Community Radio movement has started in 1998 in Bangladesh. Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) along with other like-minded organizations and also representatives of the civil society started movement for CR operation.

In 2006, BNNRC, MMC, Focus, YPSA and Voice jointly organized a Three-Day long Round Table on Community Radio as the National Advocacy Meeting. UNESCO, UNICEF and UNDP joined in the advocacy activities for the first time. After Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, the Honourable Chief Adviser of the Non-Party Caretaker Government of People’s Republic of Bangladesh, has taken the charge BNNRC organized a Letter Campaign regarding community radio. The objective of the campaign was to open up the community radio as a pilot basis. As the outcome of the campaign Office of the Chief Adviser sent an advice to the Ministry of Information in order to release permission for the pilot basis community radio.

For the first time in the history a high authority meeting is held at the conference room of the Information Ministry regarding community radio on the 23 July in 2007 chaired by the Information Secretary and organized by the Ministry of Information. After a comprehensive discussion regarding community radio as a pilot basis the meeting takes decision to form a ministerial committee of 8 members convened by the Director General of Bangladesh Betar who would make concept paper, regulatory framework and application form in relation to community radio and would submit to the Ministry by one month. According to the discussion the Ministry issues the circular regarding the 8 members-committee on 22nd May in 2007.
After several meetings the Director General of Bangladesh Betar finalized the draft of the concept paper, policy and application regarding community radio. BNNRC and MMC assisted the committee in this regard.

The Ministerial Committee officially presents the concept paper, policy and application regarding community radio in a meeting organized by the Ministry on 29th October in 2007. After a comprehensive discussion on the issue the meeting decides the submitted concept paper, policy and application forms to be sent to the different concerned ministries for comments and perusal. It is also decided in the meeting that another meeting would be held after the comments are received. According to the decision all the papers are already sent to the listed ministries for comments on 25th November in 2007.

An inter-ministerial meeting is held on the last 6th February. Representatives of the concerned ministries were present in the meeting. At last, the government formally announces the Community Radio Installation, Broadcast and Operation Policy 2008 on 12 March 2008. The Ministry of Information of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh invited very rapidly the applications for Community Radio installation, broadcast and operation from the interested organizations.

In order to facilitate the application and registration process of the organizations for Community Radio, BNNRC immediately opened a help desk in its secretariat in Dhaka. Receiving huge response from the interested development organizations and research institutions the authority extended the deadline up to 30 April. 450 organizations drew application forms from the Ministry and 178 applications have been submitted from different organizations in this regard.

In the whole process the Government ensured the proper participation and representation from civil society organizations through incorporating representatives in Regulatory Committee, Technical Committee and National Monitoring Committee for the successful operation of the Community Radio.

Under the above-mentioned circumstances, BNNRC set up a Community Radio Academy in Dhaka. This helps Community Radio stakeholders having on-hand training of technical and management skills, coming to know about the function, management, procedure, problem, prospect and sustainability of the Community Radio as a tool of ICT and having all concerned resources and facilities available for their progress and success.

The prime concern in our country is today on expanding the digital opportunities to bridge the digital divide. The promise of the information economy – of tremendous possibility for human development, of rapidly growing economies, of empowered communities and responsive governance – is but a dream for the vast majority in Bangladesh.

BNNRC is now piloting some ICT activities through out the county, these efforts are proving to be much less than what is required to reach the downtrodden and the underserved people in the society. It is because these initiatives are being implemented as pilot projects to harness ICTs for Development (ICT4D) within a limited geographic location as well as for the understanding of the implementing organizations through learning by doing process.

The requirements such as for the basic ICT4D infrastructure are enormous. The necessary resources will not flow automatically from the technology-rich countries to the technology-poor countries like Bangladesh. Also the NGOs working in all parts of the country need to learn from the experience of these pilot initiatives and try to replicate them with their own initiative.

According to ITU rule there should be at least 10 % land telephone line in the rural area, but in fact at least in Bangladesh it is not happening. In recent years Government of Bangladesh (GoB) opened the mobile phone to private companies, but they are taking highest rate from people compared to other part of the world. GoB takes 71 % taxes from amateur radio equipment while it is only 5 % in India; moreover BTRC takes such a level of annual fee and taxes from radio equipment that people will be disinterest on those equipments they will have to be depended on mobile phones. ICT should consider as public service business, so there is not always question of profit, it should be regulated with common mass interest. There are lots of others issues, which are in fact hindering the mass use and expansion of ICT, this needed research and relentless advocacy and campaign so that the issues should become as a political demand.

In this perspective, BNNRC has implemented research on the ICT issues to identify policy and its implementation discrepancies, pro poor issues both for private and public sectors, campaign to promote critical views and public opinions on pro poor issues, campaign for favorable policy for community radio, arranged seminar and dialogues at district level, developed communication materials for campaign, etc.

Community Radio Handbook: Good Governance and Development published by: Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication(BNNRC)

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication published a Guideline on Community Radio for Community Radio Initiators.

