MEDIA LANDSCAPE 

Bangladesh Media at a Glance

Following is the outcome of a study carried out by Rezwan-ul Alam, Assistant Communication Officer of UNICEF's Bangladesh office in 2002. By this time a private TV channel – ETV – was shut down by a court order and a new private TV channel – NTV -- was established. The findings of the study still reflect the current trend in Bangladesh media.

RADIO

Ownership Type

  1. Government (one in capital Dhaka + 9 regional stations)
  2. One Private channel (Radio Metro)
  3. BBC, VOA use FM band, reaching audience in an around Dhaka

Number of sets/circulation
  1. 234,000 (licensed)
  2. Household penetration 37% (Source: National Media Survey 1998)
  3. 1 set per 555 people (Source: Prantajon: July 2002, by Mass-line Media Centre, Dhaka)

Research findings
  1. Access to radio through ownership and listening at neighbour's house or at a public place was, in general, higher, than access to television
  2. Rural male has more access than female.
  3. A major source of awareness about development messages like family planning, oral dehydration, immunisation, night blindness, female education
  4. Music, drama, news, family planning and public information are popular. (Source: (1-4) (Rahman, 1991, Commissioned by UNICEF)
  5. 69% listened radio programmes on mother and child health, women's rights, development issue (Source: MOI Baseline Survey, February 2002)

Government Policy/guideline
  1. Information Dissemination
  2. Education
  3. Motivation for development work
  4. Entertainment


TELEVISION

Ownership Type
  1. Government (1-Terrestrial)
  2. ATN, Channel I and ETV - Pay Channel (Satellite)

Number of sets/circulation
  1. BTV coverage 100%
  2. Registered set 5, 72, 108 (Source: Prantajon: July 2002, by Mass-line Media Centre, Dhaka)
  3. Household penetration 10.4 % Source: (National Media Survey 1998)
  4. 1 TV per 227 people (Source: Prantajon: July 2002, by Mass-line Media Centre, Dhaka)

Research findings
  1. Rural people have less access to television
  2. Male access is higher than female access.
  3. Drama is the most popular, followed by news, music, and public information (Source: (1-3) (Rahman, 1991, Commissioned by UNICEF)
  4. BTV is the single largest provider of development information, such as child rights, vaccination, iodine deficiency, ORT, ORS, child rights to education, birth registration, girls' education and others (Source: MOI Baseline Survey, February 2002)
  5. BTV's news is strongly patterned, repetitive, predictable, lacking in vitality and essentially passive in character (Alam, 1997)
  6. Advertising market is of worth of Taka one billion annually. Of which ETV had 45%, BTV 35% and Channel I and ATN enjoy 20% share. (Impact Analysis of ETV on the electronic media market of Bangladesh (Source (2-3) Creative Media LTD, April 2002)

Government Policy/guideline
  1. No declared policy. For BTV. Guidelines changes with the changes of government. Pursuing the much-quoted policy of President de Gaulle of France: How can you control your country if you don't control television" (Alam, 1997).
  2. BTV's major focus on entertainment, education and development news, of which health features prominently (TV Guide, July-September 2002).


NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS

Ownership Type
  1. Private

Number of sets/circulation
  1. 1 newspaper per 55 literate people
  2. Number of dailies: 201 (188 Bengali and 13 English)
  3. Number of weeklies 451 (Source: Prantajon: July 2002, by Mass-line Media Centre, Dhaka)
  4. Newspapers are classified in 4 categories:

    5. A. Annual gross revenue of Taka 6.5 million and +
    B. Between Taka 3.2 to 6.5 million
    C. Between Taka 3.2 million to Taka 1.3 million
    D. Less than Taka 1.3 million (Alam, 1997).

Research findings
  1. Accused of failing "in their primary function of keeping their readers well informed (Far Eastern Economic Review).
  2. Rahman's study (1981) found that 60% respondents believed that press did not reflect the true image of society.
  3. PIB survey (1983) found 61% of respondents believed newspaper carried misinformation.
  4. Newspaper journalists earned highest praise from general public than politicians and police (A Study by Dr. Saad Andaleeb, Pennsylvania State University, 1997).
  5. In regard to circulation, Bangladesh press has been listed in the "media poverty zone," meaning "the press was unable to reach the readership that was available (Lent, 1982).
  6. Most newspapers tend to exaggerate their circulation figures to gain a share of government advertising and bigger allocation of newsprint (Alam, 1997)
  7. Newspaper journalists suffer most during the time of political conflict
  8. Journalist unions mostly act as "pressure clubs" (Alam, 1997).
  9. Donor support has attracted a greater space for development news (Source: Prantajon: July 2002, by Mass-line Media Centre, Dhaka)

Government Policy/guideline
  1. Government policies exist on official advertisement and distribution of newsprint. Frequent policy changes with the change of government.
  2. A total of 16 legal provisions restrict the freedom of the press in the country. These are:

    1. Articles 39, 43 and 108 of the Constitution;
    2. Section 124-A, 153-A and 153-B, 228, 292, 293, 295 and 499 of the Penal Code;
    3. The Contempt of Court Act, 1926;
    4. Section 4-A of the Criminal Procedure Code;
    5. The Special Powers Act, 1974;
    6. The Printing and Publications (Declaration and Registration) Act, 1973:
    7. The Official Secrets Act, 1923;
    8. The Newspaper Annulment of Declaration Act, 1975;
    9. The Bangladesh Press (Administration) Order, 1972;
    10. The Telegraph Act, 1923;
    11. Section 27-B of the Post Office Act, 1898;
    12. The Indecent Advertisements Prohibition Act, 1963;
    13. The Children Act, 1974;
    14. The Foreign Relations Act, 1932;
    15. Foreign Recruiting Act, 1874; and
    16. Copyright Ordinance, 1962. (Alam, 1997)

    Copyright © 2004 Third World Media Journal
    A Quarterly Publication of Third World Media Network (TWMN)