Hours before ATV’s planned launch on August 1, the channel’s broadcasts were halted by the Audiovisual Commission, which asked the station to complete technical requirements.At the time, the channel said it was sure of the completion of its paperwork and the preparedness of its staff and grid in accordance with the high standards it promised viewers.
On August 9, the launch faced a new hurdle after the Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTVC) insisted that an agreement between the two establishments only tackles terrestrial transmission.
Last year Jordan Television (JTV) leased its Channel Two, a terrestrial channel, to ATV, which now owes the corporation JD2.5 million under this agreement, according to JRTVC Director General Faisal Shboul.Shboul said the satellite broadcast was not covered under the April 2006 deal.
Meanwhile, ATV director Muhannad Khatib told the Jordan Times that the audiovisual commission is delaying them deliberately in order to serve JTV during the high viewership season of Ramadan, when there are lots of commercials, which will be a source of revenue to JTV during the month.
“The commission is refusing to allow us to start satellite broadcast until we settle our issue with JTV, which is not their mandate and not under their jurisdiction. The Audiovisual Commission cannot act as a lawyer for JTV or a collection agency for them,” said Khatib.The ATV managing director said the commission was trying to link the satellite transmission to the terrestrial broadcast and force the channel to pay its dues to JTV.
He added that the channel has two agreements with the commission, one for satellite and the second for terrestrial, which do not specify simultaneous terrestrial and satellite transmission.
“The only body that has the authority to rule on any dispute is a court of law and if all efforts to launch the deal fail, we will take legal action against those who are preventing us from starting the broadcast,” said Khatib.
Personally, I think that JTV should have some self respect and not get involved in the issue right now, because it really looks like they’re trying to deliberately delay ATV’s broadcast. JTV lost the game to Arab satellite TV long ago… people can’t sympathize with them. They should’ve gotten their act together and tried to save their viewership long ago! ATV has been preparing for launch for the past two years now, anyone working in the media field in Jordan knows that this high-budget private TV station means business, and that they are not like the other private Jordanian TV stations that no one really knows of like Normina and 7Star!
Besides, JTV and the Audio Visual Commission lose credibility when JTV director Faisal Shboul was the acting director for the Audio Visual Commission at the beginning of August, when the decision to stop ATV’s launch came out. How exactly can you be the regulator and the regulated at the same time?? Or is JTV exempt from regulation because it is, after all, government-owned?
ATV has incurred great financial losses because of this continued delay. With two of Jordan’s biggest companies and largest spenders on advertisement re-branding this month, ATV probably missed out on hundreds of thousands if not a couple of millions of JDs in potential advertising.
I hope this whole issue is resolved before Ramadan; I know of some really cool stuff in store for the month and it would be a real shame if they don’t come out!
