Yarmouk Radio

To build the capacity of the participating student journalists, personnel from Autostrad travelled to WKU to engage in 3 weeks of intensive radio production training in the summer of 2006, followed by additional training the subsequent winter. These sessions were complemented by study visits to public and private radio stations in Washington, DC. This initiation process was designed to give students the tools they needed to engage in a hands-on experience in journalism as part of YFM. Most of the staff ranges in age from 18 to 22, guided by a single media professional, who serves as station manager.

The station was officially dedicated in February 2007, and the presence of various dignitaries at the grand opening was a strategic decision to communicate the importance of this new independent radio presence in Jordan. Amongst those dignitaries in attendance were the Speaker of the Upper House of Parliament (representing Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah), a representative of the US Ambassador to Jordan, the President of Yarmouk University, WKU's Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Internews. Selected students conducted an interview with two of these dignitaries, which was broadcast live. Also at the event, students gave the officials a tour of the radio facilities, including the production rooms, audio editing equipment, and advanced computer software. At a ceremony conducted in front of the radio station, Internews' COO presented an award to the Queen's representative to honour the support that the Queen has provided to youth and media development in the Kingdom of Jordan. At the end of the ceremony, a plaque marking the official opening of YFM, under the dedication of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdallah, was unveiled in front of the radio station.

This strategy of recognising dedication through the provision of awards is also reflected in a ceremony in August 2007 at which Internews honoured 10 outstanding students at YFM for their contributions to the station's growing impact. The students received cash awards in recognition of their commitment and high-quality work. One award recipient comes to the station every morning, even during the summer holidays.

In part due to this enthusiasm, since July 15 2007, YFM has been broadcasting 24 hours a day. Six hours of this programming is a student-produced programming cycle that includes news, sports, and local features geared towards university students and the local community. The rest of the time, the station broadcasts music. In November 2007, the young staff launched a programme called "Sabahayat" ("Mornings"). The programme introduces local news on traffic and civil services, followed by a brief segment called "Know Your Rights". Guests hosted on the program have included Irbid’s chief of police and head of transportation, among others. During the programme, callers from the local community are able to ask live questions of the guest.

YFM reporters have gone beyond providing information by stretching their programming into community activism. For example, when people living around the city of Irbid suffered water shortages of up to two months, YFM aired the problem and followed up with the Irbid Water Authority until the situation improved. When a local citizen called the station to protest an unwarranted penalty imposed on him by the electric company, the radio presenter immediately called a company spokesmen and connected him with the citizen, live and on the air. The fine was dropped, and the problem was resolved. Similarly, when word of the transportation difficulties of students commuting from Irbid to Mutah University in southern Jordan got out through YFM, the authorities added an early morning bus was added to cover this route. Students raised the issue of a waste problem in the city of Wadi Al Ghafar which was resulting in pollution and illness for the residents of the area. The students researched the issue and, although the local authorities were unresponsive to their findings, when the report was broadcast, the mayor of Wadi Al Ghafar called YFM, promising to resolve the issue. "The station is continuing to pressure the responsible local authorities so that the problem is resolved once and for all."

Community Media.

According to internews, Jordan liberalised its media laws in 2004, "allowing independent radio stations for the first time." The hope is that "Yarmouk FM will set a good example for independent media outlets in Jordan and in the region."

That said, because the station deals openly with community issues that are not always discussed publicly in this relatively conservative part of the country, it sometimes encounters local opposition. Internews explains that, when featuring issues that may seem controversial to the older generation of Irbid's community who believe that certain topics are off-limits, the station's staff has had to approach these issues with care and sensitivity, especially when dealing with call-ins. On several occasions, discussions on dating and romantic relationships, early marriages, intermarriages (marriage within one's own tribe or family), religious issues, and public smoking by women have caused local irritation.

In addition to servicing the information needs of the local community, "YFM is a great chance for the students of the Department of Journalism & Mass Communication," according to one student news anchor. "We are working with all aspects of radio, even the technical issues. I think I can say now that I really know what is waiting for me once graduated." Another student, who works in YFM programming, agreed: "YFM is giving me the chance of learning in a very professional manner. Now that we are broadcasting 24 hours a day, we feel that we are a real radio station. This experience is very important to me. I think I will make a career in radio."