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One can only learn good things when one has good people around, leaving GNN was not an easy decision, hosting a show with Orya and Hilaly is a profile uplift: Rameen Syed
“The current young generation is a nonsense bunch, they are not ready to buy any idea at its face value,” this statement seems perfect when we see TV anchor and broadcast journalist Rameen Syed. Made it to national TV just four years ago but making a place for herself through her work ethic and her clarity of ideas displayed on social media makes her stand out of the crowd.
Hailing from Karachi, Rameen moved to Lahore with her family in 2008 and completed her education here. She did her BS honors from the University of Punjab in Mass Communication with a major in PR & Advertising.
Started her career as a content writer back in 2016 for the website English Point. It was a project of Urdu Point. Later she became a news anchor for the experimental facebook live news bulletins of Urdu Point. She is perhaps among the first few news anchors who started off with a digital channel, something that was not taken seriously back in the day. “I used to write articles for their English website and one fine day I was asked if I would do the newscasting too. News casting on Facebook Live sounded like an interesting idea and I opted for it. I had done news casting for Punjab University’s FM radio station so the task was not completely alien to me,” Rameen Syed recalled.
“With time it was not just news casting, they diversified the addition of studio interviews too. We started having guests such as psychologists and motivational speakers who I used to interview for the digital cast. Moreover, Urdu Point also gave me the opportunity of outdoor reporting, shooting, and production of outdoor packages and event coverage,” said the digital show host turned broadcast journalist. “It was interesting time we had no burden of the past examples therefore we kept on experimenting and coming up with something new every time,” she added.
The Urdu Point facebook live and their content worked and became a trendsetter. Her work in this new genre got noticed in the experience and skills she acquired in the process earned her a spot at the then yet-to-launch GNN. Recalling that time and the transition, Rameen said, “In 2018, I got a call from GNN, it was not launched yet it was still operating as Jaag TV and going through the process of transition and prelaunch. During this time I was given a show to host named Sur Taal. It was a cute little music show. I even hosted a cooking show in Ramazan that year, Ramazan Pakwan. That is how I spent my time from February 2018 to August 2018.”
With the launch of GNN in 2018, Rameen made her debut as a news anchor on a national news channel. She was among the pioneer members of the GNN’s news anchoring team.
She remained part of GNN for four years. She not only did news anchoring for the channel but has also been a stand-in host on various shows including the GNN’s news bulletin-style morning show in 2021. She also conducted regional news bulletins and a news show China Today, a bulletin dedicated to news on China.
One talented singer as well, Rameen got a chance to exhibit that skill too on GNN.
Her singing skills were not a surprise for those who know her and follow her on social media as she frequently shares her music pieces and song covers on her social media channels.
In October she decided to change the ship and joined 92 News HD. A new channel and new challenges the biggest perhaps was to host a show. “I was very emotionally attached to GNN, perhaps I still am. Leaving that channel was not an easy decision but as they say, life moves on. I have nothing best wishes from my previous employer,” said Rameen.
Other than her forte of news anchoring she had the task at hand of hosting Raaz o Niaz and moderating the discussion in the show that features two big names in media, one can disagree with their ideas and analysis but they are big names nonetheless with a following of their own merit, Oria Maqbool Jan and Zafar Hilaly.
“Before joining 92 News, I was very skeptical. I must say I was also influenced by the kind of overall reputation 92 News has among the fraternity. However, a few colleagues of mine joined the channel before me and their feedback was quite positive. That helped me take the decision,” said the host of Raaz o Niaz. “Another motivation was the opportunity to host the show. I take this as a new challenge and a new opportunity to learn and grow. Sharing screen with two season analysts, Orya Maqbool Jan and Zafar Hilaly, also add value to my profile,” she added.
Talking about her favorite news and TV anchors, Rameen said, “As far as news anchoring is concerned, I really like Mohommad Junaid of Geo News. And Shahzeb Khanzada really inspires me, especially his style of probing and counter-questioning. Moreover, content-wise I really like Syed Muzamil, he has a very thoughtful approach to his content. Also, I am an admirer of his critical thinking and critical questioning. He has been my colleague for four years too at GNN, and I have learned a lot from him. Also, I would like to mention Salman Hasan, I have learned a lot from him as well.”
Rameen thinks that she was very fortunate that she got a chance to work with very fine professionals at the very start of her career and that helped her a lot, “Salman Hasan, Uzma Nauman, and Akbar Bajwa taught me a lot. The experience I gained through working with them helped me grow as a news anchor and a professional.” She calls herself a quick observer and learner, “I think one must give credit to oneself also, I am a keen observer and quick learner. That has helped me a lot in the last four years. This expedited my learning process, I learned how to ask questions, what is a good question on the screen, how to steer a conversation, what type of content in need to consume, and how to do my research. One can only pick good habits and good ideas when there are good people around you. I have been lucky to have amazing people as my senior colleague.”
Besides broadcast journalism on national TV, Rameen has also done a lot of freelance writing. “I have written many technology-based articles for Net Mag, a technology magazine in Lahore. I am also a published author at Naya Dor and I have also written for the blog of Neelam Aslam – Blind Side,” said the TV anchor. Rameen frequently pens about issues such as feminism, issues faced by women in Pakistan, gender stereotyping, and those social issues that are still considered taboos in Pakistan.
Rameen is a member of the forward-looking youth of Pakistan, who is not comfortable with sticking to the problematic norms. She is vocal about the issues she finds worth highlighting and never shies away from putting forward her ideas and thoughts. Progressive ideas and enlightening discussions are something we need right now to come up with pertinent solutions. Because this new generation is not a no-nonsense bunch and is not ready to buy anything at face value only.
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