10,000 Pakistanis take part in BBC audience campaign
Added: (Tue Apr 12 2005)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
12 April 2005
10,000 Pakistanis take part in BBC audience campaign
Around 10,000 people took part in BBC Urdu service’s month-long audience campaign across Pakistan. BBC Sangat… Kahain Aap Sunain Hum (You Say, We Listen) covered thousands of kilometres to meet the Pakistani audiences face to face, engaging people from local communities in discussions on the issues affecting their lives.
The events held in Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab, Kashmir, North-West Frontier Province and Northern Areas were broadcast daily on the BBC Urdu service’s popular programme, Sairbeen, and featured online on the world’s leading Urdu-language site, bbcurdu.com.
Acting Head of BBC Urdu, Waheed Mirza, said: “It was a great learning opportunity for our programme-makers, as they came for the first time face to face with people who listen to our output. It was also heartening to learn the many ways BBC touches upon its audiences and the importance they attach to how we report news.”
People travelled hundreds of miles to meet their favourite presenters and share their views. Radio Editor of BBC Urdu, Shahzeb Jillani, says that meeting them was exhilarating:
“These people humbled us with their enthusiasm, their respect for the BBC brand and their appreciation of the quality of broadcasting we provide. The campaign also enabled us for the first time to meet our new listeners: people in their early- to mid-20s. Many of them university students, serious, well-informed, curious about the world, they are looking to us to widen their knowledge and enhance their aspirations.”
These are quotes from some of the thousands of people who came to the BBC Urdu events:
“I am a labourer and left my day’s wage to come here and meet the BBC team. I wish I could do more for them but I am too poor.” Male, Khairpur
“It’s good that Sairbeen has become hour long now. I only went to primary school and couldn’t get more education, but BBC helped me understand the conditions of world around me.” Male, Zhob
“I am a journalist and BBC helps me in my work quite a bit. I can’t listen to BBC every day but whenever there is big news I definitely listen to the Urdu service.” Female, Faislabad
“The BBC should continue telling the truth.” Male, Kot Jhabani
“I am a shop keeper. I really enjoy listening to BBC first thing after the morning prayer.” Male, Attock
“I started my journey in the morning to come here and meet the BBC team. The BBC is my teacher and I decided I should meet all my teachers today.” Male
Ends
Images of campaign are available at request by email.
For further information write to lala.najafova@bbc.co.uk
Note to editors:
BBC Urdu broadcasts three times a day. Its flagship programme, Sairbeen, aired seven days a week at 20.00 Pakistan Standard Time, provides 60 minutes of news and current affairs. Jahanuma, which starts at 06.30, is a 30-minute daily breakfast programme which sets the day’s news agenda. At the end of the day there is Shabnama, a 30-minute round-up of the main events starting at 22.30. In addition, BBC Urdu brings listeners weekly magazine features on sports, science and economy that can also be accessed through its popular online site bbcurdu.com
BBC World Service broadcasts programmes around the world in 43 languages and is available on radio and online. It has a global audience of 146 million listeners. BBC World Service is available globally on short wave; on FM in 140 capital cities; and selected programmes are carried on around 2,000 FM and MW radio stations around the world. The BBC World Service websites receive around 280 million page impressions every month.