Ever since the advent of independent media, people have come up with a number of ways to utilize the air time and earn some major bucks. Some of these ideas have culminated in the launch of a variety of talk shows. There is a wide range available of these as well.

There are shows where they call in political experts for an analysis of current affairs, health specialists to take live calls and answer queries, culinary extraordinaire to share their expertise, sports commentators to talk about sporting events, and mostly simply celebrities to share more of their personal life with the general public.

Talk shows in Pakistan have gained in popularity over the past decade. Open, fast-paced talks about political instability, economic issues, fashion trends, and social concerns have gained the approval of the viewers and resulted in high ratings for the Television channels.

The viewership of such talk shows has increased and magnified to a great extent. However, does this indicate that these are simply a source of mindless entertainment or a way to keep abreast of the latest in the world of news? The answer to this question will vary from person to person on the basis of their general viewpoint on the media. And of course this also greatly depends on the nature of the talk show itself to determine if it is news or entertainment or a mixture of both.

Take, for an example, the famous talk show “Hasb-e-haal.” Mr. Azizi and his team ensured that even those people who had no knowledge or interest in the ongoing politics of the country were charmed into watching it. This is perhaps the best combination of news and entertainment. Mr. Azizi never fails to add humor even to the most depressing news related to our politics and politicians. In fact, his dual-meaning jokes and charming irony as well as remarks are what made the show most entertaining for watchers. The show has one of the higher ratings in Pakistani television. Apart from the added humor, it cannot be denied that the show is highly informative. News related to the country, world, economics, technology, and bizarre or misunderstood facts is shared and discussed.

Then there come the sort of talk shows that are there for pure entertainment. Of course, such talk shows must have some information that has to be imparted in order to retain the purpose of the show, but in doing so, the entertainment part is more highlighted. One of the most popular shows on Pakistani television is of course “Hum Sab Umeed Se Hain”, which converts political news and current affairs into palatable humor.

Recently, a number of Pakistani talk shows have taken inspiration from already established ones and are being aired on different channels. The purpose, motto and nature of all these talk shows vary immensely. Some are informative, airing news, while others are meant to be for pure entertainment. However, all of them have one thing in common–the brilliant creativity and effort of the media brains.