Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Murtaza Solangi, has inaugurated  the media training programme Pakistan Broadcasting Academy (PBA), reinstating its operations on February 28 in Islamabad. Speaking at the reactivation ceremony held at the PBA , Solangi lauded Director General Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Saeed Ahmed Sheikh, for spearheading the revival efforts.

According to The Nation, highlighting the Academy’s modern infrastructure, Solangi emphasized its pivotal role in training the next generation of media professionals. He stressed the significance of Radio Pakistan as a cornerstone of information dissemination and entertainment, noting the accessibility of PBA’s training programs worldwide through contemporary technological platforms.

According to Radio Pakistan, Solangi credited Radio Pakistan for fostering his multilingual skills, which include Urdu, English, Punjabi, and Saraiki. Director General Radio Pakistan, Saeed Ahmed Sheikh, echoed Solangi’s sentiments, welcoming over a hundred participants from diverse regions of Pakistan to the training program via Zoom, underscoring Radio Pakistan’s commitment to societal advancement.

The curriculum, spanning disciplines such as Musicology, Anchoring, Computer, Electronic Journalism, Podcasting, RJ, and Trans-media Storytelling, prioritizes practical knowledge and hands-on training. Esteemed figures from Radio Pakistan will impart their expertise, emphasizing responsible journalism aligned with ethical standards.

According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, Solangi noted that the youth of today are fortunate, as they have access to modern amenities like the internet, unlike previous generations. He emphasized that radio, utilizing contemporary technology, now serves as a tool for education and training, providing valuable resources to young people. The minister highlighted the PBA’s alignment with modern needs, reaching out to youth in remote areas through platforms like Zoom.

Solangi emphasized the global reach facilitated by modern technology, enabling participation in radio programs from anywhere in the world. The minister expressed satisfaction with the diverse participation of Pakistani youth in the initial training program which will also include training for Radio Pakistan staff. He underscored the media’s adaptation to new trends, particularly embracing concepts like artificial intelligence. Notably, the first training program of the Pakistan Broadcasting Academy, following its reactivation, has attracted 107 participants, including 35 females.

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PESHAWAR: A two-member delegation from National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) on Thursday met with Director General Information and Public Relations here at his office and discussed matters relating to the role of Information Dept in promotion of peace in the province.

The role of media, especially the Radio in providing timely and accurate information to the general public was also discussed in detail.

DG Information KP, Muhammad Imran said the media has played a pivotal and responsible role in maintaining lasting peace in the province. To further improve its capacity and sphere, the Information Dept has established FM radios in the far-flung areas of the newly merged districts from where transmission in local and Pashto languages was continued.

He said the role of people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in promoting national harmony and cohesion was of the prime importance adding that the Info Dept was endeavoring to render its services in a best possible manner in this connection. He said ten radio stations of the department were proving credible information to the public besides informing them regarding their responsibilities.

The NACTA delegation while commending the role of Information and Public Relations Department in the province hoped that these endeavors will definitely yield encouraging results.

Source: Associated Press of Pakistan

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ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) will hold bidding to issue FM radio licenses for the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Buner District.

According to a news release, the bidding process was scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 25, 2024, at 10:30am at PEMRA Headquarters.

Source:  Associated Press of Pakistan

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ISLAMABAD   –   Caretaker Minister for In­formation and Broadcast­ing Murtaza Solangi, in his address to an international conference in Amsterdam on Saturday, highlighted the significant achieve­ments made by Radio Paki­stan in its digital migration journey. Addressing the international conference on Radio Resource Control and Management via Zoom, he said Radio Pakistan had achieved significant mile­stones in its journey of digi­tal migration. Despite facing numerous challenges and obstacles, Radio Pakistan has been on its path of prog­ress, he said while stressing that the broadcasting land­scape was evolving globally, including in Pakistan. He said digitalization of Radio Pakistan was currently in progress, with efforts were underway to digitize its entire archives. The min­ister said Radio Pakistan was transitioning towards Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) technology to align its broadcasts with interna­tional standards. With the installation of DRM trans­mitters, he said Radio Paki­stan’s broadcast would not only be accessible through­out the country but also in neighboring nations. So­langi noted that the DRM technology was expected to reduce Radio Pakistan’s operational costs by up to 40 per cent, with the added benefit of energy saving. The minister also high­lighted an important fea­ture of DRM transmitters, which included an emer­gency warning system ca­pable of issuing immediate alerts during natural disas­ters. The initiative would also facilitate disaster management authorities in carrying out relief efforts in affected areas.

Source:  The Nation

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Peshawar – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Minister of Information Barrister Feroze Jamal inaugurated a podcast studio at the University of Peshawar’s Department of Journalism on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that the profession of journalism has a great deal of responsibility for the betterment of the society and the country.

