Radio is the cheapest form of entertainment available to the masses of any country, as they can access it from traditional radio sets, basic mobile devices or even the smallest music devices. Since the time of its inception, just like in any other country, radio became an integral part of every person in Pakistan. Because of radio, people felt free to express their opinions and ideas, to discuss complex topics and get entertainment. It has also been a source of news and information, helping to keep people informed about current events and the world around them.

The age of radio in Pakistan has seen a great transformation for the country. From the early days of Radio Pakistan, to the array of FM stations in the 90s, radio has been a driving force in the growth of Pakistani culture and media.

Impact of radio on Pakistani culture

Although radio broadcasting had been in use in three of the states such as Dhaka, Peshawar and Lahore, before the independence. But soon after the independence, the need for having a radio station in the then capital Karachi was felt. And thus, a new radio station was launched in Karachi.

Those were the days when people waited for the transmission to start so that they could listen to the news and entertainment shows. You will be surprised to know that many famous singers and musicians first got their breakthrough on radio, including Mehdi Hassan, Noor Jehan, Farida Khanum, Iqbal Bano, Nazakat Ali Khan and so many others.

Role of radio in spreading the news and information

Radio was the first medium to instantly broadcast news and other important information to the masses. While being the state-run enterprise, the news and information broadcast from Radio Pakistan were the voice of the government.

While this may be of interest to some people, the youngsters needed something trendy and felt the dire need of more entertainment.

Thus, in the 1990s, with boom in technology all over the world, things didn’t remain same in Pakistan as well; people saw the wave of FM radio stations. Most of these were privately-owned, so there was no interference from the government and the privately-owned stations got the freedom to present the content, which was lively and reflected the popular culture.

The tactics worked and people from around the country became FM-addicted (to any particular channel). This was the birth of ‘FM culture’ (as it is called). FM radio stations presented everything in a versatile way. Music from around the world was added in the shows, with lively RJs who would take calls and messages from the listeners, thus making the listeners feel they are part of the show too. Then there were talk shows that reflected on the problems of common man, the social and personal debates and the informal style of the RJs made people feel closer to them.

The challenges

Although youngsters in the developed cities of Pakistan prefer online streaming services for listening to music and podcasts to get information, radio still plays its simply amazing role for common people who don’t have access to smartphones or internet. For example, if you happen to visit some rural areas, or even the local dhaabas, markets or business areas, you will notice that many people will be listening to any local FM station. And believe it or not they are entertained throughout the day with the service providers. So, it is wrong to say that radio service will ever go out of fashion.

Radio is a great source of entertainment, information and entertainment for the people around the world and Pakistan in particular which is still struggling to stand amidst the financial crunch. In short, radio can never bury under the dust of time. It is just that the popularity has decreased in recent years, but this medium will never go out of fad.

There is still a growing demand for radio services and an increase in the numbers of radio stations, including the demand for internet radio services as more people are beginning to use these. It is likely that in the years to come, more internet-based radio stations, with newer formats or programming styles, may be introduced.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 11th, 2023