Please Download the Guideline for Community Radio

In principle permission to install about 116 Community Radio stations has been recommended by the National Regulatory Commission on Broadcasting. Yesterday 15 July, 2008 the National Regulatory committee of Community Radio decided after reviewing the recommendations of the technical sub-committee of Community Radio. These recommendations will be sending shortly to the Chief Advisor and Information Advisor of Non-party caretaker Government, People’s Republic of Bangladesh for final approval.

About 180 applications had been submitted. 56 Applications had been withheld by the regulatory committee after the report of technical sub committee. Emphasis had been given to establish 5 for coastal districts and 3 for each district according to the importance.

In the related National regulatory committee of Community Radio meeting the chairperson of the committee and information secretary Mr. Jamil Osman presided. The other member of the committee Mr. Md. Mahbubul Alam, Director General of Bangladesh Betar, Md. Abu Taher, Joint Secretary of information ministry, Mr. Humayun Kabir Khan, Joint Secretary of ministry of state, Mr. Anwarul Haque, Joint Secretary of ministry of Law, Professor Deen Mohammad of BUET, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission(BTRC) director Let Col Md. Shahidul Alam and related officials were present.

Information secretary Mr. Jamil Osman told in the meeting that these Community Radio Stations will focus on the grass root level population’s well being, socio-economy and culture.

He also said, Government has been taken the right steps to start the Community Radio movement successfully in the light of the laws & regulations. The related process will be finalized soon. Ref: Amadershomoy

Bangladesh Gazette on Community Radio Installation, Broadcast and Operation Policy 2008, Extraordinary Gazette 18 March, 2008 Number: 1543-1553 by Ministry of Information, People's Republic of Bangladesh

Please Download the Community_Radio_Bangladesh_Gazate
or
http://www.bgpress.gov.bd/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=114&Itemid=182

BNNRC has already opened the Community Radio Help Desk with the following help and services to the interested initiators:

a. Help Desk for the Community Radio Enthusiast; Budget and Planning;
b. Assisting in filling up the form and following up with the concerned Department, Ministries and Commissions in this regard;
c. Technical guidance for Studio setup, broadcasting equipments;
d. Assist in acquiring relevant software;
e. Baseline studies and need analysis;
f. Monitoring and Evaluation;
g. Capacity Building including training on radio content production, editing and presentation;
h. Transmission management;
i. Library and Archives;
j. Feedback;
k. Identify partners and funding agencies.



Contact Address
House 13/1, Road 2, Shamoli, Dhaka 1207.
Tel: +88 02 9130750, 9138501, Fax: 9138501 (Ext.-105)
Email: ceo@bnnrc.net, Web: www.bnnrc.net

The Government has formed three committees namely National Regulatory Committee, Central Monitoring Committee and Technical Sub-committee to take necessary steps in sorting out, selection, approval and monitoring of the applications and community radio operations.

In the category of expert representative, Government by the Presidential order nominated AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR, Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh NGOs' Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) as a member of the central monitoring committee headed by Director General of Bangladesh Betar (Radio), Other members of the committee are Director General of Mass Communication Department, Deputy Secretary (Radio) of the Ministry of Information, Deputy Director General (News) of Bangladesh Betar, Chief Engineer of Bangladesh Betar, representative of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), and Deputy Director General (Program) of Bangladesh Betar.

More

BNNRC has already opened the Community Radio Help Desk with the following help and services to the interested initiators:

a. Help Desk for the Community Radio Enthusiast; Budget and Planning;
b. Assisting in filling up the form and following up with the concerned Department, Ministries and Commissions in this regard;
c. Technical guidance for Studio setup, broadcasting equipments;
d. Assist in acquiring relevant software;
e. Baseline studies and need analysis;
f. Monitoring and Evaluation;
g. Capacity Building including training on radio content production, editing and presentation;
h. Transmission management;
i. Library and Archives;
j. Feedback;
k. Identify partners and funding agencies.

Contact Address
House 13/1, Road 2, Shamoli, Dhaka 1207.
Tel: +88 02 9130750, 9138501, Fax: 9138501 (Ext.-105)
Email: ceo@bnnrc.net, Web: www.bnnrc.net

Applications are invited from the interested organisations for ‘Community Radio Installation, Broadcasting and Operation’ in the prescribed form. The applications forms to be collected from the Ministry of Information, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, (Room No-805) during the office hour on submitting a Bank Draft/ Pay Order of non-refundable 100.00 (One Hundred) Taka in favour of the Secretary, The Ministry of Information and to be submitted to the office of undersigned during the office hour till 15th April 2008.

The Community Radio Installation, Broadcast and Operation Policy-2008 is available in the web site of the Ministry of Information at www.moi.gov.bd

Ref: The Daily Star, March, 2008

Bangladesh government recently invited appliction form to launch Community Radio as piloting basis.For that BNNRC published a guide book for Community Radio Enthusiast on installation of Community Radio, Budget and planning and Many more.

Community Radio policy 2008 formulated in Bangladesh.

The government has formulated a policy on the installation, broadcast and operation of community radio to facilitate information dissemination, said a Press Information Department handout on Sunday.

The handout said the communality radio installation, broadcast and operation policy 2008 was posted on the information ministry web site (www.moi.gov.bd) for the people interested in community radio licence.

