Ministry says ad rates for broadcast media settled

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Friday concluded an amicable settlement to the issue of government rates of advertisements for broadcast media.

The new slabs agreed with the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) are estimated to result in savings of 70 percent to the government, says a statement issued by the ministry here. “These rates will be for peak hours only and will be applicable to all federal and provincial government departments and autonomous bodies,” it explained.

On the directions of Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, the Secretary I&B Shafqat Jalil held negotiations with the PBA in Karachi and agreed to an amicable settlement on the issue of rates for government advertisements for electronic media.

Fawad Chaudhry expressed hope that this would benefit the media industry and was in line with the policy of the present government to strengthen the media. The minister reiterated the commitment of the incumbent government to the freedom of media and expression. The PBA was, among others, represented by its Chairman Shakil Masood, Duraid Qureshi, General Secretary, and Sultan Lakhani.