Senate Panel For Devising Comprehensive, Effective Advertising Policy

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting should devise a comprehensive and effective national advertising policy with the focus to not only boost the industry but also project national development programmes, said Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting Chairman Senator Faisal Javed

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jan, 2021 ) :Ministry of Information and Broadcasting should devise a comprehensive and effective national advertising policy with the focus to not only boost the industry but also project national development programmes, said Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting Chairman Senator Faisal Javed.

Chairing the meeting, he said the government advertisements should also be broadcast over Pakistan Television (PTV) and FM radio.

The government had come up with an effective marketing plan to restore the stagnant growth of media industry besides providing financial security to the creators and other experts in the field, he added.

He stressed the need to improve the stalled growth of media, directing the ministry to have its own monitoring system.

During the meeting, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting briefed the committee about the National Advertising Policy, working procedures of ptv sports with its future programmes and broadcasts.

The committee was also informed by the information ministry that the work was being done on National Advertising Policy. For that purpose, meetings were being held with all stakeholders. The draft would be shared with the committee on finalization.

Under the new policy, economic interests of journalists would be protected besides safeguarding the interests of regional media. In digital advertising policy, the role of advertising agencies was being channelized and payment of government advertisements through Press Information Department (PID) was being ensured.

The committee was informed that a digital mechanism was being worked out.

There were separate rules for print media. In the current policy with 25% regional quota for advertising. The APNS provided PID, ads to registered agencies while PID paid 100% for classified ads. The eighty-five per cent of the bill for display advertisements was paid by newspapers, television and radio with remaining 15 per cent through agencies.

On direction of the Supreme Court, the rates for television advertisements had been divided into four categories. The rates for Category-I advertisements had been fixed at Rs140,000, Category-II at Rs100,000, Category-III at Rs75,000 and Category-IV at Rs50,000 per minute.

Senator Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar proposed that the regional channels should also be included in the first category. An effective mechanism was needed to solve those problems, he added.

Responding to a question from the committee chairman, the ministry informed that the rates of advertisements were the same on public and private channels.

The chairman said the government advertisements did not run in non-prime time for which media plan should be formulated.

He further said overall comprehensive policy was urgently needed. The government advertisements were not aired on entertainment channels and needed to be aired on PTV and FM Radio, he added.

Other members who attended the meeting included Senator Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, Khushbakht Shujaat, Pervez Rashid besides Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Syed Shibli Faraz who is an ex officio member, Secretary of the ministry Shahira Shah, PID director general, PTV managing director and other senior officials.