For English version please visit:CR Policy 2008

For the first time in Bangladesh a national workshop on Community Radio Awareness is held on 02-04 March 2008 at Bangladesh Open University (BOU) campus jointly arranged by Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication(BNNRC) and Development Research Network (D.Net) in collaboration with Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) of Commonwealth of Learning(COL) and Bangladesh Open University(BOU). The workshop took place at the Media Centre in Bangladesh Open University at Gazipur, Dhaka.

The workshop is inaugurated by the Hon'ble Vice Chancellor of Bangladesh Open University Professor Dr. M Farid Ahmed. He said during the inauguration, ‘Our day to day life is now highly influenced by the technology. And this particular workshop is going to contribute a big stake in the social and economic development of Bangladesh.

Ms. Rumkini Vemraju, the Programme Officer of CEMCA and Mr. Firoj Ahmed, Joint Director of BOU jointly supervise the workshop for the whole three days.

Dr. Rumkini in the inaugural ceremony said, ‘CEMCA is working closely with more than 30 Community Radio Station in India.’ She shared the experiences of India and stated to contribute in Bangladesh in relation to community radio.

As the special guests Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR, the Chief Executive Officer of BNNRC and Mr. Dr. Ananya Raihan were present in the inaugural session. They expected in their speeches that CEMCA and BOU will contribute endlessly in emergence of Community Radio in Bangladesh.

Higher officials from the Media Centre and the Regional Directors of BOU as well as the Higher officials of the NGOs that are working in the remote and coastal areas of Bangladesh have participated in the workshop.

The participants from the commercial phone companies who have established the internet outlets in the rural areas in Bangladesh have also joined. In the workshop the technical aspects and content making, studio designing and maintaining, radio station management and broadcasting everything is taught with tremendous care and practical demonstration.

Mr. Amit Chakrabarty, the former high official of the very popular Bangla TV Channel of India ‘Tara Bangla’ and Programme Director of World Space Radio, Mr. Monoranjan Das, the advisor of Radio TOday and the former Additional Chief Engineer of Bangldesh Betar and the consultant of ABC Radio Mr. Jamal Uddin Mawla Newaj have facilitated in the workshop. The perspective and Social aspects of the Community Radio is demonstrated by Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR, the CEO of BNNRC.

At the end of the three-day workshop the certificates have been distributed among the participants in the gala closing ceremony. Honourable Vice Chancellor and the Treasurer of Bangladesh Open University were present among others in the closing ceremony. Mr. Vice Chancellor said in his closing speech that BOU would support in the skill development of the station managers of forthcoming Community Radio in Bangladesh in future.

The workshop expected that the government of Bangladesh would soon open up the pilot basis Community Radio. As the direct result of the workshop the participants are now prepared to run more than 50 CR stations no sooner have the government approve it.

Report on Community Radio Workshop :Report

Public Service Broadcasting
Bangladesh Betar (BB) is the public service broadcasting system in Bangladesh. It covers 90% of the area of Bangladesh. There are 11 regional stations in the country. BB broadcasts a total of 237-hour programs through its regional stations everyday.

Commercial Broadcasting
There are also four commercial broadcasting channels in Bangladesh. These are Radio Today, Radio Amar, Radio Foorti and ABC Radio.

Community broadcasting
Community broadcasting system is on the way to start in Bangladesh. 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 18 March 2008. 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 Bangladesh.

Community Radio Academy
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 Community Radio Academy as its social enterprise in its secretariat on 01 May 2008. The activities of this academy will be implemented under three departments namely ‘capacity building’, ‘research and development’ and ‘technical cooperation’.

Multi Stakeholder Partnership (MSP)
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, AIBD, CEMCA, COL, One World South Asia and other community radio expert organizations, networks, institutes and universities.

Further information and opinion please contact.
ceo@bnnrc.net

In August 1983, community radio broadcasters and community media advocates gathered here in Montreal to establish the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC).

Today, 25 years on, we are here again in Montreal, representing a global movement of radio producers, communication rights activists, academics, researchers, NGO practitioners, women and men working together to create a more just and humane world through communications and specifically through community radio.

The world has changed in 25 years, and not always for the better. New information and communication technologies have helped the development of community radio but we face the challenge of building a human rights based information society. The expansion of transnational corporate media conglomerates and the concentration of ownership threatens pluralism and diversity of media contents. New challenges such as the environment and climate change accompany social exclusion, poverty, food insecurity, access to clean water and democracy building. The world is confronted with a global financial crisis and a crisis of the neoliberal globalization that will increase social inequalities and the distance between the rich and the poor.

We are here not only to celebrate what we have achieved in the last 25 years but to deliberate and reflect on our political strategies for the future. Radio remains extremely crucial and important in the world today. AMARC has grown to a network of thousands of community radios representing a distinct and dynamic community radio sector advocating for communication rights in more than 118 countries and facing the new challenges of the 21st century. Nonetheless, the absence of legal recognition by governments in many parts of the world and sustainability issues still hinder community radio's potential contribution.

One role for AMARC will definitely remain: AMARC will continue to be a space where people-women and men, young and old, with different needs and abilities, from different political persuasions, religions, sexual orientation, social class, castes and ethnicity-can articulate their views, listen to others and dialogue with each other. It will continue to be a gathering place, a venue for open debates on human rights, gender equality, peace, armed conflict, and a broad range of issues relevant to undeserved and underrepresented communities. Issues that otherwise will not find space in corporate and government-run media.

