The death of English news in Pakistan
Pakistan’s only 24-hour English news channel bowed out on Monday PHOTO: AYZA OMAR
During a job interview in Lahore, at the purpose built headquarters of a soon-to-launch news channel, I was asked how I felt about hosting an English language program to cater to the expats responsible for many important decisions.
My response back in 2008; the ones who matter already have the means to get the information they need. The idea of an English language news program was great, but not to satisfy the appetites of expats. It was important, first, to satisfy the needs of our own people.
The most common response to my idealism – as it was usually considered – was the fact that Geo English had not launched and Dawn News was a failing product from the get-go.
I still maintain, had Geo English launched, Dawn News would have understood the difference and gone Urdu a lot sooner and Express 24/7 would have never seen the light of day.
To understand why, it must be noted that from the team that was trained for Geo English, many became the faces of Dawn News. Many more worked behind the scenes as producers, reporters and copy writers.
When the time came for Express 24/7, it was launched – again – by most of the core team that was trained for Geo English (some of the ones who were part of the core team from NewsDay – Geo’s first English bulletin – till GE’s death)
The people who went to Dawn were mostly foreign educated, western influenced individuals. The ones that fell in 24/7′s lap were the thoroughbred Pakistani brains.
The mix of those groups of people together had been the winning combination, a real Pakistani English news team. Their target audience was not limited to the whiskey-sipping, cigar smoking, Chanel-adoring Pakistani.
The viewer in Nazimabad, the one tucked away in Anarkali, and the young students who would sit at the dhabba in Shadi Khan, were also GE’s target audience.
I write this, as an obituary, for the one who was aborted in 2008, the one who denied its existence and the one that died just days ago.
The death of independent English language programming has denied the student of a teacher; who would rely on the English News to improve his own.
Before you disagree with my argument; let me tell you about Usman, a colleague who speaks English with a strong American accent.
The first time I met Usman, I had approached him to inquire what such a westernized individual was doing in the graveyard shift at an Urdu channel.
It turned out that Usman’s English was the product of watching lots of Hollywood movies. He didn’t just enjoy his movies, he learned from them. After years of copying and training himself today he can speak fluent English, with an American accent.
I myself have done the same. Only in my case, it took me 20 minutes to read a 2-inch story in the daily Jang back in 2009 and I took a full 10 minutes just to say the word ‘haq-e-khud-iradiyat’ (that’s ‘right to self determination’ in Urdu).
Today not only can I type in Urdu, I often correct grammatical mistakes in my colleagues’ copy.
To whom do I owe the credit for my achievement? All the Urdu news channels that I have learned from and the many newspapers and Urdu periodicals I have read.
In case you’re still having difficulty accepting my argument, let me remind you of a show called Sesame Street. Over the last 4 decades, it has taught millions of children, the alphabet, numbers, how to share, and play together. 74 million people in the US alone have learned the basics from this TV Show
If a pre-schooler can learn his alphabet from TV, why can’t an adult learn English the same way?
There are many examples out there similar to Usman, if it weren’t for them, the call center industry might not have thrived here.
Let’s now observe a moment of silence, on the death of independent English Language programming in Pakistan.
Its not just a loss for the burgers, the bun kabab has lost more.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of The Express Tribune.
Happy Ending.Recommend
Dawn news and 24/7 should have made Aljazeera their role model…..instead they copied GEO and were very very desi in stuff…..they should have tried to catch international audience…..they should have understood that paki audience cannot be big enough for them…and i personally feel they fell prey to GEO ENG….which i personally feel will now soon appear…..and if that too continued banking only on paki audience it will also close in a year or two……middle east…europe is the market …..muslims of these market need an english channel…Geo Eng can fill that gap…Recommend
This will lead to isolation of intellect and thought in Pakistan.Recommend
btw who is the viewer in Nazimabad ?Recommend
thanks for this sharingRecommend
great now we have to strethch our eyes to read Urdu sidelines on urdu news channels
Instead of going further we are going BACK in timeRecommend
@Ms Marium: If there was just One i’d share a name. Since there are so many i hope you will trust me, that they exist.
