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By Kamran Rehmat/Islamabad
The first generation of contemporary media reforms in Pakistan brought about increase in media space with the TV channels going up from one state-run enterprise to nearly a hundred domineering private entities.
The radio stations also jumped from one to about 150. The resultant increase in the number of media practitioners is 17,000 from 2,000 in 2002. This has led to a surge in media pluralism (multi-national, multi-linguist, multi-ethnic media).
The second generation reforms are now setting in with the emphasis of media evolution shifting from quantity to quality.
Hence the general realisation that carving out niches (as opposed to cloning oneself after the next media organisation) and developing thematic expertise is growing within the media sector.
Nationally, TV may be the dominant communication medium in Pakistan but radio still remains a crucial conduit for communicating with Pakistanis in many parts of the country, especially areas in conflict. This is particularly the case in rural areas and less economically developed provinces.
Specifically, in the rural areas of the Balochistan province, 46% of respondents - according to Intermedia, a nonprofit organisation working for open media - say they listen to the radio at least weekly, rivaling rural television viewership at 47%.
In rural areas of the other three provinces surveyed - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab and Sindh - radio listenership is strong but is still lower than TV viewership.
In regions such as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), widely recognised as the "militant capital" of Pakistan, radio transmissions are often people's main source of entertainment and news, mainly because religious extremists disrupt television broadcasts through frequent sabotage.
Mainstream newspapers are also not available; many villages are difficult to access and selling publications can be risky for the seller. According to International Media Support, within Fata region and also large parts of KP, TV sets are simply too expensive and access to electricity is spotty.
A wide range of radio stations are popular in Pakistan. However, even as local news and information in slowly increasing, most still focus on entertainment programming.
Popularity rankings differ substantially from province to province, reflecting in part linguistic differences, but state-run Radio Pakistan, or PBC, continues to be the dominate player nationally.
PBC network features about 50 different regional and local stations and broadcasts programming in at least 16 languages. The listenership of PBC and its main rivals, including the BBC World Service and some private stations, varies by demographic group and province.
In many areas of Fata, and even some areas of KP, citizens are exposed to uncontested propaganda and erroneous information from illegally run radical radio. In the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority's (Pemra) 2009 annual report, the state regulator said there were more than 100 illegal stations run by mullahs or religious extremist groups operational in Fata alone.
The report adds that much of the residents in Fata are ill informed about developments outside the province and unaware of developments outside of Pakistan. These illegal stations sometimes have a detrimental effect on education and development efforts.
Religious extremist stations have been instrumental in campaigning against polio vaccines because these are seen as being "un-Islamic" and suspected to be a cause of infertility!
Educational and healthcare information is either scarce or highly distorted in these regions. For many areas Fata, and in some places in KP, the main alternatives to these illegal radical radio stations are government-controlled FM stations based in urban centres, along with international stations such as the BBC World Service, Voice of America or Afghan-based Deeva Radio. Only three radio stations, all owned by the state, transmit in Fata region.
The jurisdiction of Pemra does not extend to Fata, which means there are no legal private radio stations or TV channels based in the region.
In large part similar constraints to independent media exist in KP. However, a number of media development groups have worked to establish local radio outlets offering local news and information.
One such organisation is Intermedia which conducts journalism capacity building projects and maintains a media resource centre.
Two of Intermedia's projects, supported by the British FCO, are characteristic of those often conducted in developing countries. The first aims to enhance reporting on community issues in Fata and the second to generate programming on thematic issues that promote local perspectives on various issues of local importance.
The programmes are aired on the three government stations in Fata and are the only locally produced community-oriented current affairs programming by locals and for locals.
The purpose of the trainings related to the production of the programmes is to strengthen local station staff's ability to create program content that addresses local news and information needs.
Television reaches a wide audience nationally and is also critical to reaching those lower down on the socio-economic scale in most areas of the country. In fact, among the illiterate, only about 23% reported listening to the radio in the last week, versus 60% for TV.
Overall, radio use increases substantially as educational attainment rises, with weekly listenership peaking at 39% among those with a post-secondary education. Female radio listeners are much more likely to listen at home than men.
Young adults are most likely to listen to the radio on a mobile phone, with about 37% of young adult listeners saying they do so. A large majority of these mobile radio listeners reside in either the Sindh or Punjab.
Another factor in wavelength use is the government's control over the licencing specific wavelengths. The government limits the issuing of short and medium wave licenses, preferring to grant FM licenses to privately-run stations.
Shortwave is the preferred wavelength within mountainous regions and the government is seeking to monopolise this wavelength. With shortwave broadcasting capability, a privately-run station could potentially rival PBC in certain regions, specifically in Fata and KP.
l The writer is a freelance journalist based in Islamabad and can be reached at kaamyabi@gmail.com
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| On air: Islamabad's drive-time news show is hosted by reporters on a rotating basis and carries stories that are of relevance to listeners in Islamabad and Rawalpindi |
The radio stations also jumped from one to about 150. The resultant increase in the number of media practitioners is 17,000 from 2,000 in 2002. This has led to a surge in media pluralism (multi-national, multi-linguist, multi-ethnic media).
