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.

LG unveiled the World’s first Curved OLED TV in Pakistan

LG Electronics unveiled the World’s First Curved OLED TV for the first time in Pakistan.The revolutionary display caught the attention of all attending media and shoppers at a busy lavish mall in Karachi. Captivated by the depth of the display and the unique television-shape, the audience was treated to a product overview that highlighted the innovative product features of the CURVED OLED TV.

Crowds gathered to admire the CURVED OLED TV (55EA9800) which features perfect contrast, absolute motion clarity and a display that produces a pristine image no matter the viewing angle. LG Electronics also showcased comprehensive range of ULTRA HD TVs by adding the screen size 55”& 65”(LA9700)to the existing 84” ULTRA HD, completing a product line-up that signals the brand’s commitment to premium design and ground-breaking technology.

“The Home Entertainment sector is fueled by constant change and growth with new products entering the market every day. LG is committed to lead that growth, offering the latest and innovative entertainment products to enhance your entertainment experience in Pakistan,” said Mr. Michael Ha, Director of LG Electronics Pakistan. “We’re in a strong market position globally, carving out a reputation of delivering technology solutions that matter to you. The user experience with the CURVED OLED TV is unique to anything else in the market right now. Our main goal and is to deliver products that make life better for you.”

The World’s First CURVEDOLED TV pixels light themselves, instead of relying on a lamp or backlight. This makes color and light representations far more accurate than ever before. 4.3mm screen size immersed superior color expression, generate less heat and use less electricity. OLED TV has the most perfect viewing angle. No distortions. The World’s First CURVED OLED TV combines LG’s exceptional 4 Color pixel WRGB and HD technologies, enabling it to produce infinite contrast ratio and resolution which 1000 times faster than regular FULL HD LED.

The design of the television won the Red Dot design: best of the best award in March followed by multiple Quality and Performance awards from TÜV Rheinland and Intertek.

LG will continue to solidify its position as a provider of “first ever” products by developing a range of industry leading OLED TVs.

Disregard for Sentiments Lands Geo Network in Hot Water

Jang Group's channel Geo TV is banned in many cities of Pakistan including Lahore due to public demand. After a huge social media campaign, it seems like PEMRA took action and stopped Geo TV transmission in major cities of Pakistan. People are very happy on this news because Geo was portraying bad image of Pakistan worldwide.

Many Pakistanis are in the impression that that Geo is Anti-Islamic, Anti-Pakistani and Anti-Pakistan Army channel. Geo is supported by India, Israel and America and shows Katrina Kaif's & Deepika's birthday as breaking news. Pakistani people do not want to see all this crap and that's why they demanded to ban Geo TV permanently in the whole country.

Geo TV is working as an agent in Pakistan to divide the nation and make them feel insecure about their own country's armed forces, ISI and Pakistan Army. They are continuously blaming ISI for the attack on Hamid Mir without any solid proof, just to destroy ISI's image in the world. We as Patriotic Pakistanis request you NOT to watch Geo Network's channels. Avoid purchasing anything related to Jang Group including their Newspapers, Magazines and Books.

Geo TV seems to be changing the basic concepts of young Pakistanis by spreading slogans like "Perhany Likhnay Ke Siwa, Pakistan Ka Matlab Kya". We want to stick to our roots & religion and we as a Nation are proud of our country's base which is "Pakistan Ka Matlab Kya? La Illah Ila Allah."

It seems as if Geo Network is making things really hard for itself by stepping on so many toes at the same time. If it does not rectify its ways, it might soon find itself in very hot water and possibly with no way out. If Geo Network wants to have a decent reputation again, it will have to gain back the trust of the Pakistani people.

T20 Fever : Pakistan in With a Fighting Chance!

Walk around the streets of Karachi or any other city of Pakistan and you will hear only one topic of discussion on everyone’s lips: Pakistan cricket team and their chances in the ongoing T20 world cup. Pakistan is generally a cricket crazy nation and the passion never dies around here, but this time around, the fervor is plausibly different.

The fact is; in this tournament, Pakistan actually has a chance to go all the way. There might be some skeptics out there, but let us analyze the facts.

Pakistan is in scintillating form with an excellent Asia Cup under their belts. Admittedly, a loss in the final against Sri Lanka, but a consistent performance throughout the tournament. After a long time Pakistan has had success in consecutive matches. 

