Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation controls the radio transmissions in Pakistan
Radio is the most effective media tool today even in the era of IT and multimedia communication. In view of the penetration‚ sweep‚ pervasiveness‚ accessibility‚ cost effectiveness and convenience‚ its identity can never be lost. It can be tuned anywhere during daily life i.e. while studying‚ driving‚ cooking‚ working in the fields and retiring in the bed. In the present technological revolution and transformation‚ FM broadcast has taken the world by storm. It has taken a lead by virtue of line of sight propagation of waves and smaller range resulting in good quality and reliable signal. The salient feature of FM broadcast is that it works as community radio station‚ broadcasting programmes in the language and dialect of a particular area in accordance with their style and taste.
Yet‚ benefiting from experiences gained in other countries‚ Pakistan broadcasting corporation introduced a musical channel on the FM band at its Karachi station in April‚ 1993. During the same year‚ similar channels started operating under the PBC management from Lahore and Islamabad as well. The immense response that it received from the audiences in the three urban centers convinced the PBC people that they had taken a step in the right direction by setting up FM channel.
The FM channel in the three major cities (Islamabad‚ Lahore‚ Karachi) was named FM 101‚ and it started operating with a facelift from October 1‚ 1998. Youthful presenters with friendly style were engaged and the phone-in facility was made available to the listeners. The transmission hours were also increased so that the channel now remains on the air daily from 6 in the morning till 4:00 am. FM 101 is now operating for 22 hours transmission daily from 8 stations at Islamabad‚ Lahore‚ Karachi‚ Peshawar‚ Quetta‚ Faisalabad‚ Sialkot and Hyderabad. At presents FM 101 channel is the biggest FM channel of Pakistan broadcasting 172 Hours transmission per day from 8 stations.;
The programme consists of music mainly of the pop variety. Western music has also been allocated two hours every day‚ form 3 to 4 in the afternoon and 8 to 9 in the evening. The transmission is sprinkled with information on a variety of topics including driving tips‚ horoscopes‚ sports‚ weather updates‚ culture and civilization‚ health and hygiene‚ quiz‚ women and kids issues‚ fashion and style and even stocks and business hints. Prominent personalities of different fields of life are also invited in live shows to talk to the listeners and answer their phone calls. FM 101 channel also broadcast Current Affairs issues as and when required.
The listeners give their feedback and have interaction which the DJs of FM 101 channel through SMS service‚ e-mails and letters. The transmission of FM 101 is also available on the web.
The success of any broadcast organization depends on the style presentation techniques‚ it has adopted. Therefore‚ the first and foremost demand of FM 101 from its presenters is subject knowledge‚ language efficiency and vocabulary with communication skills and mannerism. The presenters of the channel have been provided these skills with extensive training and guidance by experienced production team of PBC.