[cr-india] Bangladesh to open-up Community Radio

[Nookaraju Bendukurthi]

Bangladesh to open-up Community Radio
=====================================

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) and with
other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has been continuing advocacy
with the Government for a long time to open up the Community Radio in
Bangladesh.

Community Radio movement in Bangladesh is a very promising yet critical
stage. Different NGOs civil society groups, journalists, intellectuals
and other concerned entities of this country are putting continuous and
ardent effort in order to come up with a Community Radio friendly
regulatory environment through appropriate government regulations.

Just last year, a National Consultation on Community Radio was jointly
organized by MMC, BNNRC, FOCUS, YPSA and VOICE and supported by UNESCO,
UNICEF and UNDP- Bangladesh with the goal of identifying course of action
on how to proceed for introducing Community Radio in Bangladesh. At the
end of that consultation, the participants agreed to put more focused
effort on Community Radio piloting and the enactment of the draft
Broadcasting Act 2003.

But till now, no pilot project has been commenced in Bangladesh as far as
the case of true participatory based Community Radio service is
concerned. The member organizations of advocacy group already have the
human resources, contents and organizational motivation needed to
initiate, manage and sustain any pilot Community Radio project.

Advocacy group is to initiate any Community Radio project addressing the
issues related with fulfilling Millennium Development Goals (MDG), World
Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Action Plan, PRSP and knowledge
based Society.

Recently, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) has
taken a strategic campaign program where the Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed,
Hon'ble Chief Adviser of the Non-Party Care Taker Government of the
People's Republic of Bangladesh, Barrister Mainul Hosein, Adviser of the
Ministry of Information and the Mr. Didarul Anower, Secretary of the
Ministry of Information were included.

Under the campaign program, an appeal was made to allow the draft
broadcasting policy, side by side the Govt. was requested to give
permission for launching some community radio as pilot basis. On the
basis of the findings of the pilot project, Govt. can allow the full
pledged community radio in the country for long term.

As a result of the strategic campaign, for the first time, a high level
meeting was organized by the Ministry of Information regarding community
radio. The meeting was held at the conference room of the ministry at 11
a.m. on July 23, 2007.

Mr. Didarul Anowar, Secretary of the Ministry of Information presided
over the meeting. Among others 15 high officials of the ministry
including the Director General of Bangladesh Betar (Radio Bangladesh),
Principal Information Officer (PIO) and Joint Secretary of Ministry of
Information attended the high level meeting.

On behalf of advocacy group Mr. Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, Chairman of
BRACNet and former secretary Government of Bangladesh, Mr. Kamrul Hasan
Monju, Executive Director of Mass line Media Center (MMC) and Mr. AHM
Bazlur Rahman-S21BR, Chief Executive Officer of BNNRC participated the
meeting.

In his welcoming speech the Secretary of Ministry of Information
emphasized on to find out the ways to launch community radio as pilot
basis. Mr. Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury highlighted the importance of Community
Radio in brief. Mr. Kamrul Hasan Monju and Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR
briefed the meeting on community radio, its program, management,
monitoring, community content and licensing system.

After an elaborate discussion, a high level committee was formed and the
Director General of Bangladesh Betar (Bangladesh Radio) was nominated as
the Convener. The committee will submit a concept note, guideline and a
regulatory frame (draft) of Community Radio to the Secretary of the
Ministry of Information within a month.

Source: BNNRC
http://www.digitalopportunity.org/article/view/151698/1/1138

Nookaraju Bendukurthi

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