Pakistani batting has finally found some stability.  Players like Ahmad Shahzad and Umar Akmal are finally performing to their potential. Shahzad, in particular, found a lot of success in the Asia cup. Revival of old prospects such as Fawad Alam has also been an advantage for Pakistan.

The team has a balanced mix to it. A near perfect combination of batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders as well as a mixture of youth and experience makes Pakistan a very deadly team.

Finally, the recent win against Australia shows Pakistan’s effectiveness and fighting spirit. Yes, it is an unpredictable side, but that is what makes Pakistan so dangerous. On their day, they can beat anyone. Therefore, there is a lot of hope in Pakistan that this World Cup will revive the glory days of Pakistani cricket!

Sindh Festival: A Mockery of Culture and the People of Pakistan

A refurbishment of MohenJodaro, they called it, a new perspective to Sindhi culture and a wake-up call for Pakistan. These were the claims that the recently held Sindh festival made. A grand celebration complete with fashion shows and artists from various industries complimented the festival. All this was to “save” the cultural heritage of Sindh in a grand way.

Of course, all this doesn’t come cheap. The festival cost a pretty penny, as was evident from the scale of it. The security alone cost a fortune. Not to mention the payments made to all the superstars who performed. All in all, an obscene amount of money was spent to make this event possible.

However, did this really help the Pakistani, or for that matter, the Sindhi culture? The answer is a resounding no! Far from helping doing anything to “help” the nation or its culture, the festival actually highlighted the gap between the elite 1% of this country and the rest of the flock. A festival exclusively for the privileged, while the rest of the nation was expected to sit and clap.

Many archaeologists concerned about the repercussions of the Sindh Festival on the cultural hertiage that is Mohenjo Daro

Apart from that, many of the arrangements have probably damaged what is a historical site. Large wooden and steel scaffolding were erected over and around the ruins, while heavy spotlights and lasers had been installed for a light show. Farzand Masih, head of the Department of Archaeology at Punjab University, said such activity was banned under the Antiquity Act. "You cannot even hammer a nail at an archaeological site," he said. "The laser and spotlights, secondly, will cause rapid decay at the site which is already exposed to many negative factors." He added that he had declined an invitation to attend.

A much better action would have been to tend to the needs of countless needy people of the country. After all, the PPP portrays itself as a party representing all of Pakistan. If not, then how about the needy population of Sindh? No, a profile raising festival for PPP and Asif Zardari is much more important than the needs of the people.

In a nutshell, Sindh festival is probably the most useless, selfish, waste of money that I have ever seen. Its only purpose was to cater to the whims of the spoilt brats of the Zardari family and used as a marketing platform for the PPP. The funds could have been utilized in a much better way to actually help the people of Pakistan, but instead it will definitely create more animosity towards the PPP rather than showing it in a good light.

Inaam Ghar: Hit or Flop?

‘Musalmanon, tukka lagao’ are the words we are used to hearing from the controversially popular Amir Liaquat on GEO’s Ramadan transmissions. Now, he has entered another arena with the recently launched “Inaam Ghar”. This is GEO’s imitation of the highly successful show by Tariq Aziz on PTV, “Nilam Ghar”.

Even though the idea is decent and the setup is modern with current themes and effects, there is something lacking about Inaam Ghar. Maybe the concept is outdated; maybe people want something more these days or there is something bigger at play here.

Firstly, let’s understand the concept of the show, which is really simple; the audience have to answer questions and if the answer is correct, a prize is given out. Another way to win is through a lucky draw which takes place at the end of the show. The prizes are very generous thanks to the sponsors.

However, as mentioned earlier, Inaam Ghar does not have the same appeal as its predecessor. Consequently, there have been a few major flaws that have been identified. Firstly, the content is too cheesy, be it the questions or the entertainment. Secondly, the Pakistani audience is portrayed as greedy wolves looking to pounce upon a meal. This really cheapens the aura of the show. 

Last but not least, one of the major issues here is the host: Amir Liaquat Hussain. He has made this show into his personal spotlight and he never wants to relinquish it. Amir Liaquat started off as a host for religious programs and his work was highly regarded at first. Then with a combination of blunders from GEO and himself, his reputation went down the drain. In recent times, he has become something of a joke. How and why people keep watching is something beyond me. 

