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PTV — round the clock
With the advent of PTV’s 24-hour transmission, it appears that our local network has woken up to contemporary media trends. Initially, it was thought that it would be somewhat difficult for PTV to catch up with the fast-moving, innovative satellite channels that have lately hit the primarily urban audiences. But things are not that glum, it seems.
Convincing evidence of this observation is PTV’s Nite Time transmission run by the Lahore Centre. It is a unique idea that has gained momentum as well as popularity in a relatively short span of time. The concept of the rather prolonged telecast is that every night at 11:00pm or so, three or more young anchors who swap each others’ positions on a daily basis, play host to a famous or renowned individual and engage in an interesting tête-à-tête. Noor-ul-Hassan, Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, Muhammad Ali, Yasir Qureshi, Alia, Sophia, Nadia and Dr Asjad are the names that assume the duties of hosts intermittently. Each night they chat with a celebrity, who can be from any walk of life (mainly from the glitzy world of showbiz), and elicit interesting responses by asking questions that pertain to the celeb’s career as well as day-to-day life. To date, known figures such as Muhammad Qavi Khan, Samina Ahmed, Amjad Islam Amjad, Intikhab Alam and many others have graced the show and contributed to lively discussions which go on air live without confronting the whims of the censors.
Here, it would be fair to mention the names of Noor-ul-Hassan and Sarmad Khoosat, whose free-flowing, anecdote-replete anchoring has been, so far, widely appreciated by the viewers. The male anchors have an edge over the ladies as they seem to be at a loss for words sometimes. Thank God the comments on Ali’s eyes and smile have lessened — and his blushing too. The rapport between the hosts is healthy and they refrain from the usual snide comments that hosts today resort to. What is very welcome is the content of the conversation, which is wholesome and polite.
PTV reruns its classic drama serials and series’ at this hour to add to the flavour of the night. However, the question that springs to mind is: How many reruns of reruns can the audience digest? According to the bigwigs at the station, some new programmes have been recorded to go on air during the Nite Time transmission, but due to Muharram and then the war, they have been put on hold. The effort was commendable of all those connected with the show who kept interest alive even during the sombre mood of Muharram.
The extremely cultured manner in which the young hosts share their thoughts is quite praiseworthy. Without a doubt, it is a treat for those who hit the sack late at night and are not early risers. Having said that, there are certain tiny hiccups that PTV must take care of. For starters, what if the prolonged transmission gets a little redundant and suffers from monotony? Since variety is the spice of life, and with a format like one that Nite Time adheres to, it is very likely that the interview sessions, sprinkled with words of wisdom here and there, may slide into the clutches of boredom. To get rid of that problem, to alter the format or to add certain interesting items to the show would not be an easy task. It has to be in synch with the uniqueness of the whole concept.
Also, where does PTV earn from at night? It’s pretty difficult to attract sponsors or advertisers at ungodly hours and the channel is spending a lot of money on the transmission. Perhaps it’s a strategic move of the channel to counter the programming of those satellite channels that run a 24-hour telecast everyday in an upbeat, modern style. If that’s the case and no commercial gains are involved, then PTV has made its mark. And if that’s not the case, then the situation is quite baffling.
On the whole, the transmission is being currently seen by a large audience and is being lauded in certain areas. It does have something new to offer. But for how long it will sustain its uniqueness, only time will tell.
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