BANGLADESH

Official Country Name: People's Republic of Bangladesh

Population: 131,269,860
Language(s): Bangla (official known as Bengali), English
Literacy rate: 56.0%
Area: 144,000 sq km
GDP: 47,106 (US$ millions)
Number of Television Stations: 15
Number of Radio Stations: 26

Media History – 3 phases a) Under British Rule b) East Pakistan Era c) After Independence

1. Under British Rule (1780 – 1947)

Calcutta , then capital city of India was the center of social ,cultural and intellectual activities of
whole India.- Bangbhumi was an influence area of Calcutta-J. A. Hicky published first newspaper
Bengal Gazette (English weekly) in 1780 from Calcutta- it was the first newspaper in Indian sub-
continent
- Bengali monthly magazine for youth DigDarshan published in 1818
- Weekly Samachar Darpan and Friend of India (1819), Rangpur barta (1847),
- Amrit Bazar Barta (1868), English biweekly Bengal times from Dhaks (1871)
Other publications- Rangpur Dikprakashan, Kabita Kushumabali, Dhaka Prakash, Bangabandhu,
Gramdoot, Balarangika,Hitasandhani, Barishal Barta, Hindu Rangika etc.
- more than 65 publications from 1900 to 1947 from Dhaka, Barishal, Rajshahi, Rangpur etc. as a part
of revolution and socio- cultural reform.

2. East Pakistan Era (1947 – 1971)

About 40 publications- major dailies were Azad, Morning News,Purbo Pakistan, Pakistan Observer,
Ittefaq, Paigam, Dainik Bangla, Purbo Desh, Sangbad, Evening Post, Banglar Bani, Dainik Kisan, etc.
others- Zindagi, The people, Azadi, Nabajat,The People’s View, Bichitra, Amod, the Eastern
Examiner etc.
Media played a vital role for the cause of Bengali language, culture and an independent nation.

3. After Independence ( 1947 on wards)

After independence from Pakistani rule, media came forward very actively. According to UNESCO ,
. leading dailies - Ittefaq, Bhorer Kagoj, Janakantha, Sangbad, Inquilab, Dainik Bangla, Ajker kagoj,
Amar Desh, Juganter, The Observer, Daily Star, The Independent, New Nation, Dhaka Courier, The
Holiday, Jai Jai Din, Blitz etc.
- newspapers are highly politicized
- almost every political parties are publishing or backing the newspapers
- the days were very hard for press under President Hussain Md. Ershad ‘s rule
RADIO (Bangladesh Betar)

Radio broadcast from 1939- first radio station in Dhaka as an extention of Calcutta station. Capacity –
5kw, coverage area –64km (only 8% of the land)
In East Pakistan era 100kw medium wave and 1000kw short wave transmitters installed in Dhaka. –
relaying stations were in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Rangpur and khulana by 1971
- except national news and commentaries from Karachi, Dhaka Radio network functioned
independently
- in 1971 during the war of liberation radio stations were destroyed.
- After independence, Bangaladesh opened first earth satellite station at Betbunia in 1975.
- Now 12 stations- Dhaka, Chittagong, Barisal,Bogra, Comilla, Cox bazaar, Khulna, Rajshahi,
Rangmati, Rangpur, Sylhet, Thakur gaon.
- On air Language- Bengali, Arabi, Urdu, English, Hindi, Nepali

FM Radio- Metro Wave, Radio ABC, Radio Amar, Radio Foorti, Radio Today, Traffic Info.
Broadcasting
- Now radio in Bangladesh is being regulated by 27 points official guidelines of National
Broadcasting Authority, promulgated in 1986.
- Major problems- highly politicized , technological backwardness, dearth of advertisements and
lack of private investment.

Bangladesh TV ( BTV)
- TV broadcast commenced in 1964 from Dhaka through 3kw transmitter during East Pakistan
era
- Nippon Electric co. of Japan had great contribution in development of tv media in Bangladesh
- Nippon installed satellite station in Chittgong and relay stations in Khunla and Rajshahi before
independence. Nippon is one of the major supporter of BTV.
- After independence BTV installed a tv station in Rampura in 1974, one of the largest tv station
in South Asia.
- BTV 17 stations, 79 % program local production, 21% imported, more than 77% broadcast in
Bengali, entertainment-55%, news- 15%, religious, social ,economic etc- 30%
- CTV ( Chittgong TV , BTV’s second channel), BTV world, Private Channels- ATN Bangla,
Bangla Vision, Channel-1, Diganta, Equishey TV, Islamic TV, NTV, RTV, Boishaki TV,
North Star Music TV, Desh TV
- All TVs have to follow the 27 points guidelines of National Broadcasting Authority

