing critics of the government, particularly those challenging official narratives on governance, economic reform or civil liberties, and editorial directives are frequently issued from upper management or government liaison officials.

AI and digital policy

JRTV has not published a public-facing institutional AI policy. Jordan’s national digital-policy work is pursued primarily through the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, with policy emphasis on infrastructure development, e-government services and AI ecosystem-building rather than a public-broadcasting-specific generative-AI framework. No public-sector generative-AI framework specific to JRTV was identified during the 2025/26 review.

Classification rationale

JRTV remains classified as State-Controlled (SC) for the 2026 cycle. The 2000 Jordanian Radio and Television Corporation Law gives the corporation a formal public-sector framework and public-service language, but it does not create an effective editorial firewall or arm’s-length appointment system; the Board of Directors and Director-General are appointed through the executive, on the Prime Minister’s recommendation and by Royal Decree, and the Board chairmanship is typically held by a minister or senior government figure. JRTV is predominantly funded through public allocations, with official budget discussions placing its 2025 budget at approximately JOD 29 million and the 2026 General Budget Department chapter listing estimated total expenditures of about JOD 31.97 million; the broadcaster does not publish audited financial statements sufficient for full external scrutiny, and Jordanian media observers continue to describe its editorial output as aligned with official state positions. The 2025/26 cycle, including the September 2024 parliamentary elections, the formation of the Jafar Hassan government and the continued enforcement of the 2023 Cybercrime Law against Jordanian journalists, produced no governance, funding or editorial reform sufficient to move JRTV out of the SC category.

June 2026