Exclusive Radio News! European brand "Spin FM" ... SOON IN JORDAN!

NOTE: Spin FM started broadcasting, details HERE
One of the biggest investments in the radio industry is coming to Jordan, i dont wanna say soon, as it already started.

Soon, on your radio, you'll gonna start to hear a new European Radio brand, not only in Amman, but in other parts of the kingdom as well.

The Brand is ..... Spin FM

and there will be actually two Spin FMs, one original western music Spin FM, and the other would be Spin FM Arabia.

Photo from Spin Irland

Who? What? Where? When?

Lets see ...

The company that got the license for Spin FM in Jordan is called "Arab Modern Radio Broadcasting Corp", not quite a known name ,,,, but it might be clearer if i get to tell you that this company is a sister company of another company that made appearance lately in Jordan, called Accelerator Technology Holding, which got famous lately with the newly introduced VSAT Internet services in Jordan, as well as its entrance as a strategic financial investor in jeeran.com.

Now, who are the people behind Accelerator Technology Holding and/or Spin FM Jordan. Well, we have quite well known jordanian, regional, and international names, such as Fawaz Al-Zoubi, the ex-Jordanian minister of ICT, and a major share-holder in Rubicon. Plus, Jamil Sultan Al Essa, from Agility Logistics and Sultan Center. Citizens Communications' Maggie Wilderotter, Orascom's Naguib Sawiris, and Sam Zell chairman of Tribune Company, owner of major american media outlets and TV networks such as ABC and Fox. As well as Sbeih Al-Masri, the master of the Zara group, Cairo Amman Bank, and major tourism outlets in Jordan such as Hayatt Amman and the Movenpick resorts.

But, also on the list of owners, is, the one and only, Irish businessman Denis O'Brien.

Who is Denis O'Brien? [source]
Denis O'Brien, (born April 19, 1958 in County Cork), is an Irish entrepreneur. An Arts graduate of University College Dublin, an MBA in corporate finance holder from Boston College in 1982, and an honorary doctorat holder from University College Dublin.

O'Brien is a Mobile Phone Telecom Entrepreneur, and a telecom Entrepreneur in general, as well as a Radio & Media Entrepreneur.

Communicorp Group Ltd, which was formed by Denis in 1989, launched its radio operation in Ireland in the same year and followed with stations in the Czech Republic in 1992. Based in Dublin, Ireland, Communicorp has grown and become a major player in the Irish & European media market.

The company now owns 42 radio stations in 8 countries across Europe. Consisting of the following list of radio stations:

IRELAND
Dublin 98FM
Newstalk 106-108 FM
Spin 103.8
Spin SouthWest
East Coast FM

CZECH REPUBLIC
Kiss 98
Kiss Hady
Kiss Morava
Kiss Publikum
Kiss Jizni Cechy
Kiss Delta
Kiss Proton
Country Radio
Radio Beat
Radio Jizera
Radio Spin
Radio 1

HUNGARY
Juventus Radio
Sztar fM
Radio GaGa

LATVIA
Radio SWH
SWH+
SWH Rock

ESTONIA
Elmar
Radio Uuno
Radio Kuku
Radio 100fm
Dinamit FM
Radio U-Pop

FINLAND
Radio SuomiPop
Groove FM
Classic Radio
Metro FM

Ukraine
Nashe Radio Network
NRJ

BULGARIA
BG Radio
Radio 1
Retro Radio
NRJ
Radio Nova
City Radio
Radio Veronika

And as you can see among this list, Spin FM's brand is a major player in the Group's radio network. Also among the network are a variety of radio station that Communicorp Group took over, and some other famous brands the Communicorp got license to operate, just like the NRJ brand, which is owned by The NRJ Group, and which Communicorp got licenses for in Bulgaria and the Ukraine.

Quite an interesting investment from Communicorp Group in Jordan if i shall say, and in my opinion, and according to the way Communicorp Group's radio stations are conducted and managed abroad, and to which i listened, and still actually listen to almost daily online, those 2 radio stations will be just a start for their movement in Jordan.

One of the best things I liked about their radio network, is the variety of radio stations' genres. For example, and as you might have read previously in my famous radio comparisons post, Communicorp owns and runs Prague's only Classic Rock Radio station – Radio Beat, Prague's only Alternative music Radio station – Radio 1 Praha, and Prague's only country music radio station – Country Radio.

Just imagine having in the near future, a variety of themed oriented radio stations ... and by the way, having a,lets say, rock & alternative music radio station doesn't mean we should get imported radio announcers, and should mean that even local and regional rock and alternative music makers should be taken into considered in such a radio station .. and i guess Communicorp understands what am i saying here, and applies it in some parts of this world :)

O'Brien and his Communicorp's investment in the Jordanian media will be their 1st investment outside Europe in the radio industry, and I can assure you it will gonna be a successful one, and will not end as MBC Group's silent withdrawal was made from the Jordanian Radiosphere. Not only this, but it will be a start for further international investments in the Jordanian Radiosphere, who knows, maybe Virgin, or even NRJ, or maybe SBS will be next ..... So my dear Jordanian Media corps, please try not to ignore what noted earlier for you. And lets not forget that you, Jordanian Media Corps investing on the jordanian radiosphere, are the ones that made this market a rich one, and attractive enough for international groups like Communicorp to get into it with their European "Spin FM" brand.

UPDATE: The station is up and broadcasting on air
Click here for all the details

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!

Radio Guide Update: Various news!

well, its been a while, since i posted something, especially radio related... so mainly, here are the things occurring on the radio sphere the past month or so.

A New radio station on 93.7 FM in Amman Greater Area, the station has no name yet, more information will be available as ... available of course:)

Radio DW arabic services started broadcasting on RMC International's FM frequencies at night after the end of RMC's transmission at 10.20 PM JLT, until 11:30 PM JLT. on 106.2 FM from Ajlun covering northern jordan, and on 97.4 FM covering the greater amman area.

Melody FM Jordan now broadcasts with an enhanced RDS service, providing the playing song's title and singer through RDS-RT(Radio Text) service.

w basss!