On our 25th anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to reach out to more people around the world in local communities to encourage more diverse expressions to come together and promote ideals of freedom, democracy, equality, justice and peace.

We thank the city and people of Montreal, the home of our international secretariat and where we held our International Symposium on Empowerment and Development through Community Radios. The symposium allowed us to analyze and reflect on community radio's role in creating an environment where people's empowerment and people-oriented development takes precedence over the political and business interests of the few. It has also provided us an opportunity to exchange views and ideas on how to increase community radio's effectiveness as an instrument in combating poverty, exclusion, intolerance and at the same time as a tool for promoting communication rights, human rights, gender equality, good governance, transparency, peace and social justice.




WE, the representatives and members of AMARC from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and North America,

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the Amman Declaration, ratified by participant community radio broadcasters members of AMARC during its 9th General Assembly in Amman, Jordan, November 16th 2006.

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the Joint Declaration on Diversity in Broadcasting adopted on 12 December 2007 by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the ACHPR (African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.

DECLARE:

State Obligations

That the principles set out in AMARC's Principles on Democratic Regulation in Community Broadcasting (May 3, 2008) should be respected by governments as appropriate standards in this area. As such, they should be integrated into legal and policy frameworks, taking into account different cultural and development contexts.

Specifically,

* States should ensure respect for their international obligations in the area of freedom of expression, including in relation to community media.

* Community broadcasting should be recognized in national laws and policies as having distinct characteristics, and community broadcasters should be guaranteed fair and equitable access to the radio frequency spectrum and other broadcast distribution platforms, including digital platforms.

* Procedures for allocating licences and frequencies to community broadcasters should be fair, open and transparent, and the implementation of these procedures should be overseen by an independent regulatory body.

* Community broadcasters should have access to a diversity of funding sources free of unreasonable restrictions. This may include public funds which are administered in a manner that does not compromise their independence.

* States should take adequate measures to end the climate of impunity, and such measures should include devoting sufficient resources and attention to preventing attacks of governments and others on journalists, community radio stations and independent media and newspapers exercising their right to freedom of expression, investigating such attacks when they do occur, bringing those responsible to justice and compensating victims.

* States should take appropriate steps to ensure that community radio and television broadcasters have access to digital and all new technologies to assist them in their work. States should also take the steps needed to ensure reasonable and equitable access by community broadcasters to satellite radio.


Community Broadcasters

We commit ourselves to challenge the dominant negative and stereotypical images of women in the media. We reaffirm our commitment that women's access to and participation in decision-making in the media should be guaranteed at all levels and that producing programs that celebrate women's diversity and highlight their contribution to society should be promoted.

We remain committed to addressing the specific needs of children and youth both in our programming and through promoting the participation of children and youth in the production of community broadcast programming.

We are committed to supporting the development of community radio in new countries and to developing solidarity and lobbying for further international and national recognition of community radio's social contribution where it is in jeopardy.

We are committed to enhancing the role of community radio in achieving the millenium development goals, conflict resolution, peace building, poverty alleviation and confronting disaster management, climate change and environment deterioration by reinforcing the links and coordination between community radios and NGOs, researchers, civil society movements and stakeholders .

We stress the critical importance of community radio in empowering local communities through education, learning knowledge exchange and building capacities in communities.

We stress the role of community radio as a producer of culture, in strengthening cultural rights and, in particular, the rights of linguistic and cultural minorities. We recognize that community radio plays an important role in helping particularly to communicate and in protecting francophone culture in Canada.

We conclude this event by reaffirming our commitment to realize our demands in this Declaration and we pledge to continue our work for the promotion and protection of people's communication rights and all rights embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Montreal, 7 November 2008.

- To do continuous advocacy and lobby so that there will be a favorable policy environment for community radio.
- Networking with regional and local organization on the issue.
- Do advocacy, lobby and influencing for community radio.
- To analyze policies and their implementation of different agencies especially of government and taking positions against digital divide which perpetuating poverty.
- Research on policy declaration and implementation.
- Design and implement campaign through seminars, signature collection and rallies etc.

The prime concern in our country is today on expanding the digital opportunities to bridge the digital divide. The promise of the information economy – of tremendous possibility for human development, of rapidly growing economies, of empowered communities and responsive governance – is but a dream for the vast majority in Bangladesh.

The requirements such as for the basic ICT4D infrastructure are enormous. The necessary resources will not flow automatically from the technology-rich countries to the technology-poor countries like Bangladesh. Also the NGOs working in all parts of the country need to learn from the experience of these pilot initiatives and try to replicate them with their own initiative.

In this perspective, BNNRC has implemented research on the ICT issues to identify policy and its implementation discrepancies, pro poor issues both for private and public sectors, campaign to promote critical views and public opinions on pro poor issues, campaign for favorable policy for community radio, arranged seminar and dialogues at district level, developed communication materials for campaign, etc.

