<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.6058" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><FONT
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><FONT
color=#0000ff>Opinion Sharing Meeting <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><FONT
color=#008080><STRONG>Pally Kantha Community Radio: Ready to On
Air</STRONG></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><FONT
color=#008080><STRONG><o:p><IMG style="WIDTH: 598px; HEIGHT: 278px" height=409
alt="" hspace=0 src="cid:3B4ED811FA624C669D98EE1549A7E85C@BNNRCLAPTOP1"
width=602 align=baseline border=0></o:p></STRONG></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><FONT
color=#008080><STRONG><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><o:p></o:p></I></STRONG></FONT></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">An
opinion sharing meeting was held at Conference Room of Moulvibazar District
Commissioner office on the installation, broadcast and operation of “Pallykantha
Community Radio”, organized by BRAC. Mr. M A Bari, Additional District
Commissioner attended as the chief guest of the meeting. Ms. Anna Minj,
Director, Social Empowerment Program, BRAC presided over the
Meeting.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">The
representatives from different govt. non-govt. civil society organizations and
media<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>joined and delivered their
opinion in the meeting. AHM Bazlur Rahman, Chief Executive Officer, Bangladesh
NGOs Network for Radio & Communication(BNNRC) participated as panel
discussant and among others, there were Syed Moshahid Ahmed, Deputy Director,
Basic Bank Ltd., Moulvi Bazar Chowmuhuni Branch, Bokshi Iqbal Ahmed, Editor,
Dainik Banglar Deen, Pally Samajer Meeting head –Ms. Uma Das and Manju Rani etc.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">“Pally
kantha Community Radio”will work for a sustainable and affordable community
media for exchange of information and knowledge aiming to develop socio-economic
status of the local people and to ensure their rights. This Community Radio will
raise the voices of the rural community, specially the voice of the women. It
will help to increase the participation of local community in rural development
process and highlight the local folk and cultural
traditions.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">“Pally
Kantha Community Rdaio” will ensure development messages on education,
entertainment and information to the reach of rural community. At one hand,
local community will be benefitted by being aware on their rights and
socio-economic status; on the other hand, it will amplify/highlight their
culture and traditions. In fact, “Radio Pallykantha Community Radio” will
broadcast the programs in local language on development activities for the rural
marginalized.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">The
programs of Radio Pally kantha will be broadcast around the 17 KM .radius from
the Radio Station. This will be spread/broadcast among 4 lac community people of
21 unions .<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">Community
Radio is a popular mass media in different parts of the world, but new in
Bangladesh. It is expected that community radio will soon be a popular mass
media through awareness raising activities and active participation of the
community people of social empowerment program , which will contribute in
achieving the MDG goals.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB">-------------<I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><o:p></o:p></I></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"></FONT><FONT face=Verdana
size=2>Bazlu<BR>_______________________<BR>AHM. Bazlur Rahman-S21BR<BR>Chief
Executive Officer<BR>Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication
(BNNRC)<BR>[NGO in Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social
Council]<BR>& <BR>Head, Community Radio Academy <BR> <BR>House: 13/1,
Road: 2, Shaymoli, Dhaka-1207 <BR>Post Box: 5095, Dhaka 1205
Bangladesh<BR> <BR>Phone: 88-02-9130750, 88-02-9138501<BR>Cell: 01711881647
Fax: 88-02-9138501-105<BR>E-mail: <A
href="mailto:ceo@bnnrc.net">ceo@bnnrc.net</A> <A
href="http://www.bnnrc.net">www.bnnrc.net</A></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>