OJ.Recommend
@pasha: I doubt GE will ever come back. However, the international audience you mention is one they should have targeted. In fact had that been done not just for the viewer-base but also for revenue (Ad’s) they could have survived. I know many will again call it idealism, but with the right marketing team, even the ‘understand the difference’ promo could have been sponsored. Alas, that’s just IF’s and What IF’s… lets move on forward. Will right on the new platform for English Journalism in Pakistan soon.Recommend
There should be some NGOs which can run English news channel as an independent media… these stakeholders wont spend money for educating masses they are just concerned abt their pockets …..Recommend
Nicely written. At the end of the day it’s a business like any other and the bottom line is what matters. The fact remains that now there is a vacuum which needs to be filled. Someone with industry know-how and business savvy will step in. Just a thought ,why does the channel have to be a dedicated ‘News’ channel ? Why does it have to on air 24 hrs ?Recommend
Why dont we just accept that there isnt enough of an audience in Pakistan to sustain an English news channel? Most people who follow English news regularly, are dual passport holders, and have ready access to CNN and BBC. Why do we have to have an English news channel for domestic consumption? China doesnt, Germany doesnt and nor does Japan; so why do we have to have one? Just to keep some guys and gals employed?Recommend
@Haroon Rashid: We need it for the very reason that in our Country unlike Japan, China, Germany we do not have the confidence to make Urdu the only language that is official. Since we use English in our daily professional lives, it is necessary i feel, to have a Channel (or at least a program) that gives those Pakistani’s a chance to better their English, because obviously people like u and me will not take out time to go and teach them (so that they too, may better their lives.) no offence to you Sir, you have a right to your opinion i have the right to have mine.Recommend
the thriving call centre industry – are you talking about the cheap labour source?Recommend
@Haroon Rashid:
India has several English news channels.Recommend
@amrita: That fact has also played a major role, but do you think the industry would exist if these young breadwinners had no exposure to Hollywood or the English Channels (for as long as they lasted).Recommend
our education level only permits regional, and national level news channels more profitable…Recommend
i think bcoz 60% pakistanis are illiterate and bearly 15-25% can speak and understand english !
i think it wud take 2 decades for english in pakistan to develop,till that ppl are happy with urdu,sindhi,punjabi channels !Recommend
Though we’r running an NGO & to communicate with foreigners English is must to speak or write fluently as its the need of time i fully disagree to that person who really differs to learn English as a status symbol,,,,,,,,, Nice work dudeRecommend
Don’t get it. When a person like Usman can improve his english (as you quoted and many more), why launch a tv channel which is a solely news why not start a program on available tv channels like Allama Iqbal open university or virtual university. It is not feasible because of limited and niche audience base, after all these channels are revenue models and the investor needs his institution to be on break even at least.Recommend
@junkychen:
The real problem lies in the lack of advertising base. The setback that Pakistan suffers in industrialization and commerce does not put too many advertising rupees on the table to be shared by so many media outlets. One only wonders how so many Urdu channels survive (or thrive).
Pakistan will have a challenged media as long as we suffer lack of commerce and industry.
Someone here mentioned NGOs doing an English channel. No please. NGO funding lacks transparency. Media should be thoroughly nationally owned and operated. Even Express newspaper is partnered by New York Times’ owned International Herald Tribune, which is not healthy.Recommend
‘What a beautiful sign off line ‘Its not just a loss for the burgers, the bun kabab has lost more.”Recommend
@haroon rashid
Both China and Germany have broadcasts in english Germans have DW english so does China has english version of CC TV.
The problem is that pakistan has not allowed international channels to have their Pakistani version unlike in India. The international news companies I think could have managed things better. I feel we need channels in english to project our point of view to the world also english is our official language in the country.Recommend
English news channels should be run independently. Whether by the government of some sort of NGO. Maybe that would help create awareness about the importance of getting a basic education in this country.Recommend
@Yasir Mehmood:
None of the Indian news channels are managed by international companies. NDTV, Times Now, Headlines Today, IMN News and CNN-IBN are all managed by Indian companies. The maximum foreign equity the news channels can receive is 26% though I am not so sure about CNBC-18 and Bloomberg UTV as they are business channelsRecommend
Let me introduce my self to all of you, i am the one author constantly calling as “Usman”.like you i believe that we need english news to project our national perspective internationally.if not in the form of full-fledge english news channel then there should be an arrangement to broadcast english news bulletin for an hour or two on all the urdu news channels operating in Pakistan,but irony of fate is that the materialistic mindset might never think alike.all they care about is their ratings and number of advertisements they get through some hot and spicy talk shows.I am not stating these things just because the commencement of english news channels or news bulletin could be a good earning opportunity for all the “Bun Kababs” like me because no matter how good we peoples of Nazimabad or Liaqauatabad are,the burgers from DHA and Clifton will always be preferred upon us.but like I’ve said earlier we would be able to educate the international audience about the positives we have and at the same time it would to some extent help English learning at the cheapest cost. Ovais Bhai thank you so much for mentioning my self in your blog.yes i am inspired by holly wood but its my sheer love with this language that iam able to read,write and talk in english though i still believe i need to learn allot.Recommend
@Haroon Rashid:
Please update your information. China has CCTV ( English), plus state-owned English news agency, Xinhua; Japan has its own English news channel, NHK World, while Germany’s DW TV also broadcasts news in English to present German government’s point of view to international audience.It’s a pity that the Pakistani government didn’t bother to come to the rescue of Pakistan’s only English news channel.Recommend