Satellite TV creates media waves

Lahore: With nearly 50 television channels and more than 100 FM radio stations sprouting during the last five years or so in Pakistan, the journalist community here has every reason to foresee a bright future ahead.

For the first time since country's inception in 1947, most Pakistani journalists find themselves busy making hay amid the electronic media thunder, as their salaries have increased manifold. There has also been a marked difference in their lifestyles.

The government has also scrambled to placate the journalist community, especially in the larger cities, with lucrative land plots at subsidised rates.

While most men in the Press are rejoicing over the transformation of their fortunes a few are pondering about their future prospects, just in case the media bubble proved to be short-lived.

Talking to Gulf News , Director News, Century Television Network, Fahd Hussain said: "In my opinion, the bullish sentiment in the electronic media industry will persist for another two to three years, before we might witness an 'inevitable correction', as is the case in the bourses. This 'correction' may then lead to the merger, if not closure, of smaller channels. Only the larger entities with heavy wallets will hence survive. But most in the mainstream will surely have to pave way for a handful of relatively bigger establishments with more resources behind them."

Breaking the vicious circle of poverty wasn't easy for these Pakistani journalists as they have been haunted by murders, terrorism, kidnapping, physical assaults, imprisonment, court trials, policy coercion and undue censorships throughout their careers.

And they are still being haunted. On top of all these scares and bounties, swords of a controversial defamation ordinance and other stringent electronic media laws continue to hang over their heads, making it uphill for them to cater to the information needs of the 35 per cent literate compatriots.

However, it goes without saying that all the sacrifices rendered and the hardships borne by them would have gone in vain, had a few vibrant media barons not come forward with massive investment plans in the satellite sphere. The GEO Television Network, run by Pakistan's most affluent media mogul Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, had triggered the media boom in 2002 by breaking the monopoly of state-owned channels.

Responsible for laying the foundation-stone of a more liberal information regime, the GEO TV was followed by a host of others including the likes of ARY Digital Network and the AAJ Television, funded by the UAE-based gold tycoon Abdul Razaak Yaqoob and M.A. Zuberi respectively.

Apart from Yaqoob and Zuberi, a few other financially sound media-cum-corporate magnates are also busy buying more bandwidth, high quality cameras and state-of-the-art microphones for their channels.

To hit the stage with a bang, these channels are concentrating on achieving high quality programme content, more effective distribution networks and latest set designing techniques for better production standards.

Realising the massive sway by satellite media in the country, eminent media magnates like Sultan Lakhani, Arif Nizami and Hameed Haroon have also joined the party of late by announcing the launch of Century Television Network, Waqt Television and Dawn Television respectively.

Though corporate giant Sultan Lakhani is the most recent induction into country's media galaxy, pundits are pinning high hopes in his ability, courtesy his financial prowess and illustrious track-record in business worldwide.

Philip Morris International of the US, the makers of Marlboro cigarettes, are the latest addition to the list of Sultan Lakhani's international business partners when they bought the shares of his Lakson Tobacco Company at a high price.

The credentials of Hameed Haroon and Arif Nizami, owners of the Dawn Group and the Nawai-Waqt groups of newspapers, speak for themselves and require no introduction. Both Haroons and the vintage Nizamis have been uncrowned kings in print media business for the last 60 years.

The ARY Network, Century Television and the Dawn Television, being ably assisted by celebrated aces like Talat Hussain, Fahd Hussain and Azhar Abbas respectively, are thus on the move to create a stir at a time when the Musharraf regime is finding it difficult to harness the existing outlets.

Pakistan's multi-billion dollar satellite market is currently busy hiring the "cream" of professionals, some of whom are being paid more than Rs1.5 million (Dh90,000) a month with other perks and privileges.