Community Media in Bangladesh

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Voices of the Rural People through Community Radio in Bangladesh

Community media are widely recognized by governments, international development agencies, and civil society organizations alike as key agents of participatory development. Their reach and practices are a unique way of reaching and involving people. This is particularly true of community radio, the most prevalent of all community media, which is a vital alternative both to state owned and commercial private radio. Community radio‘s affordability and reach make it a powerful agent of social change.

Recognition of community radio as a legitimate and key element in development efforts and the potential to empower marginalized and disenfranchised communities, has pushed a number of countries to introduce laws and regulations that acknowledge community radios as a distinct media sector. In those countries an enabling environment for community radios has been created.

Despite these advances, challenges persist at global and regional level and in their joint 2010 statement the four international special UN mandated rapporteurs on freedom of expression expressed their concerns at the lack of specific legal recognition of the community broadcasting sector in licensing systems which are based on criteria that are appropriate to this sector as well as the failure to reserve adequate frequencies for community broadcasters or to establish appropriate funding support mechanism .

The Ministry of Information Government of People’s Republic of Bangladesh has declared Community Radio Installation, Broadcast and Operation Policy 2008, which was the citizens’ expectation since the year 1998. Accordingly in April, 2010, Ministry of Information has approved 14 Community Radio Stations to operate for the first time in the country.

After the approval of license Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has allocated frequency and then the Community Radio stations started broadcasting from 2011.

Now 14 Community Radio Stations are on-air in the country, aiming to ensure empowerment and right to information for the rural community. They are broadcasting altogether 120 hours program per day on information, education, local entertainment and development motivation activities. Around 1000 Youth Women & Youth are now working with those Stations throughout the country as rural broadcasters

These programs are quite supportive to the activities reflected in 6th 5-year plan of Government of Bangladesh, UN World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS) Action Plan, and UN Millennium Development Goals (UN MDGs) and UN Convention Against Corruption (UN CAC)

The success of the 1st batch of Community Radio stations has earned appreciation from all levels because of their commendable success. For that we give our thanks to those initiating organizations.

We are also giving thanks to the Ministry of Information that it is because of their good intention and sincere efforts which made possible a full-fledged community radio policy, the only one in South East Asia. India has got only a Guideline to operate Community Radio stations, while Nepal does not have any of this kind. In 2012 Ministry of Information has declared National Strategy for Community Radio to support implementation of Community Radio Installation, broadcast and Operation Policy.

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication is promoting the advocacy with the government in relations to community radio with other organizations since its emergence from 2000. BNNRC has been addressing the community radio and community TV access issue for over a decade, helping to bridge the information gap of rural Bangladesh.

The reality of today is that the bondage between the community people and local-level community radio stations are getting strengthened day-by-day. Community Radio has now become their part of life. Community Radio becomes the instrument for the livelihood battle of the rural people.

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication established the Community Media News Agency (CMNA), Community Media Academy (CMA) and Monthly Community Media to share development news & building capacity for the Community Media sector in Bangladesh.

We have now started advocacy with the Government of Bangladesh to open up Community Television for Development. We hope that, community television will come into being within a short time in Bangladesh.

In this context the present status of community radio stations regarding social, economic and institutional sustainability can be pointed as below:

Social Sustainability:

i. Management Committee formed at 14 Community Radio station level

ii. Advisory Committee formed for each station that included UNO and Additional District Commissioner

iii. 2115 Listeners Clubs formed at CR Station level

iv. The present number of CR listeners is around 46,47,000

v. People of 67 Upazila under 13 districts now listen Community Radio Programs

Sustainability at Govt. level:

i. Ministry of Information declared Community Radio Installation, broadcast and operation Policy 2008.

ii. Ministry of Information prepared and declared Community Radio Strategy 2012

iii. Digital Bangladesh Strategy Paper-prepared by the Prime Minister’s Office

iv. Charter of Chang 2008

Institutional Sustainability

i. Presently 14 community radio stations are broadcasting different stations

ii. Every day all the stations are broadcasting a total of 109 hours program

iii. Code of Conduct for Community Radio formulated

iv. Gender Policy for Community Radio prepared and published

iv. Human Resource Development Policy formulation for Community Radio Stations (in process)

v. Financial Management Policy formulation (in process)

Economic Sustainability

i. Non-Profitable business model (under process)

ii. Funding of development partners

iii. Facilitation of Initiating organization

iv. Formulation and Implementation of Development Advertisement Policy

v. Sharing allocation of local and national budget/s.

vi. Community Radio Development Fund creation and operation.

