Abstract

This study investigates the role of “Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), commonly known as Radio Pakistan, in influencing socioeconomic development in Central Punjab (2008-2013). It reviews literature on socioeconomic development through radio in many countries by Stephen Barnard (2000), William Faulder (1984), Shazia Maari (2009) and Mary Myers (2011) and others and the archives of Finance Division of Government of Pakistan (GOP) on socioeconomic development in the country (2008-2019). The first of its kind, the study assumes that Radio Pakistan has substantially contributed in socioeconomic development in Central Punjab, catering to internationally funded big projects such as China Pakistan Economic Corridor needs of Pakistani public. The study uses these needs as the indicators of social and economic development (keeping in mind the radio transmission is dependent on independent government/radio policies, topics, budget, expert advice, caller queries for various targeted radio programs) for measuring the role of Radio Pakistan in socioeconomic development in Central Punjab. Listener is dependent on radio while radio independently produces programs to cater to audiencei’s needs.
The study checked the efficacy of programs through the interviews of programmers and an audience satisfaction survey asking if program policy, topic, guest speaker’s knowledge of topic, and quality were made to meet/meeting a listener’s needs in the selected territory. Radio Pakistan relies on, what WHO calls, the drill of development support communication, a multisectoral process for sharing information about agendas and deliberate actions for development. This medium links beneficiary to the community of planners, implementers and donors of the said action (“Development,” 2001). They share information and answer the queries of listeners in radio programs.
The qualitative study analyzed programmers’ comments on topics, content, budget, expert opinion, and caller queries and suggestions for the improvement of the programs and finds that the radio meets/strives hard minute by minute to meet the audience expectations by adjusting/upgrading the content concerning indicated socioeconomic domains on daily basis through the exchange of information between the programmers and listeners/callers during 18 hours daily transmission CPEC, one hour weekly with 60% daily time dedicated to music and 40% to above said conversations and other. The data collected through interviews showed that radio producers are restricted to the provincial and national agenda and policy. The limited budget, less skilled staff, conventional approach and less interest of high government officials are the hurdles in upgrading medium’s capacity to engage a larger audience with more efficient results.
Overall, this research qualitatively examines the role of Radio Pakistan in socioeconomic development in Central Punjab through the surveys of the programmers and listeners about the radio/government program policies, quality, topics, guests’ knowledge of topics Lahore, Faisalabad and Sargodha stations, and recommends that programs can be made more beneficial through investment in programming and advancement technology in the targeted areas.

Key words: Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC); Radio Pakistan; socioeconomic development in Central Punjab through the radio; CPEC on Pakistani radio.