This document is downloaded from DR-NTU, Nanyang Technological University Library, Singapore.

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1 This document is downloaded from DR-NTU, Nanyang Technological University Library, Singapore. Title Pakistan Author(s) Jadoon, Javed Khan. Citation Date 2000 URL Rights

2 Paper No. 13 COUNTRY REPORT AMIC-DEUTSCHE-WELLE WORKSHOP on RADIO and the INTERNETat River View Hotel» on 3rd-8th of July, 2000 PAKISTAN by Javed Khan Jadoon

3 A PRESENTATION FOR DEUTSCHE WELLE AMIC SEMINAR ON " RADION AND THE INTERNET " SINGAPORE JULY3-8,2000 PBC at a glance: The Beginning; Radio Pakistan came on the air at midnight of 14th August, 1947 and began functioning as a Government Department with a 5 kw medium-wave transmitter at Lahore and another 10 kw transmitter at Peshawar covering 4.5% of area and 6.7% of the population of the country in its home services. No short-wave transmitter was inherited by Pakistan. The external services for foreign listeners were started in 1949 when a 50 kw short-wave transmitter was installed at Karachi. Radio was the main intstrument in spreading the message of Quaid-e-Azam which in 1947 and onwards revolved round Unity, Faith and Discipline. Radio Pakistan made rapid progress in the years after the independence and in 1972 there were seven radio stations functioning in the major cities of Pakistan putting out daily in the Home Services 130 hours programmes including 71 news bulletins. The daily duration of the External Broadcasts in fifteen languages directed to 61 countries was 16 hours. From 1947 till 20th December, 1972, Radio continued to operate as an attached department of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. In December, 1972, the government decided to convert Radio Pakistan into a Statuary Corporation so as to give it an opportunity to organize itself on modern lines and achieve professional excellence by enjoying greater administrative and financial autonomy. Today in 1997, PBC has 23 radio stations whose transmitting power ranges from 250 Kw to 1000 Kw and the total power comes to 3850 Kw in the medium-wave and short-wave both. The programmes/news are now broadcast for 300 hours a day in the domestic and external Services. It broadcasts hourly News Bulletins. The present coverage on medium-wave is 95% of population and 75% of area while coverage on short-wave is 100% in population and area made possible through a battery of powerful transmitters. Radio Pakistan's message today is reaching four corners of the world through the Internet. Policy and objectives: The PBC act 1972 assigns the following main objectives to be followed by PBC along with its other public service activities in economic, agricultural, social, political, religious and cultural fields in the format of discussion programs, plays, features, documentaries, audience participated talk shows, general talks on social themes, music and news programmes: To provide broadcasting services in the fields of information, education and entertainment through programmes which maintain a proper balance in

4 their subject matter and a high general standard of quality and morality; To broadcast programmes to promote Islamic Ideology, national unity and principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice as enunciated by Islam. To reflect the urges and aspiration of the people of Pakistan and promote principles of democracy and culture of freedom and tolerance. To present news of events in as factual, accurate and impartial manner as possible and to carry out instructions of Federal Government with regard to general pattern of policies in respect of programmes. To broadcast programmes in the External Services to foreign countries with a view to promote friendship and project Pakistan's view point on international issues in true perceptive. After independence, Radio Pakistan developed its own identity. The use of Urdu and 20 regional languages as vehicles of communication enabled it to spread varied information and promote Pakistani nationhood, values and culture through modern communication skills. Commercially sponsored programmes are also so designed that they meet general ethical standards, which the Pakistani society approves. The canvas of radio programmes is as wide and varied as the country itself. Radio Pakistan, being the largest and most fast-reaching mass medium in the country, is entrusted with the task of educating people on the Government policies; informing them of events at home and abroad; of exhorting them to solid, concerted work to remove remedial obstacles in the way of national progress; to remind them of their identity as Muslims and as Pakistanis; to share with them the joys of their achievements on all fronts; ranging from economic growth to agriculture, from sports to arts and literature; to create pride among them for their glorious past; encompassing the independence struggle and the distant chapters of nation history so richly illustrated by the great contributions to human thought and civilization by the Muslim scholars, philosophers and scientists. The Basic policy which guides radio professionals in the selection of domestic and international news and other general broadcasts is framed on the premise that the broadcast version is factual, based on confirmed sources, does not provoke general dissent or mutual recriminations, meets journalistic ethical standards and saves, the radio organization from unnecessary libel complications. GENERAL PROGRAMMING Radio Pakistan through its 21 stations located at as many places in the country goes on air for 270 hours daily in the Home Service using 20 languages and reaches 75% of the area and 95% of the population of the country. Nearly half the time is devoted to information and education and remaining half to entertainment. In its programme-fare PBC makes use of all the formats in order to reach its listeners by catering to their