The Asia Pacific regional office of AMARC, with the financial support of the Ford Foundation, Indonesia and in collaboration with Combine Resources Institution (CRI-Indonesia), Association of Community Radio Broadcasters of Indonesia (JRKI), and AMARC-Japan Working Group organized training workshops on the role of community radios (CR) in poverty alleviation and disaster management in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The workshop on the role of CR in Poverty Alleviation was held on the 17th and 18th of October and the workshop on the role of CR in Disaster Management was held on the 19th and 20th of October, 2008. 42 participants from Indonesia, the Philippines, East Timor, Japan, Fiji Islands, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal representing the community radio sector, NGOs/donors supporting community radio, government delegates, development workers and radio activists participated in the workshops.>>read more

The Asia Pacific regional office of AMARC, with the financial support of the Ford Foundation, Indonesia and in collaboration with Combine Resources Institution (CRI-Indonesia), Association of Community Radio Broadcasters of Indonesia (JRKI), and AMARC-Japan Working Group organized training workshops on the role of community radios (CR) in poverty alleviation and disaster management in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The workshop on the role of CR in Poverty Alleviation was held on the 17th and 18th of October and the workshop on the role of CR in Disaster Management was held on the 19th and 20th of October, 2008. 42 participants from Indonesia, the Philippines, East Timor, Japan, Fiji Islands, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal representing the community radio sector, NGOs/donors supporting community radio, government delegates, development workers and radio activists participated in the workshops.>>read more

Issuing license to set up 116 community radios in Bangladesh is under consideration of the Government. These community radio stations will start operation within two months, the concerned authority expected. Primarily 116 organizations have been identified as eligible for license of community radio in a meeting of the National Regulatory Committee held in the Ministry of Information on Tuesday 15 July, 2008.

Sources said, the technical sub-committee formed in accordance with the community radio policy 2008, sent a list of 124 Government and non-government organizations after sorting out of 180 applications to the National Regulatory Committee headed by Information Secretary. This committee selected 116 organizations eligible for license and withheld 12 organizations in its meeting on Tuesday. Notably, 400 organizations drew application forms from the Ministry but only 180 submitted their applications for license. Having insufficient documents, papers and qualifications for the license, applications of those organizations have been ineligible of the consideration for license.

The sources said, the selected list has been sent to the office of the Chief Advisor for the policy approval. After this approval, the list of the selected organizations will be sent to the Home Ministry for non-objection-certificate. Then Information Ministry will start issuing license after allocating frequency for the community radio stations by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). Central Monitoring Committee headed by Director General of Bangladesh Betar will monitor the community radio activities.

Primarily it is impossible to allocate frequency for more than 5 community radio stations in the coastal districts and more than 3 in other districts. Moreover, it will take only two months to allocate frequency after completing all process; it was said in the meeting.

Information Secretary Mr. Jamil Osman told that, we will try our best to issue license by completing the necessary process as early as possible. Initiatives will also be taken to create awareness among the mass people of this new mass media in the country.

Role of Community Radio at community level
Give voice to the people who normally have no access to the mass media nor opportunity to express their views on community development, Speeds up the process of informing the community and therefore acts as a catalyst of change

Promote the right to communicate, assist the free flow of information and opinions, encourage creative expression and contribute to the democratic process and a pluralist society;

Provide access to training, production and distribution facilities; encourage local creative talent and foster local traditions; and provide program for the benefit, entertainment, education and development of their listeners. Seek to have their ownership representative of local geographically recognizable communities or of communities of common interest.

Provide a right of access to minority and marginalized groups and promote and protect cultural and linguistic diversity. Seek to honestly inform their listeners on the basis of information drawn from a diversity of sources and provide a right of reply to any person or organization subject to serious misrepresentation. Community Radio helps to put the community members in charge of their own affairs.

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication(BNNRC) has already set up Community Radio Academy as one of its social enterprise to promote Community Radio installation, broadcasting and operation around the country.

Since the announcement of the Community Radio Installation, Broadcast and Operation Policy, March 12, 2008 by the Ministry of Information of People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) has been implementing the following programs constantly to popularize community radio complying with the Community Radio (CR) policy in the country.

Opening a National Help Desk for the community radio initiators in Dhaka. One of the activities was to provide information and technical support to the 200 Community Radio initiators through the national help desk.

Community Radio Academy has already been established to build up skilled human resources to operate CR stations properly. The activities under this academy include round-the-year training courses, technical support and research and development on CR operation. In the meantime, the work of conducting national baseline survey and producing a map marling the location of the CR stations has been adopted.

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication, Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) and United News of Bangladesh (UNB) jointly arranged a day long seminar on “Peoples Voices, Peoples Participation and Community Radio” on 04 May 2008. Community radio experts come from Nepal, Sri Lanka and Singapore.

Moreover, with the support of World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) Asia Pacific and MMC, we organized a roundtable on “Ensuring Sustainable Growth of Community Radio in Bangladesh: Removing Barriers, Increasing Effectiveness” on 09 July 2008.

BNNRC also organized a daylong training workshop for CR initiators on “Community Radio: How to Get Started and Keep Going in Bangladesh” in Dhaka on 27 August 2008. 130 participants joined the workshop from 90 Community Radio initiators organization around the country.

d) Publishing a Community Radio guideline and brochure comprising 60 question-answers on CR operation etc.

