Home | About | News Archive | Activities | Photo Gallery | Feedback | Contact | Web Mail

CCD Facing Challenge for Establishing Community Radio

CCD is the one of organisation who has get government approval for establishing, operating and broadcasting community radio (CR). Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has already allocated frequency (FM 99.2) to CCD for broadcasting its Community Radio. CCD has intended to start broadcast of its community radio (CR) from June 2011. The community radio to be established by CCD has been named as Radio Padma. In order to operate and continue the broadcasting of Radio Padma successfully, CCD has already started building up skilled manpower. In association with the UNESCO, 25 young volunteers (including 25 youth indigenous people) have been trained up who will be closely involved in operation and broadcasting of Radio Padma. The trained-up volunteers are producing different issue-based programs which are being broadcast through Rajshahi radio station and online Radio Invo. Four CCD activists have already received training on community radio operation held in India.

CCD is going to organize more training courses in association with the UNESCO for developing a group of women radio broadcasters who will also work with Radio Padma. In order to encourage community people for active participation in operating and broadcasting Radio Padma, CCD is now implementing a community mobilization project in association with UNESCO.

With the view to operating and broadcasting of Radio Padma, CCD has already appointed Station Manager and Operation Manager. Moreover, 9-member Managing Committee has been formed with Chairperson of Mass Communication and Journalism Department of Rajshahi University Professor Moshihur Rahman as President and CCD Director G M Mourtoza as General Secretary. Besides that, Professor of Mass Communication and Journalism Department of Rajshahi University (presently working as Director General of PIB on Lien) Dulal Chandra Biswas and Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation A H M Khairuzzaman Liton have been nominated respectively as Chief Advisor and Chief Patron.

CCD is mainly a mass communication oriented knowledge centre. Its all activities depend on donor agencies and partner organizations. That is why, CCD is looking for some donor agencies which can support for the purchase of necessary equipments including transmitter and antenna for setting up community radio station. If CCD gets necessary financial support, it can start the broadcasting of Radio Padma in coming June 2011. Mainly due to the financial shortage, it is getting delayed to start community radio broadcasting of CCD. Presently it is the first and foremost challenge in front of CCD in starting set-up and broadcasting of the community radio.

CCD Install Community Radio Station Soon

Rajshahi, 24 April 2010:

Recently government has approved CCD’s application for install and broadcast community Radio Station in Rajshahi Region of Bangladesh. Besides, government has also approved another 13 community radio initiators’ applications. 

On 23 April, initially Ministry of Information of Bangladesh has approved 12 Community Radio Initiators for installation and operation of community radio in Bangladesh first time. To ensure free flow of information and people's right to information government enacted Right to Information Act 2009. Community radio approval is a strong step to empower people in this regards.  

The main objective of community radio is to provide livelihood related information to the rural communities in an understandable way. Agriculture, education, health, disaster, women and child issues, market price, services, etc. will be cover in the community radio for the community people.

Initially government approved 11 Initiators like Young Power in Action (YPSA) - Sitakunda, Chittagong,  Nalta Community Hospital- Satkhira, LDRO- Bogra, BRAC- Moulivi Bazer, Barandro Community-Naogaon, Proyas-Chapai Nababgonj, CCD- Rajshahi, Srizoni- Jhinaidhah, EC Bangladesh- Munsihigonj, MMC- Barguna and RDRS- Kurigram.  

One government organization to install and operate Rural Radio in Amtali under Barguna district, a rural community radio will be established by Agriculture Information Service of the Agriculture Department of Ministry of Agriculture.

Last several years CCD has been working for installation and operation of community radio in Rajshahi region of Bangladesh. In this regard, CCD has been successfully arranging long-term radio journalism training program in association with UNESCO, PANOS South Asia and the British Council. CCD has already developed young radio broadcasters for effective operate and broadcast proposed community radio station. Besides, with the assistance of IPDC program of UNESCO, CCD has been implementing two projects at now for developing a numbers of young radio broadcasters for upcoming community radio stations in Bangladesh.

AMARC Asia Pacific Welcomes Approval of Community Radio Licenses in Bangladesh

Kathmandu, 27April 2010: 

Asia Pacific Region of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, AMARC-Asia Pacific has welcomed the recent decision of the Government of Bangladesh to approve 12 community radio licenses. This is the first time in the history of Bangladesh that community radio licenses have been approved. The approval follows the community radio policy introduced in Bangladesh in March 2008.

Welcoming the decision of the Government of Bangladesh Ashish Sen, Vice President for AMARC Asia Pacific has congratulated BNNRC and other civil society based actors, and policy & state level supporters for their unrelenting efforts for making this happen. “I am greatly encouraged by this latest development in the community radio sector of Bangladesh. This would augur well for the rest of South Asia as more skies could be expected to open up for community based airwaves”, he said. Likewise, Raghu Mainali, Vice President for AMARC South Asia has said that the approval of licenses in Bangladesh was long awaited and hoped for more licenses to be approved in near future. “We have been looking forward to this and would like to reiterate AMARC’s continued support to members and partners in Bangladesh for the development of community radio in that country”, he said.

Out of the 12 licenses approved on April 21^st, 11 will be operated by civil society based organizations and one will be operated by a government agency. Earlier, AMARC International saluted the decision of the Government of Bangladesh for approval of the licenses.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this website and/or CCD’s activities, please write to us at: info@ccdbd.org   
Copyright © 2011 Centre for Communication and Development [ CCD Bangladesh]
Last update: 08 April, 2011

   Home | About | News Archive | Activities | Photo Gallery | Feedback | Contact | Web Mail