Similarly, his attitude with the show audience is really dismal. Insulting the audience has become a norm, so has making fun of slightly different accents or speech impairments. He also comes off as a know-it-all and extremely self-centered. His over-friendliness with the ladies is also not a redeeming quality.

Another highly controversial issue is the fact that a couple of years ago Amir Liaquat blasted GEO over a suspicious video about himself, claiming he was framed by the news network. Surprisingly, he has now rejoined GEO without any explanation whatsoever.

In a nutshell, GEO TV and Amir Liaquat have ruined a classic Tv Show which the masses really enjoyed when it operated in all its glory under Tariq Aziz. Now it has lost its charm by a combination of cheap party tricks and a host to match. A fair amount of people still do watch the show, but that might just be because of the lack of quality entertainment on Pakistani Television.

A Glimpse at the Lifestyles of Pakistani CEOs - The Astonishing Figures

 Ever imagined what it would be like to earn an eight-figure salary? Drive a luxury car? Fly around in chartered jets? That’s the life of a modern CEO!

 
In addition to overseeing the tasks of the higher management, CEOs represent the face of a company and synonymously face the brunt of the publicity aimed at the company, be it positive or negative. This claim is even more applicable for CEOs of the media world; they are always in the limelight, even more so than their counterparts from other industries.

However, the compensation and benefits offered to CEOs are unparalleled when compared with the rest of the employment positions. The salary, benefits and stock options combined can make a handsome package. Of course, this figure varies depending on the company that the CEO works for.

On average, a CEO in the media industry takes home somewhere around $600,000 to $2 million (around 8 million Pakistani rupees per month!) annually. Apart from that, the company can also offer a car, stock options and other benefits. Apparently, this depends on the company and the perceived worth of the CEO. One thing we can ascertain is that CEO is the best compensated job title that one can have.

Talking about the Pakistani media industry, most of the companies offer good packages for their CEOs which include additional commissions and benefits apart from the basic salary. The average CEO working in the media industry commands a salary of Rs. 2 million to Rs.4 million monthly.  In addition to that, most of them get a company car and commissions based on the content their channel runs. An example of this is Yousuf Baig Mirza of PTV Network who was afforded a monthly commission in addition to his salary, based on advertising revenue.

However, based on my observations, a figure which truly stands out among the various media CEOs of Pakistan is Mr. Azhar Abbas, the CEO and president of Bol network. He is being offered the lifestyle that not only most of the corporate world can only dream of, but also makes him the envy of some of the CEOs in the top echelons of the media world.

In addition to a whopping eight-figure monthly salary, Azhar Abbas can reap the benefits of a Mercedes S class company maintained car, stock options, memberships to some of Karachi’s exclusive clubs and numerous other benefits being offered by Bol network to its employees, as mentioned on their website. Even when compared with international CEOs, the aforementioned package puts him at a very enviable level.

Media industry employees can surely take some encouragement from this and look forward to much better lifestyles. As more and more companies start taking the initiative, a lot of media executives can hope to achieve the aforementioned levels!

Pakistan Idol- A Critical Review

19th September, 2013 saw the launch of one of Pakistan’s highly awaited TV shows, Pakistan Idol. Modeled after the popular television franchise “American Idol”, the series was aimed at identifying solo artists across the country and further their careers via a mix of training and competition.

The initial auditions were met with humongous response and contestants started pouring in from all walks of life. Rich and poor, young and old; all types of people were enthusiastic about it. After all, the show was scheduled to launch in 2007 so the masses hoped that it would be worth the wait.

Pakistan Idol has three judges Bushra Ansari, Hadiqa Kiani, and Ali Azmat. Tese choices were somewhat controversial, as apart from Ali Azmat, neither of the other two were that well established and certainly not qualified enough to be judging many different styles of singers.

In a country where politeness is an art form and saying what you really think is the height of vulgarity, the judges’ “Simon Cowell” moments have brought an angry backlash. In one notorious exchange, Ali Azmat, lead singer with the band Junoon, mocks a male singer’s high pitched voice and then starts dancing with his head and hands in a style more generally associated with troupes of performing transvestites across South Asia.

Social media have been abuzz with condemnation and a public petition has attracted almost 1500 signatures demanding a public apology from the show’s makers for humiliating contestants. The appalling attitude of the judges has been witnessed by everyone on mass media and will surely bring about a bad name for Pakistani media.