“Journalism is an important pillar of a state. Irresponsible and misuse of this profession can be a source of destruction for the whole of the society. We have to value our teachers, because they create civilised societies and have an important role in the longterm development of any society,” he added. Vice Chancellor University of Peshawar Prof Dr Muhammad Idrees, Chairman Journalism Department Prod Dr Faizullah Jan, other faculty members, students and journalists attended the event.

On the occasion, the caretaker minister was given a detailed briefing on various sections and affairs of the Journalism Department and later he met the students and also visited the studio. The minister said that the podcast studio would train students in the journalism profession.

He said that journalism is an important profession and it can put right many problems in society. He said it is responsibility of the journalists while reporting to keep our social values in mind. Misuse of social media led to incidents like May 09.

Speaking on the occasion, Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Idrees said that journalism is an important field. He said the university administration would always support the department.

He said that when he took charge, there were salary issues in the university. “Now we have passed surplus budgets twice. My efforts are meant to solve the problems of all the departments of the university,” he added.

Chairman Journalism Department Prof Dr Faizullah Jan while addressing the event said that the department had been established in 1978 as the first department of journalism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“The department has produced seasoned journalists. Now the department not only produces journalists but attention is being paid to strategic communication,” he added.

Source:  The Nation

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ISLAMABAD: Directions have been issued to the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) to release the pending dues of employees before Ramazan 20.

A Senate committee on Friday also suggested that vehicle owners should be charged up to Rs5,000 for subscription to Radio Pakistan because the national broadcaster needed to be steered out of a financial crises.

A subcommittee of the Senate Standing Committee on Information held a detailed briefing on the financial condition of the PBC and expressed serious concern over non-payment of pensions and salaries to its serving as well as retired employees.

Convener of the subcommittee Senator Irfan Siddiqui asked the management of the PBC to give a deadline for releasing the pending pensions and salaries of the Radio Pakistan employees.

Senate panel suggests charging vehicle owners for subscription to Radio Pakistan

Radio Pakistan Director GeneralTahir Hassan assured the subcommittee that two months’ pending pension as well as two months’ pending salaries of the employees will be cleared before Eid.

The committee was informed about the financial woes of Radio Pakistan and that it was currently facing a revenue shortfall of around Rs2.2 billion. Officials also requested the senators to help them in obtaining a one-time bailout grant of Rs1 billion to meet its expenditures for May and June.

Senator Siddiqui asked the officials of Radio Pakistan to prepare a financial recovery plan and present it to the Senate standing committee after getting approval of the Radio Pakistan Board.

“The problem is that you people have been acting on your own bypassing the rules – eventually things will not materialise and financial conditions will not improve,” Senator Siddiqui said.

Some options for financial recovery of Radio Pakistan included charging up to Rs5,000 from vehicle owners as radio subscription at the time of registration and payment of the token fee.

“We need to have business development plans on modern lines including harnessing potentials of properties owned by radio but all steps have to be taken in accordance with the law and in a transparent manner,” the convener of the subcommittee added.

The issue of rental income by Radio Pakistan was raised by Senator Waqar Mehdi, and the subcommittee was informed that around Rs748 million were yet o be recovered in terms of rent.

The subcommittee was informed that most of the tenants were government departments at Radio Pakistan buildings and land while many were not paying rents whereas Sindh Rangers had occupied a portion of Radio Pakistan building on M.A. Jinnah Road, Karachi without any approval.

Senator Mehdi said Radio Pakistan had given its property to private institutions at very low rates and significant efforts were not being made to recover the pending amount.

“One property in Karachi has been rented at Rs54 per square foot to a fast food restaurant. This is unfair and Radio Pakistan has not done anything serious to get Rangers out of the building.

“Did you write to Sindh government or the interior ministry against actions of Rangers. Besides, why is Radio Pakistan paying the utility bills of that building?” he added.

Senator Siddiqui assured the officials of Radio Pakistan of help from the Senate body but only if they acted to improve their recoveries.

He also directed the officials to refurbish Z.A. Bukhari auditorium in PBC headquarters Islamabad while Senator Mehdi promised to get donations for carpets, furniture and so on.

Source: Dawn

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World Radio Day is being observed today to highlight the importance of radio as a key medium of educating people, providing information and promoting freedom of expression across cultures.

The theme for this year’s World Radio Day is “Radio and Peace”.

On this day, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation is organizing a grand dialogue among FMs, Stream Channels and OTT platforms to discuss the emerging new digital broadcasting ecosystem at Radio Pakistan Headquarters Islamabad.

The dialogue will help shape new opportunities for the broadcasters and listeners to cope with the challenging role and scope of broadcasting industry.

The dialogue is aimed at communication, collaboration, cooperation and critical thinking for development and effectiveness of broadcasting media in the country.