For more information please contact: Community Radio Academy, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication, House: 13/1 Road: 2 Shamoli, Dhaka 1207. E-Mail: ceo@bnnrc.net www.bnnrc.net

Bangladesh: Official Letter to BTRC and Home Ministry for Information and Security Permit for 116 Community Radio

An official letter has been sent to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and Home Ministry to inform and to issue security permit for the selected 116 community radio stations. Ministry of Information sent the letter to BTRC and Home Ministry on Wednesday 23 July 2008.

Primarily 116 organizations were identified as eligible of policy approval for community radio in a meeting of the National Regulatory Committee held in the Ministry of Information on Tuesday 15 July, 2008.

Sources said, after getting security permit from the Home Ministry, Ministry of Information will send letter of approval to the applicant organizations. Then BTRC will allocate frequency accordingly for the concerned community radio stations and Ministry of Information will issue license to the approved ones. The organizations then have to take no-objection certificate from Information Ministry for importing necessary instruments and equipments for the station.

The Chief Advisor’s Office sources said, Chief Advisor Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmad is in charge of the Ministry of Information, so he might inaugurate the widely discussed community radio auspiciously. That is why; Government is trying to approve the community radio stations as soon as possible.

Adviser of Community Radio Movement in Bangladesh meets Information Minister

Mr. Akram Hossain Chowdhury MP, Advisor of Community Radio Movement in Bangladesh met Mr. Abul Kalam Azad MP, Minister to the Ministry of Information at secretariat on 08 March 2009.

At first Mr. Akram Hossain Chowdhury MP, Advisor of Community Radio Movement in Bangladesh briefed the Minister about the on-going Community Radio approval progress. Mr. Akram Hossain Chowdhury MP expected cooperation from Minister to strengthen Community Radio sector in Bangladesh

Mr. Abul Kalam Azad MP, Minister to the Ministry of Information showed his keen interest about the Community Radio Movement. He also assured to provide assistance to strengthen the Community Radio operation in Bangladesh very soon.

Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman, the Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) represented the meeting. The meeting was held in a very congenial environment.

Mr. Akram Hossain Chowdhury MP, Advisor of Community Radio Movement in Bangladesh meets Brig Gen Zia Ahmed, Chairman of BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission) at BTRC on 17 March 2009 at 11:00 am.

At first Mr. Akram Hossain Chowdhury MP, Advisor of Community Radio Movement in Bangladesh briefed the chairman of BTRC regarding on-going Community Radio approval progress so far. Mr. Akram Hossain Chowdhury MP expected cooperation from him to strengthen Community Radio sector in Bangladesh.

Chairman of BTRC expressed that Community radio can play an important role in achieving digital Bangladesh and ICT education for rural people. He also emphasized that Community Radio can help the fortune disadvantaged rural people to go a long way for the development.

He assured to provide all sorts of cooperation on behalf of Spectrum Management Department to operate the community radio at rural areas. He also agreed to extend his support in all sphere for the better facilitation of Community Radio and reduce the airwaves using price.

Colonel Md. Saiful Islam, psc, MDS,DTMA, Director General of BTRC was also present In that meeting and Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman, the Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) represented the meeting. The meeting was held in a very befitting manner.

As there is no appropriate power and opportunity to complain for marginalized population in the centered democratic society, one kind of opportunists, politicians and local administration take the chance to deprive them of their legal rights.

These marginalized rural and poor people may get an opportunity to discuss regarding these actual rights through the programs of Community Radio. Side by side, these sort of radio plays a role of mirror in the society and accelerates pro people endeavor of local administration and the politicians and arouses their responsibilities to the society.

Community Radio can play the role regarding the discussion program with community members and the personnel of different administrations reviewing the problems of community people and indicating the things to be done.

The discussion regarding local government or council or live telecast of meetings and conferences are the excellent strategies of Community Radio. In primitive society the total locality or society had been regulated by only a couple of families and the general people would hesitate to say anything. Community Radio can assist in opening the mouth of the general people. In some cases, the influential personalities do not have any way without tolerating these broadcast discussions.

Good Governance is such a system which is practiced in economics, politics, and through the use of social resources. And it is such a work process in state management that civil society can express the opinion regarding the issues of concerning interest, legal rights, and differences of opinion and can participate in every issue of state.

That means there exists less opportunity of effective participation of people in the existing governing system but in good governance system, there exists manifold opportunities for the participation of people.

Good Governance can be assorted into three stages in general .They are:

A) Good Political Governance
B) Good Social Governance, and
C) Good Economic Governance

(A)Good political Governance:
In good political governance, there exists decentralization of power and administrative authority and transparency; people’s participation and accountability exist in every stage of governance. Besides, establishment of justice and creating speedy trial exist in the boundary of good political governance.

(B)Good Social Governance: In good social governance there exists building strong civil society, establishing human rights, equality of both male and female, exchanging information especially to ensure that in Urban and Rural and make it easier, to encourage the businessmen to spend a little portion of their income in social welfare.

(C)Good Economic Governance: In good economic governance there exists some points such as, to enhance the amount of budget necessarily regarding social development; to reform tax management, to make the information available regarding Credit and government services and to ensure the access of poor community in these kind of services; to take appropriate decisions by reviewing the impacts of trade policy of multinational companies and world trade upon the poor community people.

