Jordan Times
Sunday, April 26, 1998
JTV launches 3rd channel
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh
AMMAN — State-run Jordan Television (JTV), celebrating its
30th anniversary, said on Saturday it will launch a third channel
dedicated to sports and cultural events as part of a major plan
to refurbish its image, dented by growing popular criticism.
Nasser Judeh, director general of Jordan’s Radio and
Television, said the new image will include a new JTV logo as
well as a comprehensive series of programmes. But he gave no cost
estimates.
“Launching a third channel has always been the dream of
JTV,” he told a news conference, “and now, with
God’s will, it will come true as of the 1st of May.”
Mr. Judeh said the new channel will cover an area that includes
Amman, Salt, Zarqa, Irbid, Naour and Aqaba in the first stage. He
said the public would be notified about the channel’s
transmission hours once they are finalised.
JTV, which gained administrative and financial independence from
the government earlier this year, has been facing tough
competition from scores of Arab and international television
stations beamed on world satellites. Citizens have often
complained of the JTV’s poor programme quality compared to
what is shown on rival stations in the region and abroad. JTV has
insisted that budget constraints have limited its choices.
Mr. Judeh said the new channel will compliment existing second
channel’s broadcasting programmes and news bulletins in
Arabic and English.
“The new channel will not have a separate identity form the
first and second channels. It will cover different issues that
will help compliment them,” said British-educated Mr. Judeh
, 37, who took over the new post as head of the Television and
Radio corporation earlier this year.
During the press conference, Mr. Judeh unveiled JTV’s new
logo, to be formally screened on Sunday, ahead of a four-day
celebration that will start on April 27. It will be used until
the end of 1998.
The Royal Crown, a symbol of the monarchy, is embedded in an
eye-shaped form at the heart of the logo, with the figure 30
situated at the end of the eye against blue-coloured background.
“Coming-up with this new logo has taken a lot of time and
effort,” he said adding that JTV had placed ads in local
dailies seeking specialised agencies to help develop the new
image. However, JTV staff provided the final product.
“We benefited from suggestions sent by several agencies
which we used to develop our own ideas and perspectives,”
Mr. Judeh said.
“The logo will have many versions that will be used to mark
programme intermissions, including a still image of the picture
described earlier and a longer 30-second version that starts with
animation and ends with the logo form,” he added.
“Our focus was placed mainly on transporting a better visual
concept with a futuristic perspective,” said Rania Khouri,
member of the JTV team responsible for implementing JTV’s
facelift.
She said images of the new logo start with different sites and
scenery from areas around Jordan reflecting all aspects of life,
ranging from urban to rural, and end with the main logo form.
Mr. Judeh said a new set of programmes will be transmitted during
the April 27-30 celebrations that will provide viewers a glimpse
of JTV’s upcoming programme cycle to be launched on May 1,
also marking International Labour Day.
Mr. Judeh and other JTV officials said the new cycle will have a
wider variety of programmes dealing with different aspects of
today’s world.
“The change is not a marginal one. Rather, it heralds a new
phase in JTV’s history,” Mr. Judeh said.
New programmes will feature women and family issues, live talk
shows and contests, a hidden camera programme, new children
programmes, classic JTV productions and drama work.
A contest show called “Remember and Win” will host
retired JTV staff including old anchormen and women as well as
directors and technicians.
He said he hoped the new programmes and logo will help the
audience identify with JTV channels.
JTV will launch three talk shows a week — political,
economic and press-oriented — in which JTV will receive live
questions from the public, a novelty in Jordan but common on
other Arab TV stations.
The new facelift also includes a restructuring of Jordan’s
five year-old satellite channel to help boost the country’s
image abroad and reflect its modernisation.
Mr. Judeh said that comparing JTV’s performance with a host
of competing satellites aiming various programmes did not pose a
threat to JTV.
“Comparison helps us re-evaluate our performance,” he
said.
He said channels should be evaluated from a wider perspective,
not by one or two successful programmes but by their general
policy and performance.
“We cannot claim perfection, but we always aim at
improving,” he said.