The Voice of TV and Radio: Pakistan's Broadcast Media System

Pakistan's media system has become much more modern and outspoken in the last few years. This is primarily because of Musharaff's decision to allow private TV and radio channels in 2002. With the rise of private stations as well as a small, but active, blogosphere, the media voice has become much more diversified than the days when the Pakistan Television Network had a monopoly. However, Musharraf and his successor, Asif Ali Zardari, have continually worked to muzzle and control the media.

Pakistan's modern media system can be traced to 2002, when Musharraf lifted the ban on private broadcast, resulting in a mushrooming of private TV and radio news stations. The state TV channel, Pakistan Television Network, once had virtual control of the airwaves, but now competes with more than 50 private stations. Today, Pakistan has six 24-hour TV news stations. The most popular station, Geo News, is owned by the same company that owns the largest Pakistani newspaper, The Daily Jang. Geo News has had a transformative effect on journalism in Pakistan, leading a new sort of critical reporting on the government. There are also more than 50 private FM radio stations, but they are not allowed to broadcast their own news programs.

Broadcast media is more strictly regulated than print. Newspapers and presses are required to register themselves with the local administration, but this is generally a formality. However, private TV and radio stations must apply for a license from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority and are very much under the control of PEMRA. No licensing or registration is required for journalists, which may be the reason no estimate of the number of journalists could be found during my research.

Although Pakistan's media system has expanded greatly in the last seven years, the degree of press freedom in the country remains low. Reporters Without Borders consistently ranks Pakistan near the bottom of the list in terms of press freedom. The 2008 index places Pakistan at No. 152 out of 173 countries. President Musharraf's decision to allow private broadcast stations ushered in the modern era of the country's media system, but the government has clamped down again in recent months.

Some of the limitations in Pakistan's media come from educational and technological limitations in the general population. With less than 50 percent of the country literate, newspapers cannot reach the majority of the people. With only about 6 percent of the country connected to the Internet, blogging and citizen journalism has yet to take hold in a big way. Increased education and Internet access will help a greater portion of the population gain access to-and participate in-the conversations in the media. Increased flow of information will increase governmental accountability and make for a more democratic nation.

Sources:
Winn, Heather. "Reporting on Pakistan: Media Perspectives and Challenges." PCR Project.
El-Khawas, Mohamed. "Musharraf and Pakistan: Democracy Postponed." Mediterranean Quarterly.
Nadadur, Ramanujan D. "Self-Censorship in the Pakistani Print Media." South Asian Survey.
"Pakistan Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers." Press Reference.