The second generation reforms are now setting in with the emphasis of media evolution shifting from quantity to quality.
Hence the general realisation that carving out niches (as opposed to cloning oneself after the next media organisation) and developing thematic expertise is growing within the media sector.
Nationally, TV may be the dominant communication medium in Pakistan but radio still remains a crucial conduit for communicating with Pakistanis in many parts of the country, especially areas in conflict. This is particularly the case in rural areas and less economically developed provinces.
Specifically, in the rural areas of the Balochistan province, 46% of respondents - according to Intermedia, a nonprofit organisation working for open media - say they listen to the radio at least weekly, rivaling rural television viewership at 47%.
In rural areas of the other three provinces surveyed - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab and Sindh - radio listenership is strong but is still lower than TV viewership.
In regions such as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), widely recognised as the "militant capital" of Pakistan, radio transmissions are often people's main source of entertainment and news, mainly because religious extremists disrupt television broadcasts through frequent sabotage.
Mainstream newspapers are also not available; many villages are difficult to access and selling publications can be risky for the seller. According to International Media Support, within Fata region and also large parts of KP, TV sets are simply too expensive and access to electricity is spotty.
A wide range of radio stations are popular in Pakistan. However, even as local news and information in slowly increasing, most still focus on entertainment programming.
Popularity rankings differ substantially from province to province, reflecting in part linguistic differences, but state-run Radio Pakistan, or PBC, continues to be the dominate player nationally.
PBC network features about 50 different regional and local stations and broadcasts programming in at least 16 languages. The listenership of PBC and its main rivals, including the BBC World Service and some private stations, varies by demographic group and province.
In many areas of Fata, and even some areas of KP, citizens are exposed to uncontested propaganda and erroneous information from illegally run radical radio. In the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority's (Pemra) 2009 annual report, the state regulator said there were more than 100 illegal stations run by mullahs or religious extremist groups operational in Fata alone.
The report adds that much of the residents in Fata are ill informed about developments outside the province and unaware of developments outside of Pakistan. These illegal stations sometimes have a detrimental effect on education and development efforts.
Religious extremist stations have been instrumental in campaigning against polio vaccines because these are seen as being "un-Islamic" and suspected to be a cause of infertility!
Educational and healthcare information is either scarce or highly distorted in these regions. For many areas Fata, and in some places in KP, the main alternatives to these illegal radical radio stations are government-controlled FM stations based in urban centres, along with international stations such as the BBC World Service, Voice of America or Afghan-based Deeva Radio. Only three radio stations, all owned by the state, transmit in Fata region.
The jurisdiction of Pemra does not extend to Fata, which means there are no legal private radio stations or TV channels based in the region.
In large part similar constraints to independent media exist in KP. However, a number of media development groups have worked to establish local radio outlets offering local news and information.
One such organisation is Intermedia which conducts journalism capacity building projects and maintains a media resource centre.
Two of Intermedia's projects, supported by the British FCO, are characteristic of those often conducted in developing countries. The first aims to enhance reporting on community issues in Fata and the second to generate programming on thematic issues that promote local perspectives on various issues of local importance.
The programmes are aired on the three government stations in Fata and are the only locally produced community-oriented current affairs programming by locals and for locals.
The purpose of the trainings related to the production of the programmes is to strengthen local station staff's ability to create program content that addresses local news and information needs.
Television reaches a wide audience nationally and is also critical to reaching those lower down on the socio-economic scale in most areas of the country. In fact, among the illiterate, only about 23% reported listening to the radio in the last week, versus 60% for TV.
Overall, radio use increases substantially as educational attainment rises, with weekly listenership peaking at 39% among those with a post-secondary education. Female radio listeners are much more likely to listen at home than men.
Young adults are most likely to listen to the radio on a mobile phone, with about 37% of young adult listeners saying they do so. A large majority of these mobile radio listeners reside in either the Sindh or Punjab.
Another factor in wavelength use is the government's control over the licencing specific wavelengths. The government limits the issuing of short and medium wave licenses, preferring to grant FM licenses to privately-run stations.
Shortwave is the preferred wavelength within mountainous regions and the government is seeking to monopolise this wavelength. With shortwave broadcasting capability, a privately-run station could potentially rival PBC in certain regions, specifically in Fata and KP.
l The writer is a freelance journalist based in Islamabad and can be reached at kaamyabi@gmail.com
SOURCE: Gulf Time ---Relevancy of radio in television age http://bit.ly/pw7NaB
Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia
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