Private TV channels use alternative means to reach audience

Islamabad: The newsroom of Geo television buzzed with activity. Intense young reporters hurried in and out, editors shouted to one another as they juggled BlackBerrys and cell phones, and big TV monitors showed the fruit of these frantic labours: another tumultuous day's news unfolding, live.

But few in Pakistan would see the coverage.

Broadcasts on Geo's Urdu-language news channel, like those of more than three dozen independent TV channels, have been blocked by the government since the early hours of a state of emergency declared on November 3 by Pakistan's president, General Pervez Musharraf.

"It was like watching the lights go out, one by one," said Kamran Rehmat, news editor at English-language Dawn TV, recalling the methodical shutdown of all but government-run Pakistan Television.

News-hungry viewers looking for the private channels, which normally attract a daily audience in the millions, get only a blue screen and a message: "No signal. Sorry for the inconvenience." "It's so medieval," Rehmat said. "You think you live in the information age, in the information world, and you wonder, 'How could this be happening?'" Foreign governments, human rights organisations and media advocates have condemned the crackdown on Pakistan's freewheeling independent broadcasters, which for months had provided a steady stream of news and commentary about the burgeoning political crisis.

Ironically, it was Musharraf who had allowed private channels to flourish over the last three years. But the general's self-described policy of "enlightened moderation" changed abruptly this year, when massive street demonstrations against him were broadcast on live TV, magnifying their impact. Suddenly, ordinary people in far-flung towns and villages could see the groundswell of anti-government sentiment. Many rural Pakistanis are illiterate and rely on television rather than newspapers for information. To them, the coverage was literally an eye-opener.

Extraordinary powers

When Musharraf declared the state of emergency, granting himself extraordinary powers to stifle dissent, private TV channels were among his first targets. Within Pakistan, he also blocked the reception by cable of international outlets such as the BBC and CNN.

Tech-savvy Pakistanis are finding other ways to get the news - and relay to the world what they see happening around them. Traffic on Pakistan-themed blogs and in internet chat rooms has exploded since the start of the emergency.

The internet also gives television channels an alternative. Geo is streaming news content on its website. On Tuesday, an incendiary address delivered via cell phone by fired Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was swiftly disseminated.

Viewers with satellite dishes are still able to watch the private channels, but they represent only about 10 per cent of total viewership, and authorities are now moving to restrict sales of new dishes.

Private Pakistani TV channels can also be viewed outside the country, in large parts of the Middle East and South Asia. That nets a substantial audience of expatriate Pakistanis, who then call, text-message and e-mail friends and relatives back home with the latest developments.

But reporters and editors say an audience in the Pakistani diaspora, while providing a lifeline in the crisis, is no substitute for traditional broadcast channels. Being deprived of their regular audience hasn't stopped news channels from working flat-out to provide coverage. In TV newsrooms, bleary eyes and unshaven chins attest to long hours of nonstop news gathering from across the country.