ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: Radio Pakistan is the prime source of information and entertainment for over 34 per cent of the country’s adult population, close to 10 million men and women.
Disclosing this, the director general of Radio Pakistan, Syed Anwar Mahmood, said that this finding was based on the Gallup survey carried out recently to assess the number of radio audience and type and pattern of radio listening in Pakistan.
The sample survey carried out for the first time ever by Radio Pakistan, covered more than 7,000 statistically selected men and women of both urban and rural areas of the country.
The survey by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International, shows that 22 pc of men and women all over the country are estimated to be current listeners of radio while 12 pc are occasional listeners i.e. they listen to the radio during special events, crisis situation or at leisure time.
The analysis of the survey confirms the fact that radio is still a popular medium of information and entertainment especially in rural areas where over 7 million adults tune to Radio Pakistan daily as compared to about 3 million in urban areas. The survey included people above 18 as respondents and did not take into account the youth below 18 who enthusiastically listen to music and sports programmes of the Radio specially over FM.
They would be in millions but have not been accounted for in this survey. Twenty-one per cent of rural adults are estimated to be current listeners of radio.
In urban areas, nearly one third of adults claim to be radio listeners. However, only 23 pc are regular listeners.
Analysis of the data gathered during the survey reveals interesting facts. It shows that more men (25%) listen to radio than women (15%) and listening is more among age group 18-29 (27%) than 30-50 (19%) or above 50 (16%). It also shows that radio is more popular with middle income groups than low or the high income groups. Only 19% of those with income of up to Rs3,000 listen to radio while it is 26% and 30% for income groups Rs3,001-7,000 and Rs7,001-15,000 respectively.
The percentage then drops to 27% for income group Rs. 15,OOO plus.
The survey indicates that the percentage of educated people who listen to Radio Pakistan is much higher than the illiterate or people with no formal education. The date shows that education-wise audience of Radio is illiterate (11%); up to primary (20%); up to metric (27%); inter (36%); graduate (29%) and post-graduate (31%).
Interestingly this pattern is more or less same both for urban and rural areas.
The findings of the survey also indicate that music programmes are most popular and they attract the listeners more than other programmes. Asked to name one programme of Radio Pakistan/FM which they like the most, 18% of the respondents named songs; 10% Ap Ki Farmayish; 6% Ghazal Time; 12% news; 5% religious programmes; 3% Qirat; 5% Lunch Time while 30% described other miscellaneous programmes as their favourite.
The most favourite time of listeners of Radio Pakistan are from 7am to 9.15am.
The interviewees were also asked about the reasons for not listening to the radio usually. Majority of them (36% in urban and 39% in rural areas) said they do not own radio. Those who said they do not have interest in radio listening were 29% in urban and 32% in rural areas while 30% in urban and 19% in rural areas described non-availability of time.
Source: Dawn
Date:10/25/1999
