PML-N gets most airtime representation in October talk shows: Gallup Pakistan

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 4 January 2016

A Gallup Pakistan study reveals PML-N had the highest airtime in October 2015 talk shows, with a focus on politics. The representation of women remained low at only 7%.

Summary

ISLAMABAD: In eight talk shows analyzed in October 2015, PML-N had the most airtime representation (34%); only 7% of the guests invited to talk shows were women; ‘Politics’ was the main topic of discussion (48%); and majority of the guests were politicians (47%), according to a monthly research study conducted by Gallup Pakistan Media Research Consultancy.

Content analysis of eight popular current events talk shows (Off the Record; Capital Talk; Meray Mutabiq; Sawal Yeh Hai; News Eye; Aapas Ki Baat; Nadeem Malik Live and Tonight with Fareeha) consisting of a total of 122 episodes aired on different cable television networks was conducted for October 2015.

The topics discussed in these shows were distilled into seven broad categories: ‘Economy’, ‘Governance’, ‘Law’, ‘Politics’, ‘Media’, ‘Security’ and ‘Miscellaneous’. Issues that were discussed less frequently, for example sports and socio-cultural subjects, have been included in the ‘Miscellaneous’ category.

The study found that on average three guests appeared per episode for each show. While some guests were frequently invited on different talk shows, overall there were 130 unique guests out of a total of 393 guests in the 122 episodes analyzed. The figure of repeat appearances by same guests signifies the limited availability and rudimentary capacity of talk shows in attracting fresh faces.

It also underlies the limited nature of fresh ideas and lack of diversity of opinion in talk shows. Furthermore, majority of the guests were politicians (47%), followed by academics (including professors), defense analysts and senior analysts at 21%.

Guests from the military: rangers, air force, police and elite forces constituted 15% of total guests while 8% were from miscellaneous occupational categories such as art, cricket, civil society and bureaucracy. Media personnel (anchors, experts, journalists) formed 7% of the total while judicial members came last at a standing of 1%.

Gallup Pakistan says the analysis of talk shows during October portrays how politics has regained its influence over the political landscape. Politics had been the most dominant domain over the past months, with the exception of September, when political discussions (21%) had fallen below security and governance related debates (29% and 28% respectively).

In October, politics acquired the lion’s share of representation, as security concerns surrounding terrorism and discussions on the armed forces were reduced on talk shows. Interest in governance also spiked from 11% in August to 28% in September but fell to 15% in October.

However, the emphasis on using the National Accountability Bureau to tackle corruption has increased within the share of airtime constituted by Governance (34% in September; 40% in October). - Gallup Pakistan