Potentials of Community Radio in Bangladesh

a. Community Radio has created scope for the poor and marginalized community to raise their own voice; it becomes the voice for the voiceless. This neo-media outlets opened scope to establish their rights of Information and communication in social, political, cultural and environmental arena.

b. Scope widened for poverty reduction and sustainable development because of the rights to raise voice of the community and accessibility to knowledge and information.

c. Scope opened for exchange of dialogue between local elected representatives, govt. and NGO professionals for the sake of establishing good governance.

d. Direct linkage established between the community and the main sectors reflected in MDGs and 6th 5-year plan.

e. Scope created for Social debate, inclusion and preservation of cultural diversity by ensuring the inclusion of the marginalized community.

f. Community Radio is now able to play more active role in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) due to establishment of effective linkage between the govt. departments and local/rural community.

Already the Community radio programs have been widely accepted among the local community.14 community radio stations presently covers more than 4.6 million listeners. This journey was not a bed of roses, we are to cross ups and downs-everyday we are to face newer challenges.

The Community Radios are becoming an active ground for organizing dialogues at rural level. These dialogues will help the rural mass to find out their own voice and ensure leverage their free opinion in respect of social, economic, political ,cultural and environmental issues

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Bazlu

________________________

www.bnnrc.net

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication represents the community media sector to Government, Industry, Regulatory Bodies, Media and Development Partners.

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication

Field 1

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication represents the community media sector to Government, Industry, Regulatory Bodies, Media and Development Partners.

BNNRC’s work has a strategic emphasis and the organization was been intensely involved in Community Media sector with Government, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and other strategic bodies.

BNNRC's outreach extends to local, national and international forums for communicating Knowledge for Development. Our working strategies are:

· Communicating on the Public Sphere

· Communicating Knowledge

· Civil Rights in Communication

· Cultural Rights in Communication.

Field 2

Vision: BNNRC does like to see the rural people have the easy, quick and low cost access to global communication so that they are enriched and updated by knowledge.

Mission: BNNRC organize strategically important activities, studies, and advocacy so that the population of the rural areas will have easy, manageable and low cost communication facilities.

Field 3

Now 14 Community Radio Stations are on-air in the country, aiming to ensure empowerment and right to information for the rural community. They are broadcasting altogether 120 hours program per day 1000 Youth Women & Youth are now working with those Stations throughout the country as rural broadcasters

Potentials of BNNRC program

Community Radio has created scope for the poor and marginalized community to raise their own

voice; it becomes the voice for the voiceless. Scope widened for poverty reduction and

sustainable development because of the rights to raise voice of the community and accessibility

to knowledge and information. Scope opened for exchange of dialogue between local elected

representatives, govt. and NGO professionals for the sake of establishing good governance.

Community Radio is now able to play more active role in Disaster Risk

Reduction

Field 4

By having the Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 2010, BNNRC has been intensely working to contribute in achieving UN Mandates.

All of its programs and projects are dedicated specifically to support the WSIS Action Plan-C9 and UN Convention against Corruption (UN CAC). It has been implementing projects in partnership with UNSECO, UNICEF and FAO for the growth of community media sector in Bangladesh. Other than implementing capacity enhancement projects for community media

BNNRC is observing World Press Freedom day and World Radio day every year and organize different programs like seminar, talk show, rally in partnership with community radio stations, government ministries and CBOs at local and national level. All of these programs highlight and reflect the theme and mandates of UN and thus contribute in promotion of UN objectives.

Field 5

BNNRC has joined in UN CSTD meeting in the year 2011.

