Broadcasters eyeing Guinness World Record for longest radio talk show

AMMAN — Out of their determination to “celebrate Jordan internationally”, two local media figures are scheduled on Tuesday to commence an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest radio talk show as a team.

Jordanian actor and director Amjad Hijazeen and Lebanese radio host at Sawt El Ghad Jessy Abu Faysal aim to kick off the 61-hour live radio marathon to set a new world record, according to Abu Faysal.

Starting at around 7:30am on Tuesday, the show presenters are to continue the live broadcast until 8:30pm on Thursday. The marathon will be broadcast on Sawt El Ghad (101.5 FM), Play FM (99.6) and Nashama FM (105.1).

As a Jordanian, Hijazeen told The Jordan Times he feels “obliged” to present the Kingdom in a way that would bring positive attention to it.

 “The attention to Arabs should not only be for breaking records with the biggest hummus and tabbouleh plates,” he said.

Hijazeen added that among all the circumstances the world is witnessing, it is the “duty” of media figures and comedians to present a positive image of the Kingdom.

 “If I were to do [the challenge] alone, they would consider the accomplishment for Lebanon," Abu Faysal told The Jordan Times over the phone. "We wanted to add Jordan to the list of world records through something related to media."

“Out of my love for the country that has hosted me for more than 10 years, I want to offer it something from within my field,” she said earlier on her morning show, commenting on her participation in the challenge.

According to Guinness World Records regulations, each host cannot speak more than one minute, and for every hour that passes, they will be allowed to take a five-minute break.

Hijazeen said the hosts also cannot stay silent while a song plays in the background — they have to talk or sing.

The show will address many topics, including social issues, matters of general knowledge, historical information, and reports on different subjects.

Several media figures, artists and comedians will be interviewed during the marathon, tackling almost 30 subjects in total, Hijazeen told The Jordan Times.

“When you have 61 hours on air, you can talk about anything. We will be receiving calls from listeners and discussing spontaneous topics. The station is open for everyone,” he said.

Abu Faysal said medical advice given to the hosts included not sleeping for a long period before the show, avoiding drinking too much, and refraining from eating large portions of carbohydrates. 

The presenters were also advised to avoid drinking caffeine and eating milk chocolate on the first day, as well as to stay away from protein-rich foods, as they are not easy on the stomach, Hijazeen said. 

He added there will be a medical team present during the competition to check on the hosts’ conditions.

The presenters said they agreed to accumulate the five-minute break and take it instead as a whole hour for every 12 hours of live broadcast, which will allow them to stay awake and rest properly.

In 2013, Lebanese talk-show host Rima Njeim broke the then-world record for the longest marathon hosting a radio talk show by staying on air for around 46 hours, while in 2014, a Palestinian radio host Talaat Elwi created a new record and conducted the longest live interview for around 50 hours.

The Guinness World Record today for the longest marathon hosting a radio talk show by a single person is 80 hours and 5 minutes, achieved by Dulce Meneses at the Canal 4 radio station in Arona, Tenerife, Spain in 2015.

The current record-holder for the longest marathon hosting a radio talk show by a team in the Guinness World Records was a show in 2015 by Vadim Voronov, Alisa Selezneva, and Dmitry Olenin at the Russian Radio Studio in Moscow, which ran for 60 continuous hours.

“It’s true that Jordan is a small country, but that doesn’t mean we can’t offer the world anything. It is going to be a team effort. We hope to portray the brighter side of the Arab world,” Hijazeen said.