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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">A
brief overview on State of </SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:State><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Broadcasting
System</SPAN></st1:place></st1:State><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">
in </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Bangladesh</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">
and Entrepreneurial Radio</SPAN><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><?xml:namespace
prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></FONT></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Public Service
Broadcasting<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Bangladesh Betar (BB)
is the public service broadcasting system in
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Bangladesh</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It covers 90% of the area of
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Bangladesh</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">. There are 11
regional stations in the country. BB broadcasts a total of 237-hour programs
through its regional stations everyday. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Commercial
Broadcasting<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">There are also four
commercial broadcasting channels in </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Bangladesh</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">. These are Radio
Today, Radio Amar, Radio Foorti and ABC Radio. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Community
broadcasting<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Community
broadcasting system is on the way to start in
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Bangladesh</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">. The Community Radio
Installation, Operation and Broadcasting Policy-2008 has been announced on 12
March this year. Then applications for the permission of setting up community
radio have been asked through advertisement since </SPAN><st1:date Year="2008"
Day="18" Month="3"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">18 March
2008</SPAN></st1:date><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">. A total of 400
application forms were sold and 178 applications submitted to the Ministry of
Information for the permission of community radio set-up. The Government has
also formed three committees to run the community radio broadcasting
successfully. The committees are National Regulatory Committee, Technical
Sub-Committee and Central Monitoring Committee. About 50 community radio
stations are expected to start soon in
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Bangladesh</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">. </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><st1:place><st1:PlaceName><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Community</SPAN></B></st1:PlaceName><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> </SPAN></B><st1:PlaceName><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Radio</SPAN></B></st1:PlaceName><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> </SPAN></B><st1:PlaceType><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Academy</SPAN></B></st1:PlaceType></st1:place><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">With the view
to promoting community radio set-up, broadcasting and operation in the country,
Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) has set up a
</SPAN><st1:place><st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Community</SPAN></st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> </SPAN><st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Radio</SPAN></st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> </SPAN><st1:PlaceType><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Academy</SPAN></st1:PlaceType></st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> as its social enterprise in its
secretariat on </SPAN><st1:date Year="2008" Day="1" Month="5"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">01 May 2008</SPAN></st1:date><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">. The activities of this academy
will be implemented under three departments namely ‘capacity building’,
‘research and development’ and ‘technical cooperation’. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Multi Stakeholder Partnership
(MSP)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">There are
several possible partnership areas for entrepreneurial radio such as partnership
with commercial broadcasting houses, local and national Government agencies,
NGOs, international broadcasting houses like BBC, VOA, DW, CRI, cell phone
companies, community radio trust fund, public broadcasting system, rural
telecenter or knowledge center, UN agencies, GKP, Equal Access, CBA, AIBD,
CEMCA, COL, One World South Asia and other community radio expert organizations,
networks, institutes and universities. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Further
information and opinion please contact.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
align=justify><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<DIV align=justify><FONT face=Verdana size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=justify><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Bazlu-S21BR</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>_______________________<BR>AHM. Bazlur
Rahman-S21BR<BR>Chief Executive Officer<BR>Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and
Communication(BNNRC)<BR>&<BR>Member, Strategy Council<BR>UN-Global Alliance
for ICT and Development (UN GAID)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>House: 13/1, Road:2, Shaymoli, Dhaka-1207
<BR>Post Box: 5095, Dhaka 1205 Bangladesh</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Phone: 88-02-9130750,
88-02-9138501<BR>01711881647 Fax: 88-02-9138501-105</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>E-mail: <A
href="mailto:ceo@bnnrc.net">ceo@bnnrc.net</A>, <A
href="mailto:bnnrc@bd.drik.net">bnnrc@bd.drik.net</A><BR><A
href="http://www.bnnrc.net">www.bnnrc.net</A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>