The issue of license is becoming only too onerous now. Geo Network is failing to launch its 24×7 English news channel called Geo English aka Geo International. While one can understand the legal issues concerning the matter, the government should also take into cognizance the matter of the product of some of country’s best brains. The team for Geo English was hired more than one year ago and since then it is busy in producing news content which remains off air owing to the legal bottlenecks. While I work for the same project, my this submission has nothing to do with my own working with it. My issue is simple. If you are allowing so many channels already what damage can an English news channel do? Also I have seen some of the country’s best minds being hired for the project and yet they are not being allowed to deliver their content to the people.
Why is it happening? Well it is in the cross media laws that any organization cannot open more than one news and five other channels. Now since a similar law governs the issuance of FM radio station licenses too, it cannot escape the attention of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) that the anti trust law has already been made a mockery of. Does the PEMRA want the television channels to do the same? I think not. Also it must be remembered that Geo Network has already endured huge losses owing to the state’s vendetta which closed it from Dubai and pressed the advertisers not to hire airtime from the network. The new government should not forget its promises on media freedom.
The government has already shown its readiness to allow the channel by amending the laws. Yet the PEMRA states that this may take a while. Unfortunately the morale of the Geo English team is on its ebb owing to this prolonged drag. The government would do good to accelerate the process. And if this has to take sometime and yet the government is committed to allowing the channel, it is my personal opinion, that the government should grant the channel a temporary license till the time the changes in the law are introduced, just like the previous government had allowed Aaj TV to operate on a temporary license.
Whatever the government’s differences with the owners of the channels, their services in raising consciousness of the masses should not be ignored. Nor should the government forget the career development of perhaps some of the country’s most englightened minded young journalists.