Amongst all the problems incessantly faced by the people of Bangladesh, poverty is one of the most. Moreover, there exists ecological imbalance, economic disparity, imbalance modernization in social infrastructure and the created problems by it, individual ownership, political unrest, inequality, encroachment of government resources/ assets, poor health services, insufficient income, violation of human rights and violence against women etc.

Though there are a plenty of sugar coated speeches in the manifestoes of political parties for confronting these problems; but in real sphere, it is not seen to make these speeches fruitful. Subsequently, it can be said in a word that, in the activities of political parties, poverty alleviation and good governance was ignored at almost all times.

In that case, CR can play a role in building necessary communication structure for making people’s participation possible in development activities/ programs. Needless to say about the development strategy that CR can put marks of success in implementing them. CR can achieve a magical success in effective partnership development and government, non governmental industrial and trade sector and market management. Even, in establishing public-private partnership and societal corporatism of industrial institution, CR can play the role of arbitrator.

How Community Radio can work in ensuring Good Governance

First, the first and foremost work of Community Radio is to give importance in keeping democratic process always advanced by keeping up its position impartial. Besides this, CR also can work as a catalyst with the government, opposition party, administration, businessmen, and civil society leaders for keeping democratic process uninterrupted, and as an aftermath, both sides become positively influenced.

To create a pressure from community and civil representatives through dialogues, talk shows, discussion programs and magazine programs so as to state, market and society can always play the pro people role. As a matter of fact, ensuring good governance is not possible if state, market and society don’t work collaboratively.

Which work Community radio can perform specifically in good governance and development.


In developing Good Political Governance

- To enhance participation of people and civil society members for accelerating the work of local government and broadcast program relating to alternative opinion.

- To create awareness in rural community regarding things to be done in drawing up local government’s budget and lengthy planning.

- To scrutinize the budget of local government and ensure transparency and accountability and to offer information regarding things to be done by the members of civil society organizations in enhancing participation of common people.

- To arrange question- answer program among local parliament member and local people through Community Radio.

- To identify service rendering sections of government and broadcast regularly regarding all information of services (what services, for whom the services are, price of service etc.) in the light of citizen charter published by them.

- To make the citizens aware in responsibilities regarding state, market and society by means of running citizen education program.

- To broadcast program regularly regarding how the citizens and the elected representatives of local government will play more responsible role in the society.

- To notify people regularly regarding the procedures of legislature, executive and judiciary; in this sphere, to inform the community people regarding the things to be done.

-To broadcast program how the community people can get good effect in achieving access of family and village court.

- To bring the local administration aside from colonial gesture and attitude and broadcast awareness raising program for keeping the community people in the role of moderator.

In developing Good Social Governance

- To broadcast program relating to building strong civil society at rural level.

- To broadcast regular program on the situation of human rights in the locality.

- To broadcast issue based program and help people participate in that program so that the community people can be able to involve themselves in development program by exchanging information.

- To encourage the business personnel so as to they are able to spend a little portion of their profit in social service. And, to receive opinion from community people regarding where this (spending the profit) will be more effective.

- To do active participatory program planning, making and broadcast regarding different problems, potential and remedy of minor community and disabled people.

In developing Good Economic Governance

- To broadcast talk show/ conversation program at community level about increasing budget in social development sector after analyzing the budget.

- To broadcast development related program by means of interaction of both the local government and community people so that the citizens can pay tax regularly and the local government can carry out its responsibility.

- To broadcast analytical program so that the poor people can avail themselves of loan facility and they may not fall into trap in getting loan; to collect best applications/exercises from home and abroad for making the micro credit pro- people and broadcast them continuously.

- To broadcast informative programs so that the poor people can establish rights in their land as per governmental policy.

Community Radio can accelerate its victorious mission of good governance strategically by means of ensuring local community participation. Community Radio can ensure rural community participation in establishing good governance through policy making discussions with government, existing marketing system, and civil society leaders.

By AHM Bazlur Rahman -S21BR, Chief Executive Officer
Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication

For more info: ceo@bnnrc.net www.bnnrc.net

The 2nd AMARC Asia Pacific Regional Conference has been postponed to February 20-23, 2010. The event was scheduled to take place from 10-13 October 2009.

The location of the conference remains unchanged and will be held in Bangalore, India. The organisers made this decision to enable more people to participate in the conference so that the community radio movement in the region is consolidated and strengthened.

The 2ND AMARC Asia Pacific Conference : Community radio for Sustainable Development and Good Governance, will bring together community radio broadcasters, activists, academics, policy makers, and representatives of the donor community and governments to review the development of the community broadcasting in the Asia Pacific region in the last 4 years.

It will take a careful look at thematic areas of development such as the empowerment of women within the CR sector, the role of community broadcasting in peace building, it’s role in the face of global climate change and at times of natural disasters as well as for poverty eradication.

The regional conference will address practical issues such as capacity building in areas of management, technology, community participation, monitoring and evaluation, media convergence, and networking and the conference will recommend steps that will ensure the way forward for the CR sector in the region. The 2nd Regional Assembly of AMARC Asia-Pacific will be held in conjunction with the Regional Conference.

