BOL TV Owner tells When BOL is going to launch!

A question that has been on the mind of almost every Pakistani is, why has BOL Network not been launched? With all the buzz about the upcoming channel what is the reason for the delay? Since the past few months, everyone is itching to know when BOL TV will hit the airwaves.

I can think of no better response to this than the one provided by Axact and BOL Network’s Chairman and CEO Mr. Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh. He goes on to explain the ground-breaking systems BOL Network has put in place alongside the quality and integrity of Pakistan’s finest journalists which are sure to raise the standard of media enterprises across Pakistan. Indeed, Bol has achieved nothing short of a miracle by establishing this infrastructure in 13 short months!
 

Watch the video to learn more:

When is BOL being launched? from Axact on Vimeo.

Geo Television and PTV's Dismal Coverage of PTI's Azaadi March

As the days move on, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Azaadi march gathers more momentum. PTI Chairman Imran Khan is adamant about his claims that the elections were rigged and Nawaz Sharif and PML-N must answer for this. Included in the list of demands was Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's immediate resignation from his post.

However, whether PTI's claims are justified or not or whether PML-N is causing Pakistan's economy and solidarity major damage by not proposing a viable solution to this remains to be see. But what we have seen, is that all the Pakistani media channels are scrambling to get the best coverage of Azaadi March as it is the trending, newsworthy event of present. Every channel you turn to has been raving about the protest and Imran Khan's inspirational and determined role in it.

Well, every channel except Geo Tv and PTV. It is strange to see Geo who claim to be on top of every news story in Pakistan staying on the sidelines and not once accurately portraying the Azaadi march. PTV is understandably staying neutral in all this, but a bit more coverage would definitely be appreciated. Back to Geo, the only time they have mentioned the Azaadi March is when they have to say something negative about it.

Maybe Geo Tv has something personal against Imran Khan and PTI but media ethics dictate that a channel should report the news accurately and fairly to the best of its ability and not use the news for personal agendas. As an avid media follower, I have to say I am extremely disappointed in Geo Tv.

“Who is Who” in the Editorial Boards of Pakistani Media?

With the advent of 21^st century, Pakistan saw the new industry of privately owned Electronic media booming, which has now flourished into a strong and ever-growing industry encompassing all genres of information. Although the way the NEWS Channels have risen as the top watched TV channels in Pakistan is astounding! Given that the real backbone behind a strong news enterprise is its impeccable editorial quality and the people involved in the editorial process who make it possible.

A very important part of a the entire editorial board of a news channel is its Chief Editorial Head; let us have a quick lookat Pakistan’s media groups and their editorial heads.

Mian Amer Mahmood- Dunya News:

In 2008, Mian Amer Mahmood launched Dunya News, a television network, and since then he has been tightly connected with it and to-date, enjoys the role of editor-in-chief. Mian Amer hails from a business background and studied the same in college. He later launched a number of universities and has been strongly connected with the education sector, but does not hold any degrees in journalism.

Salman Iqbal- ARY News:

ARY Digital Network was founded by Haji Abdul RazzakYaqoob, owner of the famous ARY Group. He began the media enterprise network of ARY in 2000 alongside his brothers in 2000 and since then the creative control has stayed in the family. The current editorial head of ARY Digital Network is Salman Iqbal, son of Haji Mohammad Iqbal.  Following in his father’s footsteps, Salman Iqbal is quite the businessman and he took the reins of ARY Digital Network from his father, but similarly, he also doesn’t have a journalism background, but rather, a business one.

Kamran Khan- BOL Network:

Kamran Khan is one of Pakistan’s most experienced and respected journalists. He was affiliated with GEO/Jang Network for a period of 32 years during which he amassed a great fan following and a fantastic reputation which even gained international attention. Currently, he is the president and editor-in-chief of BOL Network. Having been a journalist all his life, Kamran Khan is extremely well suited for this job.

Mir Shakil Ur Rahman- GEO:

Mir Shakil Ur Rahman inherited the reins of GEO/Jang network from his father Mir Khalil Ur Rahman and has since been in-charge of the media enterprise and it many domains. Despite having some qualified journalists in their ranks, Mir Shakil continues to enjoy creative control over GEO/Jang group as the editorial head and has complete directional control over all content.

Sultan ali Lakhani – Express Group:

A businessman belonging to the infamous Lakson group and previously known to have served as a parliamentarian (from 1988 – 1994) , Mr. Sultan Ali Lakhani serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Express & Express News Channel (Pvt. Ltd.)

The common aspect in most of the aforementioned editorial heads is the fact that they are lacking in journalism backgrounds and qualifications (with the exception of BOL Network’s Editor-in-Chief, Kamran Khan). A news enterprise – with the all-important responsibility of reporting the truth - should always have a journalist at the helm to assure integrity in its reporting. Moreover, this also serves as a gesture of appreciation for the hardworking journalist community to have one of them placed on the supreme decision making position of the editorial board.

However, with owners/ CEO’s having such a huge input in what goes on, the quality and integrity is bound to be compromised; similarly, this is what has been happening with Pakistani TV channels. Here’s for hoping that the culture of putting an experienced journalist by BOL as an editorial head can change this trend in Pakistani media and outline a better future for all media enterprises.