"We expect to start airing the sessions of the Lower House when they start. The ban has been lifted," Radio Al Balad's chairman, Elyass Farkouh, told The Jordan Times in a telephone interview.

He said the lawsuit filed against the community radio station is still being seen by the court, but "we agreed with Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali that we can resume broadcasting the parliamentary debates," he added.

"More, we will soon have an interview the speaker," Farkouh added.

In March, the Lower House filed a lawsuit against Radio Al Balad, formerly Ammannet, and subsequently banned it from covering the sessions for allegedly insulting the Chamber of Deputies.

Also in early March, the Audiovisual Commission filed a lawsuit against Radio Al Balad for reading an insult against the Lower House on air.

Later, the radio station sent a letter of apology to the Lower House for reading the comment on air deemed insulting to the Chamber of Deputies and called for allowing the station to carry on with its job, covering the meetings.

In the letter, addressed to Majali, Radio Al Balad Director General Daoud Kuttab said the station has taken all procedures to prevent a reoccurrence of the incident, adding that the "mistake" was not intentional and does not reflect the station's policies.

Al Balad is the only radio station that airs live the entire sessions and dedicates hours of its broadcasting time among the country's 23 radio stations, including the state-run Radio Jordan.

Introducing itself as a model community station, Al Balad also used to broadcast in full the meetings of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) Council before Mayor Omar Maani imposed a ban on such a practice.

Officials at Al Balad said GAM refuses to rverse the decision despite an outcry by the station's staff and media activists.

Al Balad started as a web-based radio in 2000 before it went on FM 92.4 when the government started licensing private radio stations three years ago.

By Mohammad Ghazal

© Jordan Times 2008

 

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