In a first, two of Pakistan’s leading bloggers have challenged the supremacy of mainstream media’s talk shows and programming by launching an online audio-visual show.
Karachi-based bloggers Awab Avli and Faisal Kapadia, who blog at teethmaestro.com and deadpanthoughts.com respectively, have released the third episode of "The Laidback Show". The promos carry a picture of Al Qaida chief Osama bin Laden tagged "Jihad on da suits starts now!"
"We decided to do this show because we have been on a couple of TV shows and we think that the editors have less knowledge of what’s going on…" Kapadia declares in the first episode of the show.
Apart from reviewing the throbbing online community, the show addresses basic issues such as how is mainstream media tackling the online media, whether it knows how to harness the power of online platforms and whether the mainstream media is dead.
In the 29-minute first episode, which is very casual, Alvi jokes about Kapadia’s career in the mainstream media hitting a dead-end.
"I don’t really care about a career in the mainstream media. That’s why we decided to do our own show…" retorts Kapadia, requesting audiences to suggest a suitable title for the then unnamed show.