Launched 2005 Country Karachi, Pakistan | Picture format 4:3 (576i, SDTV) | |
Owned by Business Recorder Group Slogan Pakistan Ki Awaz(Voice of Pakistan) Sister channel(s) Play Entertainment, Aaj Entertainment | ||
Aaj News is a 24-hour Pakistani news television channel. Aaj in English means "Today".
Contents
Channel and its programmes
Aaj News was initially started on 23 March 2005 by the Business Recorder Group. The Business Recorder Group is one of the most prominent media conglomerates in Pakistan, which, in the 40 years of its history, has attained tremendous success and enjoys leadership position in every one of its ventures. The extensive reach to the decision makers has given the Business Recorder Group substantial influence and a special relevance to the past, present and future of Pakistan. The Business Recorder Group specializes in niche businesses that are one of a kind in the country, which include the flagship Business Recorder newspaper, Apex Printry, the most sophisticated printing facility in the country that is the only other organization apart from the Government of Pakistan that has the capability and authority to print secure financial and legal papers in Pakistan, e-dynamics, Pakistan's largest hi-tech information solutions provider, and the Recorder Television Network consisting of Aaj News, Aaj Entertainment and Play Entertainment.
As Aaj News was the first television network to have an earth station in Pakistan, it provides flexibility and control in responding to local and international events. AAJ News caters to all tastes by providing four programming features in the form of news, current affairs, entertainment and infotainment. It broadcasts directly to the AsiaSat satellite with a footprint of over 60 countries.
With a vast amount of experience with the Business Recorder Group, AAJ News provides round the clock news coverage from around the world in collaboration with their partner news sources in more than 100 countries.
Combining news reporting with analytical strengths provided by the respected social and political commentators in Pakistan, accounts for in depth and precise Current Affairs programs.
Aaj News is perhaps Pakistan's first and only channel that has separate segments for business news and programming alongside its hourly bulletins.
Aaj News is the logical progression of the Business Recorder's group's mission to dispense unadulterated information through easily accessible mediums. Extensive planning, spanning over 2 years, has gone into perfecting the channel's content, technology and operations. It employs more than 350 employees and has fully equipped bureaus in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
On 22 April 2007 the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) had served a show-cause notice on Aaj News, for airing news, talk shows and other programmes on the current judicial crisis and threatened it with closure.
The notice said that the TV channel had violated the Pemra Ordinance in its news, talk shows and programmes on an issue pending with the Supreme Judicial Council.The notice said that the channel had also failed to produce a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the external publicity wing of the ministry of information and broadcasting which was required for the processing of short-term uplinking licence.
On 23 March 2009, Aaj News was converted into a 24-hour news channel.
Change of format
Recently Aaj TV changed its format from being a hybrid channel into becoming solely a news channel, even though it retained a couple of its entertainment shows like 4 Man Show.