Radio Guide Update: Panorama FM Jordan closes down

On a first of a kind phenomena in the Jordanian radiosphere, the pan-arab radio and TV network, MBC Group, closes down its radio station, Panorama FM Jordan, which used to broadcast on 106.7 FM.
Actually, MBC Group was the 1st private company to get in the jordanian market ever since the late 1990s, when MBC Group was based in London, with its very famous pan-arab radio station mbc FM, broadcasting from London at that time, via satellite, and throughout local FM frequencies in KSA, Jordan, and later in Bahrain, UAE and other gulf countries.
At that time, and until MBC Group moved to Dubai Media City, mbc FM had very high rating and listener's interaction, due to its "arabic-music-oriented" European Hit Music Station style. And wide variety of music and exclusive airplay hits, resulting in high interaction from the Jordanian listeners at that time "Despite the fact that the radio station was mainly oriented towards the saudi market, a thing that was obvious in the station's commercials". & things improved after that when special shows was being aired for mbc FM Amman only, and when jordanian commercials started having airplay on mbc FM throughout seagulls. Also at that time, this station was very famous among Taxi drivers, especially since CD and Cassette players were banned in jordanian taxis at that time!

But, later after the station was moved to dubai, in 2002, the station got too "Gulfanized", at the time when Jordanian private radio stations started popping up in the Ammani airwaves. So, MBC Group decided to stop mbc FM Amman, and replace it with Panorama FM, their newly established dubai-based radio station, which was less "Gulfanized" and more "Lebanesed".

The ratings weren't effected that much with the change, that is, when MBC Group went on last summer with having most of Panorama FM Amman's shows dedicated for Amman, with jordanian presenters even, and separate from the ordinary Panorama FM programs. This was a movement in the right-way, and a step that increased the rating pretty high (I mentioned a lot of Taxi drivers getting back to tune to 106.7 FM).. But Apparently, things didn't continue as expected, and the station closed down it local station in Amman.

Currently, tuning in to 106.7 FM, you will get to hear Radio Jordan Broadcasting's Main Service, due to the fact that the transmission antenna was rented from JRTV Corp.

Quite an interesting phenomena, maybe thats a meter that shows that the jordanian radiosphere is not an easy one at the time being.

By the way, I do still consider mbc FM's old days' sound is the best arabic radio station sound i have ever heard until now. & no other arabic radio station running in jordan, or even at the region, at the time being is as good as mbc FM was when it was based in London. My opinion!

Sayara FM goes "Ma7joobed"

Sayara FM, by Mohammad Shamma is going through its 3rd year, getting sponsored by Al-Markaziah Toyota, and prmoted by Abu Mahjoob Creative Products :)

& Only on Radio Amman Net 92.4 FM

Project BiSCA's 1st mass-media appearance in its 1st birthday.

Project BiSCA (Bus Information, Scheduling, and Control for Amman), which is our (that is Ehab Al-Hakawati, Fayez Al-Rafeaa, and yours truly Nasim Al-Tamimi) University graduation project, and turned later by us into a pilot project aiming by that for it to be improved and implemented. BiSCA got last Sunday, the 28th of January 2007, its first ever nation-wide mass-media attention. When it was featured on Radio Amman Net 92.4 FM, through the only radio show in the Jordanian radio sphere concerned in traffic and transportation issues. “Sayara FM” with Mohammad Shamma.

The mass-media premier of project BiSCA to the nation featured the three of us, celebrating a year since project BiSCA's initialization with a very high confidentiality and hope that turning project BiSCA into a Pilot Project will be bringing BiSCA deeper into the Jordanian public transportation's reality. Along with a more sharpen view of what we have already done, and where we are heading to with project BiSCA.

Mohammad Shamma, the editor and presenter of “Syara FM” discussed with us the facts and applicabilities BiSCA will be affecting the urban public transportation sector in Amman when applied.

Mr Shamma also contacted Mr Hashem Masaeed, head of Jordanian Public Transportation Regulatory Commission, Mr Yousef Borno, head of traffic engineering dept in Amman Greater municipality, and Mr Abdul Sattar abu Hassan, The regional Vice-president of the International Union for Public Transportation and the owner and founder of Asia Transport Co. in order to discuss with them the possibility of applying such a project in Amman.

Personally speaking, I found both Mr Abdul Sattar, and Mr Yousef Borno positive regarding our project, and discussing the further technical details with us, and the possibility of integrating it with what they are trying to have/apply in the Greater Amman Municipality, and the newly founded Integrated Transportation Co respectively in the domain of Traffic and Transportation Information Systems.

On the other hand, also personally speaking, Mr Masaeed's response didn't sound that positive to me! Or didn't have time to get into a discussion about it.... I'll leave it for you to listen and judge!

By the way, I got to know the Mr Abdul Sattar abu Hassan already knew something about project BiSCA since he happened to read my blog from time to time :)

Yes, you can still listen to the show by clicking on this link (you can right click and save it as MP3). And even read the article published in AmmanNet's website about it.
The show will be also re-broadcasted this Thursday, at 11:30 AM on radio Amman Net, through 92.4 FM in the greater amman area, or through www.ammannet.net .

After a year of getting deeper than usual through the status of urban public transportation in the capital Amman, after conducting the most powerful standardized define and design methodologies for the project, And taking care of each and every tiny cost detail in it... after spending non stop days and nights trying to resolve some unexpected cases, after a bunch of locked doors in our faces turning us to depend totally on our selves in the project, after having the weirdest day of my life as the day when we had the project's presentation and my CPU and motherboard went dead, singing all sort of graduation songs. And after participating at a Zombie graduation projects competition.

Project BiSCA is now officially a pilot project. And an initiative lead by us to improve the urban public transportation sector in Amman.

We are ready for the challenge ....
We are ready for the mission ....
We are ready for changing what couldnt be resolved for years ...
We ARE Ready ....

Are YOU ready?!
WE know who YOU are meant to be .... Yes ... YOU ... are YOU READY for BiSCA!