Daily Times

It was a pleasant day during a spring season in Pakistan some time ago, March 1995 to be exact, when Pakistanis experienced the blooming of a new phenomenon in the world of audio-visual entertainment. A foreign educated and experienced broadcaster was imported to Pakistan to revolutionise the world of radio. “Assalam-o-Alaikum Pakistan” voiced by Asif Ghazali launched FM100 Pakistan, the first FM radio network of the country ever. Asif Ghazali, a seasoned broadcaster for the first time with his captivating voice and pleasant accent greeted Pakistanis with “Assalamo Alaikum Pakistan”. On the launching day Ghazali broadcast from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad simultaneously. After inaugurating FM 100 in the morning he took off from Karachi to Lahore at noon, broadcast a program from Lahore and in the afternoon flew to Islamabad for yet again for his next segment the same evening. It was all very nicely done. Within no time people fell in love with the presenter’s magical style. A style that later became a landmark for all the radio presenters. Charming Asif Ghazali, the then CEO of FM100, wears colourful feather in his cap of launching the first 24-hour stereo music FM radio network in Pakistan. Behind his success as broadcaster is considerable encouragement of man of technology Javed Pasha who gave him a free hand to go his own way and Ghazali made it. FM100 was the flag bearer, with no competition in the early years. However, today we have a plethora of FM radio networks in Pakistan on national, regional and local levels.

A layman can never understand the dynamics of FM radio networks as he is more concerned with what is delivered to his heart via his ears. It’s the dish that counts not the toil of the chef. FM radio networks were launched under the umbrella of media liberalisation. Before the private sector gained dominance in the world of media and entertainment, we Pakistanis were subjected to the state-run media which aired programs of its own interest contrary to the basic idea of airing what the audience desires.

Radio Pakistan has long been presenting diverse programs to the listeners to an extent in a dull way. Prior to first ever FM broadcast from Pakistan Ghazali was a name of success in UK. Because of Ghazali’s fascinating style Junaid Jamshed and Nazia Hasan approached him for music shows. As a presenter he wanted to bring a revolution in FM radio and music. He very successfully continued with F M 100 till 1998. He started FM103 again simultaneously from Karachi, Lahore and Multan. Then he joined Radio – 1 as consultant. Later he joined Interflow Communication as Director General Europe but after the collapse of NADRA project he came back to London and joined very popular ‘Sun Rise Radio’.

FM100 changed everything. The need for FM stations emanated from the examples of success of similar phenomena in many countries, especially in the West. Also, the gap created by Radio Pakistan by not repositioning itself and failing to change according to the developing demands of the listeners, pulled investments into this sector; promising and delivering huge returns. As technology brought people closer, listeners in Pakistan not only enjoyed the music in stereo sound but also the interactive approach of the presenters on the FM radio networks. The cassette players in cars were replaced with radio sets with FM frequency. The callers who went live on radio with presenters and expressed their point of views on various topics gave the listeners an opportunity to hear what people in other areas of the country had to say and learn about their psyche and experiences. Now Ghazali is planning to move to Pakistan to do the same sort of excellent work with innovated ideas in current affairs.

He now believes radio is losing its charm somehow in Pakistan because of poor presentation. In Pakistan media is on decline because of non-professionals. This caused decline in this industry. About the awareness of the listeners and viewers he said no one can deceive listeners and the viewers. People are very well aware now. Credibility matters.

The success of this FM revolution attracted a lot of people to invest in this business. Different FM stations started mushrooming. City based channels were also launched which aired their programs and music to a certain city only. Country-wide networks are more popular among listeners due to the variety in programs and music. Furthermore, these country-wide networks also have the resources to come up with better presenters and better programs. Few FM networks also resorted to create strong outreach in particular geographical regions. Focusing on a specific region and airing programs in regional languages have been a forte of a few radio networks thus creating not only a niche market for themselves but also for the marketing of brands catering to these geographic locations.

Competition always keeps the networks improving and coming up with new and better ideas for program quality. People now seldom listen to CDs or audio cassettes in their cars. Even public transport has FM radio installed. The rapid growth in mobile phone usage across Pakistan and influx of smart phones has also brought FM radio in the hands of the majority. Increased awareness, expansion of knowledge base and access to global digital media has made listeners very particular about their choices and the quality which they expect from a good FM radio network. Different strata of the society have their own tastes and different age groups listen to not only a specific type of music but also their interaction with the presenters is at vastly different levels.

The writer is a book ambassador, columnist, political analyst and author of several books. He is based in Islamabad