NEWS AGENCIES
1)Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) – estd.1972 a state run news agency
2) United News of Bangladesh (UNB) 1988 private
3) Bangladesh News Agency (BNA) 1993 private
4) News Agency of Bangladesh (NAB)private
 Press Laws and press freedom in Bangladesh

Article 39(1) of the Constitution provides for freedom of

Bangladesh constitution, 1972
speech, expression and the press but Article 39(2) makes the
enjoyment of these rights subject to "reasonable restrictions" Article 39. Freedom of thought conscience, and of
in the interests of "the security. of the state, friendly relations speech.
with foreign states, public order, decency and morality in (1) Freedom of thought and conscience is guaranteed.
relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an (2) Subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed posed
by law in the interests of the security of the State, friendly
offence.". relations with foreign states, public order, decency or
Numerous Acts inhibit these freedoms, most notorious in morality, or in relation to con contempt of court,
defamation incitement to an offence-
this respect being the Special Powers Act (SPA) of 1974, (a) the right of every citizen of freedom of speech and
whose rigor was marginally lessened in 1991 by allowing expression; and freedom of the
bail for journalists and others arrested under that Act. The press, are guaranteed.
SPA made it an offense, punishable by five years'
Communications And Media Law
imprisonment and/or fine "to print, publish or distribute
prejudicial reports." The Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board
Ordinance, 1979
Journalists were required to identify all sources of The Censorship of Films Act, 1963
information and authorities were given draconian powers to The Cinematograph Act, 1918
seize documents and newspapers, to ban publications and to The Film Clubs (Registration and Regulation) Act, 1980
The Film Development Corporation Act, 1957 (East
search premises. Section 99A of the Code of Criminal Pakistan Act)
Procedure made any printed matter, defamatory of the The Indecent Advertisements Prohibition Act, 1963
country's President or the Prime Minister, an offense The Post Office Act 1898
punishable by imprisonment from two to seven years.
The worst years for legislation limiting the freedom of the press were 1973 to 1975, following the brief
honeymoon with Prime Minister Mujibur Rahman, who had emerged as the nation's hero after the birth of
Bangladesh. Besides the SPA, a State of Emergency declared in 1974 empowered the government to ban any
foreign periodical. By June 1975, 20 dailies and all political weeklies were banned except those taken over by
the government: Dainik Bangla , Bangladesh Times , weekly Bichitra and fortnightly Ananda Bichitra .
The Press Council Act of 1974 ostensibly entrusted the Press Council (PC) with preserving the freedom of the
press. Its responsibilities included responsibility for devising a code of conduct for maintaining high
professional standards. In practice, the PC would help the press to avoid a conflict with the government through
self-censorship. The PC Act held the PC responsible for protecting the fundamental rights of the citizens against
any "unscrupulous or irresponsible" newspaper or journalist. The Act did provide the right of the journalists to
confidentiality of a news source.
Despite such restrictions, self-censorship and governmental abuse of power, the press, numbering hundreds of
daily and weekly publications, provides a lively forum for a wide range of views. The free spirit of the Bengalis
prevails. While most publications support the overall policies of the government, several newspapers report
critically on government policies and activities, including those of the Prime Minister.
All publications are subject to Press and Publication Act of 1973, which requires four copies of each issue to be
sent to a "designated government agency." While the government categorically denies the existence of
censorship, in practice, papers are "guided" by the advice and briefings of the Principal Information Officer of
the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as well as by the External Publicity Division of the Ministry of
External Affairs. The President's Council of Advisors controls the newspaper editors informally. In general,
criticism of economic policies is more likely to be tolerated than sensitive political issues.
Now radio in Bangladesh is being regulated by 27 points official guidelines of National Broadcasting
Authority, promulgated in 1986.
Foreign publications are subject to review and censorship. Censorship most often is used in cases of immodest
or obscene photographs, perceived misrepresentation or defamation of Islam, and objectionable comments
about national leaders. In October 2001, the BNP Government banned the popular Calcutta-based, Bangla-
language magazine Desh . The Government alleged that the magazine was offensive to the country and its
citizens.