RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue

(Jaisar Abbas ,

School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Vilas Hall, University of Wisconsin

RUROAWARENESS THROUGH THE AUDIO CHANNEL: A COMMUNICATION STRATEGY FOR RURAL BROADCASTING IN PAKISTAN

The rural masses have been denied of their due importance in the past. It is onty in the recent development rhetoric that đifferent dimensions of these masses have been emphasizeđ to the extent that now they оссиру a central place in communication strategies as part of development projects . In orđer to uplift the rural masses the use of different media have become a part of development strategies. Of all media, broadcasting has gained a special attention due to its vitality in getting the message across easily and effectively to remote rural auđiences . This paper focuses on the experience of PaKistan in using radio for its rural development programs . The paper attempts to analyze the role of communication in development projects and subsequently suggests a communication strategy for rural broadcasting in the country . The vital role of the rural sector in the national есопоту of PaKistan is highly visible as it contributes four-fifths of the export earning . Agriculture , as the largest sector of есопоту , accounts for one-fourth of the GDP and it employs more than half of the labor force in the country . 1 ) Though the rural population occupies a major part of the land spread over 4 5,000 villages , a predominant majority of it worKs as small or subsistence farmers , sharecroppers , and tenants . Despite its major share in the national есопоту , the agricultural sector faces innumerable problems including distribution of land , low yields , small and fragmented holdings , low employment , lacK of basic infrastructure and the poor extension service . 2 ) All yardsticKs to measure the level of development in the country do not present a promising picture . Overall conditions of low literacy rate (26.2X), low mortality rate (60 per thousand births ) , minimum health care anđ housing facilities present a depressing situation. Also , the lacK of the basic infrastructures of sanitary conditions , water supply and

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