With the changing trend in media Pakistan has experienced an increasing trend of talk shows in Pakistan. These programs, inexpensive to produce and widely imitated around the world, tend to elevate personal opinion and private experience over authoritative facts relevant to Pakistan’s public life. Basically these talk shows can be divided into the following broad categories: tabloid shows, late night shows, daytime talk show (morning shows) and political talk shows.
These talk shows have opened up the media to more diverse views and voices, imparting a sense of democratic legitimacy and have overcame geography, creating virtual communities by connecting the like-minded. It has all started during the Musharaf regime, following the episodes like attack on Lal Masjid and the chief justice issue.
The political talk shows have provided new avenues for swaying public opinion and winning vote and have promoted opinion over detached observation. In the past the Pakistani citizens talking about national issues on the television was considered an impossible task. But now the general public can participate through live calls in the talk shows. This has provided the common man, a sense of importance and as well as freedom of speech. Journalists like Hamid Mir, Kashif Abbasi and Dr. Shahid Masood have become national heroes.
The morning talk shows are more popular in the females. These shows focus on a variety of segments from daily exercise to medical specialists, celebrity interviews to charity programs, movie reviews to discussion on social issues facing Pakistan. The morning shows have played a great role in moulding the personality of Pakistani women and has broadened their thinking horizons. The most popular are Nadia khan morning show on Geo TV and Good morning Pakistan on ARY Digital hosted by Dr.Shaista.
The tabloid talk shows emphasize drama and entertainment over verified information. These are Oprah winfrey type of shows. The host invites a collection of guests to talk about an emotional or provocative topic, such as divorce or extra marital affairs. One very popular show is “Machis” showed on Hum TV.
There is also an a
rray of late night talk shows. Late night television talk shows often follow the same format which includes: a standup comedy segment, called the monologue, where the host makes jokes about current events, several skits or other comedy bits and then interviews of famous celebrities. One of the most famous late night show is Begum Nawazish Ali talk show. Apart from that these days the “Sharif Show” hosted by Omer Sharif is also very popular.
Author : Ayesha Jamil
mediainpakistan
Media in Pakistan 
I agree with the theme of this article. I think talk shows have not only become popular but a very authentic(bleived) source of opinion building. People idiolize the anchors and weigh there perspectives.
also i think this is a very casual way of creating awareness amongst the general public about anything and everything. itheyre a complete package i say!!! and hence, i think its is now the responsibility of these anchors to be very careful in their opinion and expression as quite a lot of people tend to follow them 🙂
i totally agree with the article as these talk shows r increasingly give a new perspective of each thought to every issue by the voice of the public. public opinion is very important for consideration of solving any issue. good job for choosing this important topic. every single morning starts with my cup of coffee and the nadia khan”s show lol 😉
Morning talk shows have revulotionized time, traditions, Knwowledge……….
I mean you turn on the TV (in the morning) more 30 stations will be conducting morning shows, something one couldn’t have imagined a decade ago. Most notably these shows are hosted by female anchors and there focal point of dicussion are also women. These shows cover a wide array of topics ranging from social to religious matters; almost always pertaining to women. I think, rightly and deservedly these shows have brought something for women which was missing: there right to express, to enjoy , to entertainment, to knowledge.
people in Pakistan are sick and tired of watching all these depressing news about blasts and other natural disaster .these shows provide and entertaining alternative where people get to know and discuss problems facing Pakistan but in a more relaxed and open environment.
Back in PTV golden age, The morning show was hosted by Mustanser Hussian Tarrar was really great, and after that Tauseeq Ahmed done the jobe well. But now time has Changed.
very well written!and yes in my opinion talk shows are a great source of entertainment and they provide various views on various topics. Recently many channels have started showing morning talk shows which I think is great. Its always nice to start the day with watching something entertaining. Also shows like the Nadia khan show have tremendous popularity because there is a market for it. People are always watching news channels and get depressed so these shows divert their minds.
Pakistani talk shows have indeed made the general public more aware of the social issues faced by our country. It also provides a forum for voicing public opinions.
It’s a very well written article, which has given us a clear insight into how independent our media has become. The talkshows can criticize the government without the fear of being penalized. Regarding the morning talk shows, we now know how popular they are around the world, and they have given a very soft image of pakistan to the outside world which was very much needed.
I agree with the article that these talk shows are increasing rapidly nowadays. Mainly because these shows represents reality. Viewers are more interested to know the facts rather to watch some boredom fiction dramas. They have something against Government, whats & whereabouts in our country, health tips, etc. This is a very successful step for media and an outlook for the future in our country.
hey ayesha… you’ve done an excellent job in capturing the true sentiment regaurding the rising trend in talk shows. i espically agree with the statement u made reguarding the morning talk shows broadening the horizon of the average women’s mind frame. moreover i also feel that the political shows are also doing the same for the entire nation. enlightening them with “the other side of the story” and stating thought provoking facts that allow the viewer to make an infromed opininon about any topic at hand.
again very intersting topic that u address in this article.
hello ayesha jamil
well written article, i agree with a lot of what u ahd to say..
however i feel that u’ve left out an imp category of islamic talk shows like Alif, or ghamdi. these shwos also hel[ groom the enviourment.
i love watching talk shows. they are a complete source of entertainment nowdays, they are even better than a sitcom.
the talk shows are becoming soooo famous that now even male hosts are getting into this field. if you have seen tahir lodhi show!!! its soooo in these days. sooo many people call on his show. hes a wanna be shah rukh khan though 🙂
i really like morning shows..they give a refreshing efect in the morning!
As far as the political talk shows are concerned; no doubt the anchor persons hosting these shows are being idolized by the general public but with that comes great responsibility over their shoulders. Whatever they say holds great importance , people tend to believe whatever they say. Some anchors start propogating against a particular prsonality on the basis of mere rumours and hoaxes. Devastating her/his credibility and the general public starts seeing that person throug the eyes of those anchor persons. Thus we as a general public should also be aware of the authenticity of the anchor person.
very well written, i couldnt agree more.
SUBHA BHI LITE NAHI HOTI KAB DEKHTAY HO TUM SAB TALK SHOWS!?