Jabbar urges, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) to develop as institution of new ideas | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Jabbar urges, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) to develop as institution of new ideas

ISLAMABAD- Information Minister Javed Jabbar asked Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) to exploit its human and financial resources for the development of Radio as an institution of new ideas, strength and creativity.

“We need to see Radio Pakistan as an institution of vigour, strength and creativity and the PBC can best achieve that end by training its staff on latest lines as well as by increasing its revenue resources,” he stated at the conclusion of an in-depth briefing on the working of PBC.

Jabbar urged the PBC employees not to be deterred by the audience being captured by the Television in -the country, as world-wide, radio has witnessed a re-birth. “In many countries of the world including Britain, Japan and the US radio has entered a new phase of growth and challenges. The responsibilities of the media are complementary in nature – one cannot be a substitute to the other.” Radio Pakistan, he expressed the confidence, has the capacity to enhance its listenership by a very significant level both within and outside the country. The minister emphasised in particular, the training of PBC staff on modern lines both within and outside the country, saying they should be enabled to meet the latest challenges.

“The coming times are full of new challenges and demands of the radio a greater improvement from within and I have full hope that the initiatives taken for improvement in the areas identified in the presentation will enable the PBC to meet these challenges.”

Jabbar underlined that the level of commitment and the spirit of participation to be adopted by the PBC employees would be vital in bolstering radio’s performance in various areas in the highly competitive international environment. The minister drew the attention of radio managers to the need for projecting the concept of ‘Ijtehad’ in Islam as a rational analysis based on abiding faith and new knowledge. Religion, he said, is a source of happiness and a celebration of the beauty of Allah’s creation as well stressing that there is a need to highlight various aspects of Islam in their true perspectives. Jabbar also asked the PBC to give due participation to women in its progress on religious matters.

The minister appreciated the vast array of speeches of leaders of Pakistan’s early days of inception with the PBC and directed that they should be re-broadcast on PBC’s new news and current affairs channel, expected to be launched in the next few months. He called upon the PBC to adopt computer culture by maximising the use of computers in its inter-station dealings that should be carried out through e-mail.

He called for introducing electronic administration in the organisation with the possibility of getting ISO-9000 certification. Earlier, Director General, PBC, Syed Anwar Mahmood said the PBC will switch over its transmitters to cost effective FM transmission and reduce the expensive medium wave transmission. He said the voice paging service, a joint venture with the private sector, which is due to get under way on Aug 14 on FM transmitters, will fetch PBC about Rs 15 million annually.

Mahmood apprised the minister of the various initiatives taken to lift the financial lot of the corporation including the incomes to be generated by the launch of the news and current affairs channel and the attraction of sponsorship for IT programmes.

Source: The News