INDEPENDENT TV IN JORDAN SLOW TO LAUNCH

UNCLAS AMMAN 001186

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/PPD, IIP/GNEA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: JO KPAO PHUM KMDR
SUBJECT: INDEPENDENT TV IN JORDAN SLOW TO LAUNCH


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: ATV, JORDAN'S FIRST INDEPENDENT TELEVISION
BROADCAST CHANNEL, HAS YET TO GO ON THE AIR MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER
ITS INITIAL LAUNCH DATE WAS ANNOUNCED. WHILE ATV NEWS AND
PROGRAMMING STAFF CONTINUE TO CONDUCT REAL-TIME PRACTICE PROGRAMS
FOR THEIR EVENTUAL DEBUT ON THE AIR, STATION MANAGERS HAVE CEASED TO
PROVIDE A FIRM LAUNCH DATE, INSTEAD ASSERTING THAT THE CHANNEL WILL
APPEAR ONLY "WHEN THE CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT." PRIVATELY, ATV'S
WELL-PAID STAFF EXPRESS FRUSTRATION, AND PROGRESS TOWARDS COMPLETION
OF ATV'S STATE-OF-THE-ART STUDIO FACILITIES IS SLOW. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) THE JORDAN UNITED TELEVISION BROADCAST COMPANY, KNOWN BY ITS
CALL SIGN ATV, IS JORDANS FIRST INDEPENDENT TELEVISION CHANNEL, SET
TO BROADCAST ON BOTH TERRESTRIAL AND SATELLITE SIGNALS. ATV WILL
OFFER 24-HOUR NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMMING, THE MAJORITY OF
WHICH WILL BE PRODUCED LOCALLY, AIMED AT A GENERAL VIEWING AUDIENCE
IN JORDAN AND THE WEST BANK. BY THE SPRING OF 2006, THE CHANNEL HAD
HIRED A SIZEABLE NEWS STAFF, THE MOST SENIOR OF WHOM PREVIOUSLY
WORKED FOR GULF-BASED PAN-ARAB SATELLITE TELEVISION COMPANIES. BOTH
NEWS AND PROGRAMMING STAFF ARE REPORTEDLY ENGAGED FULL-TIME IN
REPORTING AND PRODUCTION TRAINING EXERCISES IN ADVANCE OF THEIR
DEBUT ON THE AIR.


3. (SBU) ATV WAS INITIALLY SCHEDULED TO LAUNCH IN SPRING OF LAST
YEAR. LAUNCH DATES HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY POSTPONED DUE TO
NON-SPECIFIC "TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES" ACCORDING TO ATV SOURCES,
INCLUDING ITS FOUNDER AND MAJOR STAKEHOLDER, MOHAMED ALAYYAN, WHO
ALSO PUBLISHES JORDANS LEADING INDEPENDENT ARABIC DAILY NEWSPAPER
AL GHAD. TOWARDS THE END OF LAST YEAR, POST CONTACTS AT ATV STOPPED
OFFERING A FIRM LAUNCH DATE, INSTEAD ASSERTING THAT THE CHANNEL WILL
LAUNCH ONLY "WHEN CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT."


4. (SBU) PRIVATELY, ATV'S WELL-PAID STAFF EXPRESS FRUSTRATION AT
THE DELAY AND ITS EXPLANATION. DURING A TOUR OF THE NEW STUDIOS
EARLIER THIS WEEK BY PUBLIC DIPLOMACY DUBAI HUB DIRECTOR MICHAEL
PELLETIER AND PAO, CONSTRUCTION OF THE STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES
HAD CLEARLY SLOWED SHORT OF COMPLETION. ONE OF JORDAN'S LEADING
FREE-SPEECH ADVOCATES, WHOSE ORGANIZATION HAS PROVIDED ATV STAFF
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING, TOLD IO THAT ATV'S DELAY IS DUE PRIMARILY TO
THE POOR PERFORMANCE OF THE BUILDING CONTRACTOR, AND DISCOUNTED ANY
POLITICAL REASONS FOR THE LAUNCH DELAY.

HALE