Minister of Government Communication and Government Spokesperson, Faisal Shboul, announced the government’s intention to amend the system of broadcasting licenses and TV and radio re-broadcasts, as well as fees collected by Media Commission (MC) of Jordan. During his meeting on Saturday, with editors-in-chief of daily newspapers and directors of official media institutions, Shboul said he made a recommendation, under Prime Minister’s directives, based on “a MC-drafted study, to reduce the fees contained in this system by remunerative rates to stimulate investment in Jordan’s media sector and support investors.” The amendments aim to reducing broadcasting and re-broadcasting fees and licensing fees for satellite news gathering (SNG) equipment. This state support for the Kingdom’s media sector comes after the current government approved multiple subsidizes to paper newspapers, primarily paying advertising amounts in advance. In this regard, the gov’t also raised price of government announcements and tender advertisements in paper daily newspapers, to become JD1 for each word instead of 55 piasters, which contributed to alleviating challenges and achieving sustainable revenues that enhance its capability to compete. As for other licensed media outlets, all government policies, whether at the local or Arab level, aim to preserve a professional national media environment and preserve its share of the advertising market after social media acquired the “largest” share of the advertising trading. A total of 63 institutions, including 22 TV stations and 39 radio stations transmitting from inside Jordan, and 2 re-transmission stations from the Kingdom, are operating in the audiovisual media sector.
Source: Jordan News Agency