Radio is an important source, of mass communication in the present era, which remains vital during war, peace, catastrophe and pandemic.

Source: Radio Pakistan

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Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Friday decided to grant FM-Radio licences for merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), aimed at providing the latest transmission services there.

The decision was taken in a meeting, presided over by PEMRA Chairman Muhammad Saleem Baig, which reviewed the annual performance of the authority’s senior officers, a news release said.

Senior Director Generals, Director Generals and senior officers of all regional offices of PEMRA attended the meeting.

The meeting also finalized a policy for cable licensing in under-served areas and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) policy.

Apart from this, the meeting deliberated on various issues while evaluating the performance related to the collection of revenue and a committee for revision of the tariff of cable TV.

The PEMRA Chairman got a detailed briefing on day-to-day affairs and recovery and emphasized on implementation of PEMRA laws in letter and spirit.

“Indian transmission should be strictly prohibited as the content viewed on them is harmful to our religious and social values and for the economy of Pakistan,” he said instructing Regional Directors to ensure a ‘zero tolerance’ policy in that regard.

Saleem Baig urged all the officers to do their best for improving the image and prestige of the authority.

The chairman asked the officers to ensure the implementation of PEMRA laws, stressing strong ‘communication and consultation’ with all stakeholders for the development of the media industry in Pakistan.

Source: APP

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ISLAMABAD: Officials of the information ministry on Wednesday informed a parliamentary committee that the project to convert radio from analog to digital technology would cost approximately Rs3.5 billion.

The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, which met here with Senator Faisal Javed in the chair, was briefed by the officials about the ‘Digital Radio Migration’ project.

The ministry said the project would help in making radio greener, clearer and bigger and it would also prove fruitful in increasing the revenue of the radio.

The committee also discussed the issue raised by ARY News regarding blockage of transmission.

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Chairman Mohammad Saleem Baig informed the members that the authority had not given order to block any news channel’s transmission.

Mr Baig asked the ARY channel’s spokesperson to provide details about areas where transmission had been blocked as well as names of cable operators.

He said the authority would take legal action against those responsible for blocking the channel’s transmission.

The committee chairman, Senator Faisal Javed, inquired from the ministry about the steps taken to curb the menace of fake news.

He was of the opinion that there was no need to make new laws but to strengthen the existing ones and regulatory authorities.

The committee also discussed the authenticity of the list circulating on social media about the entourage of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia.

Senator Faisal Javed directed the ministry to provide details of prime minister’s visits to different countries from 2018 onwards to differentiate between the expense of visits of the former and current prime minister.

The officials of Internal Publicity (IP) Wing briefed the committee members about the structure, programming and working of IP wing.

The IP wing was part of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and its major functions were to formulate, update policies, laws, rules and regulatory framework concerning print, electronic and digital media, the IP wing’s officials told the participants.

It coordinated with media bodies like All Pakistan Newspapers Society, Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.

Senator Aon Abbas Buppi asked the officials to provide details of people who had so far received financial assistance from the wing.

Source: Dawn

ISLAMABAD: Officials of the information ministry on Wednesday informed a parliamentary committee that the project to convert radio from analog to digital technology would cost approximately Rs3.5 billion.

The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, which met here with Senator Faisal Javed in the chair, was briefed by the officials about the ‘Digital Radio Migration’ project.

The ministry said the project would help in making radio greener, clearer and bigger and it would also prove fruitful in increasing the revenue of the radio.

The committee also discussed the issue raised by ARY News regarding blockage of transmission.

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Chairman Mohammad Saleem Baig informed the members that the authority had not given order to block any news channel’s transmission.

Mr Baig asked the ARY channel’s spokesperson to provide details about areas where transmission had been blocked as well as names of cable operators.

He said the authority would take legal action against those responsible for blocking the channel’s transmission.

The committee chairman, Senator Faisal Javed, inquired from the ministry about the steps taken to curb the menace of fake news.

He was of the opinion that there was no need to make new laws but to strengthen the existing ones and regulatory authorities.

The committee also discussed the authenticity of the list circulating on social media about the entourage of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia.

Senator Faisal Javed directed the ministry to provide details of prime minister’s visits to different countries from 2018 onwards to differentiate between the expense of visits of the former and current prime minister.

The officials of Internal Publicity (IP) Wing briefed the committee members about the structure, programming and working of IP wing.

The IP wing was part of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and its major functions were to formulate, update policies, laws, rules and regulatory framework concerning print, electronic and digital media, the IP wing’s officials told the participants.

It coordinated with media bodies like All Pakistan Newspapers Society, Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.

Senator Aon Abbas Buppi asked the officials to provide details of people who had so far received financial assistance from the wing.

Source: Dawn