I know the Urdu service wasn’t on for a while, but then they brought it back again. But do people still listen to it, or have the numbers gone down so much that it’s meaningless now?
How come the Pakistani govt never felt threatened by this? I have never heard of Pakistani govt trying to control shortwave radio, or trying to ban it. It was just as popular as Geo or Ary back in the day (80’s). People regularly listened to it. Maybe the news was really watered down to even be a threat.
I know the Urdu service wasn't on for a while, but then they brought it back again. But do people still listen to it, or have the numbers gone down so much that it's meaningless now?
How come the Pakistani govt never felt threatened by this? I have never heard of Pakistani govt trying to control shortwave radio, or trying to ban it. It was just as popular as Geo or Ary back in the day (80's). People regularly listened to it. Maybe the news was really watered down to even be a threat.
BBC (Urdu Service) on sw;1413 meter band...has a history by itself.
It all started from early sixties when the URDU service came on air from that mini room of the BBC at Bush House, Strand, London.
The earliest of the Pakistanis who were given contracts...were; ABBAS AHMED ABBASI, REZA ABEDI, ATHAR ALI, SAHIB QIZILBASH and so forth on. Surraiya Shahab, Mahpara Safdar, Mahjoor...and a few more...also went from Pakistan.
My father was offered 5 years contract in 1964 but he preferred to stay back.
Back in 1979 during my vacations in London I visited the BBC Urdu Service at BUSH HOUSE...on Strand and met Athar Chacha, Reza Ali Abedi and a young fella from Karachi I forget the name at the moment.
Since 1972 I have been an ardent fan of BBC URDU SERVICE. Even now I do listen to it carefully on my pocket Radio...and in car while on road at that 8 pm pst and second one at 11pm.
SEIRR BEEN is my favorite while our Karachi University's former student leader SHAFI NAQIE JAMIE is another classic voice which is highly enthralling and catch..specially his style of talking to listeners in KHEIL KI DUNYA MEIN.....
BBC URDU SERVICE has come a long way...and let me also tell you here that beaming the service to ASIA from UK....till 1988 was done through a very powerful booster at Musqat-Sultanate of Oman. Later after the develeopments and sattelite etc...the booster was laid off and now I get a very clear signal/sound on Short-Wave: 1413 in my car and on my Phillips Pocket Radio.
Khush Rahein.....
Raju Jamil