Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) opinion survey revealed that Pakistani TV channels are as popular as the foreign ones but English programmes, curiously, had a marked edge over the Urdu ones.
The survey was conducted by the departments of Mass Communication of the eight universities across the country, which included University of Karachi, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi; Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan; Islamia University, Bahawalpur; University of Peshawar, Peshawar; International Islamic University, Islamabad; Punjab University, Lahore and Lahore College for Women University, Lahore.
The departments formed teams of students to carry out the survey under the supervision of their experienced teachers. The occupational groups consisted of doctors, lawyers, officers, industry managers, industrial workers, drivers, shopkeepers, students, children and housewives.
Predictably, entertainment was the most favoured choice. News/current affairs and informative programmes took the next slot while sports have a large viewer-ship. Advertisements had only a scanty attraction. Interestingly, quite a large number of the respondents watched cable television as leisure activity. They had no particular preference.
While most of the respondents turned to the cable television channels for more awareness about the world, news, entertainment, music, films and religious programmes, quite a number of them were subscribing to the cable TV just because of an affordable nature of entertainment.
According to the survey, vulgarity and nudity were the most disliked fare. Quite a large segment of the respondents reckoned cable television to be a bad influence on children. Many of them accused it of propagating wrong ideology, putting out wrong advertisements and damaging cultural values. Poor service of cable networks was another major grouse. Science and technology tapped the list of programmes, which the respondents wanted to be increased.
Religious teachings, education, films, sports, music, foreign programmes and local fare grabbed the next berths. Interestingly, not many children want to watch cartoons. The cartoon fans turned out to be drivers and shopkeepers, who also happened to be most avid cable television viewers after the industry managers. Notably, a section of the respondents, though not very large, was for a ban on the cable television.
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