English channels more popular than Urdu: PEMRA

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) opinion survey revealed that Pakistani channels are as popular as the foreign ones but English programme, curiously, had a marked edge over the Urdu fare.
The conduct of survey was outsourced to the departments of Mass Communication of the eight universities across the country included University of Karachi, Karachi; Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi; Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan; Islamia University, Bhawlpur; University of Peshawar, Peshawar; International Islamic University, Islamabad; Punjab University, Lahore and Lahore College for Women University, Lahore.
The departments formed teams of students to carry out the survey under the supervision of their experienced teachers. The occupational groups consisted of doctors, lawyers, officers, industry managers, industrial workers, drivers, shopkeepers, students, children and housewives.
The findings of survey were revealing and educative. Predictably, entertainment was the most favored choice. News/current affairs and information took the next slot Sports, too, had a large viewer-ship. Advertisements had only a scanty attraction. Interestingly, quite a large number of the respondents watched cable television as leisure activity. They had no particular preference. While most of the respondents turned to the cable television channels for more awareness about the world, news, entertainment, music, films and religious programmes, quite a number of them were subscribing to the cable TV just because of an affordable nature of entertainment.
According to the survey, Vulgarity and nudity were the most disliked fare. Quite a large segment of the respondents reckoned cable television to be a bad influence on Children. Many of them accused it of propagating wrong ideology, putting out wrong advertisements and doing cultural damage. Poor service of cable networks was another major grouse. Science and technology tapped the list of programmes, which the respondents wanted to be increased. Religious teachings, education, films, sports, music, foreign programmes and local fare grabbed the next berths.—Agencies