5 interests. Programme fare is a balanced combination of information entertainment specially music and education. INTERNET Like other broadcast stations of the world, Radio Pakistan developed its web site three years ago. Hosted by COMSATS, Islamabad, this site ( presently very simple ), provides information and entertainment programmes. This site has a link of Live Radio Transmission.Live transmission includes selected programmes of home service, world service and FM101 (Music channel). At present 25 users can be connected to this site at a time. Radio Pakistan is also launching a new web site very soon providing more options. Seven main news bulletins are also daily updated for the site along with text. These include four in English i.e hours, 1300 hours, 1800 hours and 2100 hours, 0700 hours Urdu, 1500 Hours Urdu and 2000 hours Urdu Khabarnama of 30 minutes duration. These are stored files and remain available on site only for 24 hours. Audio and Text of important events is also available on site for unlimited period. MUSIC AND SOUND LIBRARY: Radio Pakistan has the biggest sound library containing a wide variety of more than twenty-two thousand tapes which not only preserve the valued spoken word items but thousands of individual recordings of music (Ghazal and Geet numbering 4000), qawwali and Naat, light music, folk songs, theatre songs, instrumental music as well as classical music both vocal and instrumental. Besides, this sound library recordings of the Holy Quran in the voices of famous Qaris, Tafseer-ul-Quran (interpretation) by world renowned religious scholars both in Urdu and Kashmiri are also available. Hundreds of Qawwalis by famous performers of the level of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan also remain preserved. The musical rendering of Pakistan's national poet Iqbal's poems can also be found in this library in the voice of Pakistan's melody queen Noor Jahan with the Arabic sung by Um-e-Kulsoom of Egypt. Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation has become the first national organisation which embarked upon a computerisation programme in its national news room.. The automation of the news room is a leap forward which brought about revolutionary changes in the realm of news editing and drafting. The General News Room, the External Services and the Languages sections have been connected through networking. Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts national news bulletins of various duration from 0600 hours to 2300 hours daily. In all eighteen

6 national news bulletins are broadcast. Out of which thirteen are broadcast in Urdu while five in English. Several national and international news agencies are available on line. These agencies include AFP and Reuters (international) and APP, PPI and NNI (national). Besides, Central News Organisation has a full fledged reporting section. Reporters are given assignments to cover different events taking place in the country. There is external services section which is responsible for broadcasting news in various languages. News bulletins are prepared in English and handed over to the respective languages which are translated and broadcast by the concerned sections. The External Services broadcasts news in fifteen languages including Arabic, Turkish, French, Hindi, Afghan Persian, Indonesian, Tamil, Turki, Chinese, Russian, Bangali, Nepeli, Sinhali, Irani and Asami. The external services section is also fully automated and computerised. International and national news agencies are also available. PBC has a most modern, advanced and computerised monitoring section. The news broadcasts from all major international broadcasting agencies are monitored round the clock. After being monitored the news items are provided on line for the general news room editors to be used in the news broadcasts, national and international. The international networks which are being monitored by the section include major international Television and Radio stations. Among the international TV Channels which are being monitored include CNN, BBC World, Doordarshan (India), Zee TV, Star TV and Sky news. The major international Radio stations being monitored include BBC, Radio Moscow, VOA, VOG, VOI, Radio Teheran, All India Radio, Radio Netherlands, Radio Switzerland, Radio Beijing, Radio Bangladesh, Radio Tashkent, Radio Kuwait, Radio Australia, Radio Dubai, Radio Abu Dhabi, Radio Kabul, Radio Monte Carlo, Radio Cairo, Radio Riyadh, Radio Amman, Radio France and Radio Japan. The news monitored from all these sources is compiled by the monitoring section and provided to the General News Room on line to be used in the news broadcast. The monitoring section also compiles a daily presentation of all the news items monitored from the major Television and Radio stations round the globe and produced in the form of a booklet which is sent onward to the subscribers which include research institutions, diplomatic missions and other national organisations. Current Affairs section is responsible for broadcasting current affairs programme on national and international events. Eminent Writers,

7 Intellectuals and Journalists are invited to write on the major developments. The Current Affairs section is also computerised and connected with the general news room. The importance of reporters is pivotal in any news organisation. Radio Pakistan has evolved a network of reporters spread all over the country. There are eighteen radio stations spread across the country. All these stations have news units. These units besides broadcasting local news bulletins cover all the news worthy events in their respective areas, to be used in the national news broadcasts. Islamabad reporting section has been computerised. Reporters covering the important news events file the news reports on computers to be made available on line for the news room. The provincial capitals have been connected with the general news room through networking. News reporters at these stations file their stories as the news take place for prompt coverage in the national and regional news bulletins. There is an Urdu section which translates the news bulletins into Urdu language. Urdu section is also fully computerised. Translation is carried out on computers. The news can be read on line in the studios as Urdu section and the studios are part of the automation. However a printed copy is provided to the newsreaders. There is a regional languages section as well. News bulletins are broadcast in Sindhi, Punjabi, Pushto, and Broclhi which major languages of the country. News bulletins prepared by the Editors concerned in English and translated by the concerned language translators. A total of 104 news bulletins including those of external services with a duration of 606 minutes are put out everyday in the Home Services, External Services and the World Services to keep listeners abreast, both at home and abroad of the latest happenings around the world. Of these, 82 news bulletins are in the Home Service in English, Urdu and regional languages. Fourteen bulletins are broadcast in the foreign languages for PBC external services. The broadcast of news has been recently fully computerized based on customized software. Progressively apart from bulletins in Urdu and English, the regional language bulletins in Sindhi, Punjabi, Pushto and Balochi will also be broadcast through computerized automation. In addition the bulletins in English and Urdu have already been put on Internet both in Text and Audio form. The Minister of Information inaugurated automation in April The Information Minister has advised the Director General and the Director of News to execute further computerization and automation of the remaining news and programme services. In the Current Affairs programmes, opinions and views as expressed in the Parliament, news papers and by the news making personalities are

8 aired in the form of discussions, reviews and interviews both on domestic and international level. The table shows the language and the timings of National bulletins, broadcast simultaneously from all PBC radio stations. NOTE: Please acknowledge the recept and send other details and programme. From: Javed Khan Jadoon, News Editor, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Broadcasting House, Islamabad (Pakistan)