Field 6

In recent years, BNNRC has successfully implemented a couple of projects under financial and technical assistance some of those:

i. Empowering Communities: Strengthening and Building Capacity of the Community Radio in Bangladesh (September 2010-December 2011)-supported by UNICEF Bangladesh.

ii. Small Scale Funding for consultation with Radio Listeners Groups

And the Community (26 June 2012- 31 July 2012) - supported by UNICEF Bangladesh.

iii. Capacity Building of Community Radio Personal in Bangladesh (April 2010- December 2010) – supported by UNESCO India (IPDC).

iv. Enhancing Rural Communication Services for Agricultural Development through Community Rural Radio (December 2010-December 2011)-supported by FAO.

v. Flagship UN Action for Community Radio in Bangladesh (ended in November 2013) – supported by UNESCO IPDC

Field 7

All the initiatives taken by BNNRC essentially comply with Millennium Development Goals. By using the community media effectively, its activities particularly target to contribute in achieving the goal of 4.6 million people.

BNNRC translated MDGs in Bangla and publish it in booklet and handbook on community radio. Still BNNRC is providing capacity building related support on MDG to the all community radio station.

BNNRC is now in a process on post-2015 MDGs to SDGs in line with UN thematic perspectives.

Field 8

Dhaka Bangladesh 8 May 2014

H E Joe Hockey MP

Hon’ble Treasurer of Commonwealth of Australia

House of Representatives

Parliament House

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Subject: Regarding Ensure a Future for Community Broadcasting by making sure Funding to Community Radio Stations is not cut in the upcoming Budget - or anytime in the future in Australia.

Dear Hon’ble Minister,

Greetings from Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC)

BNNRC is in special consultative status with Economic and Social Council of United Nations.

BNNRC represents the community media sector (Community radio, Community TV and Community film) to Government, Industry, Regulatory Bodies, Media and Development Partners in Bangladesh.

We know how vital community radio stations are for millions of Australians like us in Bangladesh, which is why we are so concerned about the Commission of Audit's recommendation that funding for the Community Broadcasting Program be abolished.

Without funding, our community radio stations could be forced off air. We would be very happy if you to ensure a future for community broadcasting by making sure funding to our community radio stations is not cut in the upcoming budget - or anytime in the future.

Community radio provides vital content for so many different communities, especially Indigenous, ethnic, seniors, youth, the vision impaired, religious, and the arts. We can't afford to lose any of the stations who provide the local content that commercial and public broadcasters can't or won't cater for.

We are hopeful that you and the Federal Government can see the Commission of Audit's recommendation for what it is - a sure fire way to undo the vital work community broadcasting has done to promote the identities of local communities and the invaluable contribution it makes to social inclusion.

With over five million Australians tuning in every week, community radio is integral to Australia's broadcasting landscape. It's critical for media diversity, specialist programming and promoting local Australian content. Government cuts to funding would cripple the community broadcasting sector's operations and development and leave millions of Australians without access to the media content they rely on.

Please commit to keeping our community radio stations on air in Australia.

With best regards,

AHM Bazlur Rahman- S21BR

Chief Executive Officer | ceo@bnnrc.net

Friday, March 21, 2014

Bangladesh Delegation@ NETmundial 2014 Sao Paulo, Brazil The Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance

Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) is joining to The Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance on 23rd and 24^th April, 2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Mr. Hasanul Haq Inu, MP. the hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Infromation, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh will lead the 5 members Bangladesh delegation to NETmundial.

The delegation member has composed of 1 representatives from government, 1 from private sector, 1 from civil society, 1 policy expert and 1 from technical community. Other Delegation Members are;

Dr. Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury, Chairperson & Policy Expert, Center for

e – Parliament Research,

Ms. Afroza Haq, Member of Bangladesh Association of Software & Information Services (BASIS),

Mohammad Abdul Haque (M. A. Haque Anu) Secretary General Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) and Assistant Editor Monthly Computer Jagat, and

AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR, Chief Executive Officer, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) and Member The Multi-Stakeholder Steering Group (MSG) of Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF)

Community Media in Bangladesh

Thursday, June 19, 2014