Broadcast Brilliance

Business Recorder: What are your expectations from Aaj News as a TV partner? Are they involved in your editorial decisions?
Shafi Naqi Jamie: Sairbeen is a BBC programme and as such complies with the usual BBC editorial guidelines ensuring the BBC's journalistic standards of independence, impartiality and objectivity. However, we certainly work closely with the Aaj News team to make sure BBC Urdu's TV offer fits in with the Aaj News programming and the feel of the channel.
BR: Will those who watched the first Sairbeen see a difference?
Aliya Nazki: The new Sairbeen is a Monday to Friday, live programme (it was broadcast three times a week in the past). And we have revamped the programme's look and sound. It's a snappier, sharper Sairbeen. Having said this, Sairbeen certainly remains a trademark BBC Urdu broadcast, helping viewers to understand the world - and how the world sees Pakistan. We really hope that those who loved Sairbeen will now love it even more, at prime time on Aaj New - and also on the bbcurdu.com website.
Aliya, your presentation style won you the prestigious AGAHI Award 2013 for Emerging Current Affairs Anchor of the Year. What do you think distinguishes you from other presenters?"
AN: I think that award was a reflection on the hard work our entire team had put into the programme more than anything else. What distinguishes Sairbeen is, in my opinion, our fantastic content which has BBC quality written all over it. My presentation style reflects that. The idea is to let our content do the talking. I see myself as a bit of a guide who takes the audiences through all this great content. As far as analyses and interviews are concerned, my aim is simple: ask direct, relevant questions; but most importantly, let my guests do most of the talking.
BR: As anchors, what is your role in shaping Sairbeen's editorial?
AN: Sairbeen is essentially a team effort. Behind the cameras there's this fantastic team of editors, producers, reporters. Every morning we have an editorial meeting where we set the agenda for the day's programme. The whole team has an input into what goes into the programme. It's wonderful to be able to draw on the experience and knowledge of such an amazing team when I'm preparing for my interviews etc.
SNJ: Sairbeen's editorial meeting is like an intensive care unitof the day's topics, stories, pictures and vision of the whole programme. Everyone is taking care of something which has been delegated to that person. Everyone has done the homework for this meeting and is contributing now. As presenter or anchor, it is your call as well to come up with some solid suggestions. You can agree, debate or disagree with anything. However, once it is decided, it is up to the anchor how best to carry out what had been agreed upon. It is a wonderful experience to be a part of such an amazing group of people in which everyone could be a striker or defender and yet working as a team
BR: How do you imagine your audience?
AN: Well, Sairbeen aims to deliver original, world-class journalism and incisive, in-depth analysis to our audiences. So what I'm trying to say is that if you had just half an hour in day in which to consume all of your important, relevant news, watching Sairbeen would be enough. In as much as that I think this is a show for everyone. We've got an interesting mix in the programme. There's hard news and analysis, but there are also segments on technology, arts and business.
BR: Your radio interviews, your radio documentaries and your analytical contributions are well known to those who listen to BBC Urdu radio. Now you are presenting a TV programme. Has the move from one medium to the other been difficult?
SNJ: The word "difficult "cannot capture the true challenge and excitement of this change. You see, your "ears" are your "eyes" when you are with the radio. Not only that you see with your ears, you feel, imagine and visualise the story and the story-teller. To do this, sound bites, usage of words, delivery of your journalism with total neutrality, sensitivity and impartiality are your tools. After years of hard work, I managed to do good radio, both exciting and enticing. However, translating all that skill in TV presentation, oh, is a very different thing. TV presentation imposes a lot of restrictions on you - I find it extremely disciplined, controlled and heavily dependent on pictures and footage, not to mention that camera exposes you, catches your every movement and constantly reminds you that time management is crucial. When the gallery - producer, editor, director sitting there and sometimes all speaking at the same time - tell you what's next you should do, you feel at times you are trying to listen something important in a fish market. However, it is a learning curve for me and I am really enjoying it. I thrive when faced with challenges, and BBC Urdu TV is one such exciting challenge for me.
BR: Shafi, you are not just a presenter of radio and TV programmes. You are also BBC Urdu's Product Development Manager. What does this job involve?
SNJ: As Product Development Manager, I am responsible for the quality of our radio output. This means, apart from good journalism and content of the programme, also the ideal usage of the air time; promos, hard posts, forward trailing, highlighting multimedia content from our website bbcurdu.com- from most popular and upcoming stories to picture galleries to social media - and even usage of stings, music beds etc. Radio programming requires a very imaginative approach to deliver, from a sketch on paper to actual product - this is where I lead our team. As part of this job, I am also proud to train new colleagues and develop their skills and get the best out of them. And when our partner radio stations in Pakistan ask us to share with their producers, editors, presenters and reporters our approach to journalism, I am always happy to do that. It's one of the highlights of my career as BBC journalist.
BR: What makes BBC Urdu different from Pakistani news media?
AN: BBC Urdu means impartial and balanced news covering a wide spectrum of events in Pakistan. To make sure we cover the issues that matter to our audiences, we interact with them closely - on air, online and via social media. Programmes such as Sairbeen bring viewers the best of the BBC's journalism, analysis and interviews to get behind the stories on the global news agenda that resonate with Pakistani audiences. Also I think, using the BBC's extensive network of correspondents world-wide, we are in the unique position of being able to bring the world to Pakistan. Another advantage I believe we have is the fact that we are not in the 24/7 rolling news game. This means we're able to focus on issues that are important to our audiences.
BR: But what does BBC Urdu do to tell the world about Pakistan?
SNJ: Impartiality lies at the heart of the BBC - we don't focus on anyone's view, be it an individual, a party or a nation. We do our best to reflect the full range of audiences' interests, beliefs and perspectives. In fact, it is a requirement for any BBC journalist or programme - irrespective of the genre - to represent the whole spectrum of opinions. We report the developments in Pakistan that have an impact on the region and wider world. But it is always our wish that these are positive developments.
(A Business Recorder interview with Sairbeen presenters Aliya Nazki (AN) and Shafi Naqi Jamie (SNJ))