Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has announced that around 40 TV channels will be up-linked from Pakistan during next one and half year. Various organisations have shown interest for starting TV channels and Pemra is looking into their requests.
Muhammad Salim, a spokesman of Pemra told Business Recorder here on Monday that Pemra arranged third public hearing here on Monday to get feedback from public regarding issuance of new licences for TV channels.
After the public hearing, Salim said that Pemra has decided to issue 34 licences for TV channels and 21 licences for FM radio. He said that Pemra already held public hearings in Islamabad and Peshawar. Such public hearings will also be held in Karachi on October 12 and in Quetta on October 13.
In Monday's public hearing at Lahore, a good number of people participated and no significant objections were received from any person against any party which applied for the licences. He said that those who participated in public hearing expressed their satisfaction over media development. After conducting public hearings, necessary recommendations will be put up to the authority by General Manager (Licencing) Pemra for final approval, he said.
Salim further said that Pemra was established in 2002 and so far 55 licences have been issued for starting the FM radio, out of which 21 radio have already started its transmissions. He said that Pemra has already issued licences to ARY (2 licences), Indus Vision (2 licences), Virtual University (4 licences), Prime TV (1 licence), Mashraq TV (1 licence), Top End (1 licence) and International Marketing (1 licence).
He said that role of Pemra is to facilitate the private sector in the promotion of electronic media. He said that Pemra has already issued licences for radio to three universities of Pakistan including Peshawar University, Punjab University and International Islamic University and added that radio licences are being issued to six more universities.
'Pemra is also providing training facilities to the students of mass communication departments of various universities, besides helping them out in preparing curriculum in radio-TV related subjects', he said.
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