EVENT > National elections
LOCATION > Pakistan
DATE >
18 February 2008
between lives.
ISLAMABAD: It has been a time of political turmoil and upheavals in the recent history of Pakistan. After the emergency rule imposed by President Musharraf in November 2007 and Benazir Bhutto’s assassination the following month, Pakistan held its general elections on 18 February 2008. The country is still fighting its way to stability and shaping its government. Eurovision and Reuters were present in December and returned in February to provide our services to news broadcasters.
Eurovision provided a full range of services for the international broadcast community.
'We had three paths on the crucial days, with three live shots. In the backdrop were the Parliament House, Presidential Residence and National Assembly. Despite the fear of widespread violence, the atmosphere was unusually subdued in Pakistan during this period. There was a large spectrum of interest from across the globe. We had broadcasters from Europe: Germany, Sweden, Poland, France, Spain, and Austria to the Koreans, Indians, Japanese and Australians. We provided approximately 140 transmissions to broadcasters from 22 countries. The bulk of the transmissions we had were on the date of the election itself and the day after'.
Vital Statistics
| > | 37 broadcasters |
| > | 3 simultaneous channels |
| > | 140 transmissions |
| > | 2’017 minutes |
| > | 3 stand-up positions, 5 playout platforms. |
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Comments
Sonia Tan > Producer
'There were many issues that had to be dealt with while trying to set up an operation in a country with restrictions on its press and television. Government organisations and ministries were in constant flux. Also, as there were daily power cuts across the country, there were practicalities and logistics like a stable power source to consider.
'We had the location built specifically for this operation which is unusual and the resulting live shot was worth the effort. We had specially designed a platform from existing materials on site that protruded out of the building so we could have a safe structure for the dish. We had a great team who worked closely together and supported each other. As a result, a potentially difficult operation went ahead as smoothly as it could have.
'I asked our engineer, Lorenzo, about his most memorable incident. He said that at the end of the operation, we were invited out for dinner by some of our local contacts. We found ourselves not far from the city centre, along a main road, in a small open hut completely grey with dust. There were two freezers, a few wooden chairs and tables, and an open fire with a large wok. We proceeded to select our fish, where they were promptly gutted, marinated and cooked by the side of the road. In the open cold night, it was the simplest and best meal we had the entire trip, amongst newly found friends and amid lots of laughter'.
THE EUROVISION TEAM
| Sonia Tan > | Producer |
| Lorenzo Capacchione > | Lead engineer |
| Dave Hughes > | Second engineer |
| Paul Pasquale > | Cameraman |
| Graham Wiggins > | Cameraman |
| Chris Lewis > | Cameraman |
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