It comes by no surprise that every morning millions of Pakistani women tune into their favorite morning show as an integral part of their daily routine. The reputable hosts of the shows have become familiar faces that they resonate with. The segments on makeup, lifestyle and personal grooming offer content that they take inspiration from. The celebrity guests and experts invited to the show are personalities that they admire and look up to.
In the past 15 years, morning shows have not only been able to multiply their viewer base but have also managed to become one of the most profitable television investments. The hosts of the shows are one of the highest paid professionals in the media. Given the rapid rise to success of morning shows in Pakistan, it is important to answer several relevant questions: Why are the shows popular in Pakistan? Why are they specifically popular amongst women? How are they impacting the audience?
In order to answer the questions above, we must first understand and identify the target audience of the shows. According to a survey by Gallup Pakistan on Television Audience Viewership, female adults watch more television than their male counterparts. 60% of females watch entertainment channels in Pakistan as compared to only 47% of the men.
Moreover, according to a report published by Medialogic Monthly Review, more females watch local entertainment channels in the morning, from 9 am to 11 am, as compared to males. Since most of the local entertainment channels air morning shows during that time, it is safe to assume that more women, than men, watch morning shows in Pakistan.
Now that we have established who the target audience is, we can begin to determine the factors that lead to the popularity of the morning shows amongst the audience.
The most oft repeated and riveting episodes of morning shows focus on weddings, festive clothing and bridal grooming. Content that is related to these topics catch the immediate attention of most viewers because they are not only relatable to the women watching them but are also a significant aspect of our culture and society.
Many shows have dedicated wedding weeks every year in which they build elaborate sets, hire wedding dancers and make-up artists and rent designer clothing. These episodes include enacting the weddings of recently married celebrities or actors who are paid to pretend that they are getting married. This obsession with presenting grand, three-day wedding celebrations and the competition amongst morning shows for the past 10 years to celebrate the most extravagant wedding underscores not only the significance of weddings in our culture but also the importance of vanity and clothing.
In an interview with Dawn in January 2019, Nida Yasir, the Host of Good Morning Pakistan, said, “… We do stage live weddings on our shows because those are the most popular episodes. Shows with intellectual content or even celebrity guests don’t guarantee ratings the way a wedding show does. There was a time when we would air one wedding week per year but then Shaista Lodhi [another popular morning show host] began to constantly air weddings in her morning show for another channel. The ratings of my show started going down and I had no choice but to launch into a long wedding season of my own!” This suggests that live weddings are a major factor behind the popularity of morning shows.
Moreover, the role of women in our society is also an underlying theme presented in most episodes of the shows. The host of the shows pose questions towards the audience and celebrity guests, both usually female, regarding domestic issues and familial relationships. Discussions revolve around the benefits and disadvantages of living in a joint family as compared to a nuclear one, ways to keep one’s in-laws happy and satisfied with the ‘bahu’, parenting approach towards children excessively using social media and television.
Moreover, newly married women are asked about the changes in their lives after marriage as compared to their single life. New mothers are asked about the additional responsibilities after giving birth. Conversations on these topics constantly resurface almost every episode as live callers, in-studio audience as well as celebrity guests discuss issues that are most relevant to Pakistani women. This suggests that Pakistani women find these discussions to be engaging and useful.
Additionally, morning shows provide useful information on health, lifestyle and beauty that many women follow religiously. Celebrity guests are repeatedly asked beauty and lifestyle tips. For example, on May 25th, 2020, second day of Eid, Nida Yasir, invited 4 guests, all of whom had been morning shows hosts at one point in time and the first few questions that they were asked included “How do your hide your weight on camera?”, “How do you keep your skin fresh?”, “What are your tips on taking the perfect selfie?”. The answer to these questions included “You can hide your abdominal weight using a pillow”, “Never be the one taking a selfie because it makes your nose look fat” or “drink 8-12 glasses of water for a clear skin”.
Often, the segments on beauty include methods that give quick medical results or are easy to perform at home. For example, on April 9th, 2019, the morning show “Aap Ka Sahir” presented a segment in which a skin expert performed a face lifting procedure that apparently reduced the double chin of a client within 5 minutes. In the same episode, an herbal expert presented medicine to increase the height of children and treat adult acne. Many viewers are heavily influenced by the beauty products that are endorsed on morning shows. This was proven by an empirical study whereby consumers in Pakistan increased their expenditure on products endorsed by celebrities on morning shows.
Another reason that may explain the viewership of these shows is that, quite often, morning shows highlight gender-based crimes by inviting victims of rape, acid attacks and other gender-based atrocities. In a qualitative study by Munira Cheema on the talk shows in Pakistan, the treatment of gender-based issues by morning shows was reviewed and analyzed. It was highlighted that in morning shows like Subh Saveray Maya Kay Sath and Good Morning Pakistan, victims of sexual assault or acid attacks are invited to share their stories followed by a serious discussion amongst law enforcement authorities, NGOs and legal advisors on the incident. Live callers (mostly women) call in to express their concern over such issues.
The host of Utho Jago Pakistan has also conducted episodes on the themes of ‘gender identity crisis’ and ‘sexual ambivalence’. However, it has also been noted that many times, the hosts of the shows seem to sensationalize the crimes. The host, the victims and others in the audience are seen to be in tears during the discussion of the crime. The emotional aspect of the narration, as opposed to the intellectual and analytical discussion, may be the reason why many regularly follow morning shows.
The reasons discussed above are only a few factors that have led to the popularity of morning shows. Other factors may include the popularity of hosts, informal discussions with professionals like politicians, sportsmen and designers regarding their personal lives, lack of availability or awareness to use alternative sources of media like YouTube and Facebook (especially amongst older women) for entertainment and information that the morning shows currently provide.
In order to have a more in- depth evaluation of the impact of morning shows and the reasons for their popularity, it is essential that empirical research be focused on this topic for the benefit of the Pakistani community at large.
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