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Missed Revenue Opportunities by Pakistan Television (PTV)
Unleashing the transformation force of Television to create a brand image for Pakistan and counter the propoganda
Moin Ansari
PTV had the unique opportunity to become a world class Television News station, however it has been asleep at the wheel. The problem with PTV is that it does not “THINK BIG”, and the leaders of PTV have no concept of the opportunities available in “the global village”.
In the aftermath of 911 the entire world was watching Kabul and Islamabad. PTV forgot and was unable to know the basics of geography to know that the only road to Kabul came from Islamabad. Apart from the advantage of geography, language, culture, and religion, PTV had the links and should have had the infrastructure to provide live and in depth coverage of the war in Afghanistan. PTV was asleep at the wheel. It took an insignificant,distant but energetic Al-Jazeera to capture the imagination of the Middle East and provide in depth and sensational coverage of the war in Afghanistan. PTV was asleep at the wheel.
PTV could have produced and broadcast Arabic and Persian programs to take advantage of the huge and lucrative Arab and Asian markets, but has been unable to do anything to earn real dollars for Pakistan. PTV has been asleep at the wheel.
PTV could have and should have taken advantage of the Indian market a natural source of revenue and audience by broadcasting news and views in the regional languages of India–Gujrati, Bengali, Hindi, but was too busy in local power struggles to think of these lucrative deals.
PTV could offer online courses and Internet access to its audience. Pakistanis in the USA including the author of this article sent proposals on this matter, but PTV was asleep at the wheel. PTV should be teaching us foreign languages, Chinese, Farsi, Turkish and working with the regional Central Asian States in lucrative swap deals. PTV can offer training to a lot of 3rd world countries and to the neighbors on TV transmission. PTV can offer dubbing services and dub Pakistani programs in all languages of the world and sell the programs and movies to many countries around the planet.
Today PTV should have offices and studios in every major Arab city, recruiting local talent, talking advantage of the training opportunities and setting up local language programs, however the PTV charter is narrow and focused only on dumb and useless “soap operas” (“dramas”).
PTV had the advantage of language and could be mouthpiece for the Muslim world, but it is asleep at the wheel.
PTV should offer and should be able to create Pakistani and Muslim cartoons for children and market Pakistani merchandise to the overseas audience. However it is totally unaware of the concepts of international marketing.
Even the website of PTV leaves much to be desired. A High School dropout could design a better website, where at least the address and contact numbers are accurate. Giving out e-mail address of hotmail.com accounts is so very unprofessional.
PTVs benchmark is BBC. It is not even close. PTV uses a ridiculous mixture of Urdu & English, Punjabi and English, Sindhi and English in its broadcasts and has done nothing to create a sense of national unity. Dawn, Aag, GEO and ARY speak the correct languages. PTV dramas should be using mixed languages based upon the characters…so that we become familiar with Pushto and Sindhi, Saraiki and Punjabi. Only Punjabi songs are played, what about Hindko, Potohari, Pahari, Kashmiri? PTV should be holding contests for the best research on Pakistani history and publish White Papers on issues. PTV should be producing historical research documentaries on the latest on the Soan River finds (100,000-200,000 year old articles have been discovered) and the Mehergarh digs (oldest agricultural sites in the Subcontinent).
PTV can be broadcasting Harvard and MIT lectures that are available free to anyone. PTV can be a forum for scientific techniques broadcast to the world. How to develop alternate energy sources like Geothermal Energy, Wind farms, Disposable Waste Energy, Recycled water usages, and Bio-Fuel energy. PTV should be working environmental issues on discouraging “plastic bags”, lead paint and pollution from factories as well as cars. What can kids do to help the environment? How to use a volunteer force to clean up the neighborhood? PTV should be discussing basic inventions to help the poor people. Low cost toilets Hand rung $150 Laptop that does not require electricity, solar low cost ovens, solar panels to heat water. PTV should be showing the earthquake victims how to build low cost housing. Scientific research from around the world has developed simple methods to create homes that are good for earthquake regions.
PTV has no clue about these technologies. PTV should be in the forefront to educate our exporters on the latest marketing techniques to boost exports. The only thing PTV exports are useless soaps, which are regularly pirated. PTV should be making CDs, and DVDs, and using surround sound technology and investing in HDTV. Right now, it has no concept of where the world is moving towards, and is clueless about the tremendous opportunities out there in the “global village.” PTV should be working with the OIC on developing strategies to counter the anti-Pakistan propaganda and creating a brand image for Pakistan. Recently France, and Iran have started their own broadcast channels in English. BBC has a BBC for America channel. PTV should offer PTV programs free to the cable networks in America. PTV should offer PTV programs on demand in hotel rooms and on cable and satellite and cable channels and charge a fees to watch a “drama” or the news. PTV should be looking at HD TV, Direct Satellite TV broadcasts, You Tube links and broadcasts, Internet broadcasts and offices in foreign countries to get international advertisement revenue for the Pakistani population.
President Musharraf should hire an internationally known leader of a major network and pay him/her in Dollars to see how we can transform PTV into an international channel that can and should provide Dollars to Pakistan and Pakistanis.
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