The Asia Pacific chapter of AMARC was formally established in November 2005 by the 1st Regional Assembly of AMARC’s members in the Asia Pacific region during the regional conference held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Conference provided a significant push to Community Radio in the Region by bringing together practitioners from Asia-Pacific and beyond along with experts and NGO representatives from the community media and communications rights sector.

The Jakarta Regional Assembly elected a regional board and decided upon an action plan aimed at developing the community broadcasting sector in the region. As per the statutes of AMARC Asia Pacific, the regional assembly is held every four years.

DHAKA, Dec 28 (BSS) - Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad today said community radio would be introduced forthwith at the country's south part, considered as most vulnerable to natural calamities.

He described the region as mush exposed to disaster in comparison to others and said post-disaster response could be prompted in the region with successful introduction of the community radio.

The minister was inaugurating at a daylong workshop on 'Experience sharing on climate Change, Natural Disaster and Response Mechanism' in the Senate Hall of Dhaka University (DU) here. United Development Initiatives for Programmed Actions (UDDIPAN), an NGO, and Centre for Disaster and Vulnerability Studies (CDVS), a newly introduced centre of the DU to provide post-graduate degrees on climate change, have jointly organized the workshop.

Prof of the CDVS Dr Khondoker Mokaddem Hossain in the chair chaired. Vice Chancellor of the university Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique spoke as special guest while adviser of Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) Dr SM Morshed moderating. UDDIPON executive director M Emranul Huq Chowdhury, deputy country director of save The Children, Sweden-Denmark Shamsul Alam Bakul, professors of different departments of the DU, climate experts, scholars, dignitaries and representatives from NGOs and development partners joined the workshop.

The Information minister said the disaster issue got priority at the present context, but it is unfortunate that Bangladesh has no adequate preparation to face any large scale earthquake.

Besides, he said, it is not possible to reach densely populated urban areas with fire fighting equipments if any earthquake occurs. He slammed developed countries for pushing developing countries including Bangladesh towards juggernaut of climate change saying that at around two crore people might be climate refugees if sea level rises to one meter caused by the perilous impact of climate change.

Azad put emphasis on increasing coordination among experts, NGOs and government agencies for tackling the climate change in a coordinated manner. Prof AAMS Arefin said information of the coastal people must be shared among the new generation so that they can mitigate the challenge by utilizing their knowledge and expertise.

M Emranul Huq favoured keeping the climate change issue out of politics and therefore coordination could play a significant role in addressing the challenge efficiently. Each educational institutions ranging from primary school to university level should have compulsory climate change knowledge, said Prof Dr Khondoker Mokaddem.

For more: http://www.bssnews.net/newsDetails.php?cat=0&id=79181&date=2009-12-28

The 2ND AMARC Asia Pacific Conference: Community radio for Sustainable Development and Good Governance will bring together community radio broadcasters, activists, academics, policy makers, and representatives of the donor community and governments to review the development of the community broadcasting in the Asia Pacific region in the last 4 years.

It will take a careful look at thematic areas of development such as the empowerment of women within the CR sector, the role of community broadcasting in peace building, it’s role in the face of global climate change and at times of natural disasters as well as for poverty eradication.

The regional conference will address practical issues such as capacity building in areas of management, technology, community participation, monitoring and evaluation, media convergence, and networking and the conference will recommend steps that will ensure the way forward for the CR sector in the region. The 2nd Regional Assembly of AMARC Asia-Pacific will be held in conjunction with the Regional Conference.

The Asia Pacific chapter of AMARC was formally established in November 2005 by the 1st Regional Assembly of AMARC’s members in the Asia Pacific region during the regional conference held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Conference provided a significant push to Community Radio in the Region by bringing together practitioners from Asia-Pacific and beyond along with experts and NGO representatives from the community media and communications rights sector. The Jakarta Regional Assembly elected a regional board and decided upon an action plan aimed at developing the community broadcasting sector in the region. As per the statutes of AMARC Asia Pacific, the regional assembly is held every four years.

For more information: http://asiapacific.amarc.org/index.php?p=2_Conference_Asia_Pacific_2009

The AMARC 10 Global Conference will be held in La Plata, Argentina 2010

The International Board of Directors of AMARC is pleased to announce that the tenth World Assembly of Community Radio Broadcasters will be held from 8 to 13 November 2010 in Ciudad de la Plata, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Community Radios have come together in AMARC Argentina to host the first Global conference of community broadcasters to be held in South America, where community radios were born 60 years ago.

Furthermore, Argentina and the Latin America & Caribbean region is going through dynamic social changes and has a rich in experiences to share with the world movement of community radios. More than 400 community broadcasters and stakeholders from over 110 countries and all regions of the global community radio movement will gather at the AMARC 10 Global Conference from 8-13 November to, among other issues, improve good practice in community media; explore strategies to facilitate the establishment of enabling legal environments for community media development, to define knowledge sharing and capacity building models for action-research and mentoring; to reinforce content development leading to social change; to facilitate the inclusion of women and; to encourage the empowerment of communities through appropriation of community radio for social justice and sustainable, democratic and participatory human development.