PTV English unlikely to see the light of day

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 20 May 2012

Pakistan Television’s plan to launch an all-English channel has reportedly run into hurdles due to its weak finances. Insiders say the project has been put on hold after a directive from the new information minister.

Summary

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Television’s plans to start an all-English channel have reportedly run into problems and it is now unlikely it will ever see the light of day. According to insiders JournalismPakistan.com spoke to, launching the project would be impossible considering the poor financial health of the state-run channel. Until about a month ago, it seemed that everything was on track with the PTV even advertizing vacancies for the proposed channel. But now, it appears the managers are having a rethink. Insiders say the idea of having an English-language channel was conceived by Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, who was the Federal Information Minister then. However, Qamar uz Zaman Kaira, the new man in, is said to have directed the PTV management not to go ahead with the project. Earlier this year, the PTV successfully launched a sports channel, which is reported to be generating decent revenue.

KEY POINTS:

• PTV’s proposed English-language channel is now considered unlikely to launch
• Insiders cite the broadcaster’s poor financial health as a major obstacle
• PTV had advertised vacancies for the channel about a month earlier
• The plan was conceived during Firdous Ashiq Awan’s tenure as information minister
• Qamar uz Zaman Kaira reportedly directed PTV not to proceed, while PTV Sports is said to be earning revenue