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SCMP Reporter

ABOUT 1,049 newspapers and periodicals, including 142 dailies, are published in Bangladesh.

  And the Press continues to increase its presence in the prevailing democratic environment.

   Most of the newspapers come out in the national language, Bangla, which is understood and spoken by all people in the country.

   Some of the mass circulated Bangla dailies are the Ittefaq, the Inquilab, the Banglar Bani, the Sangbad, the Dainik Bangla, the Ajker Kagoz, the Bhorer Kagoz, the Khabar, the Milat and the Dainik Dinkal.

   The Bangladesh Observer has the highest circulation of the English-language newspapers.

  Other largely circulated English dailies are the Bangladesh Times, the Morning Sun, the Daily Star, the Telegraph and the New Nation.

  The major English weeklies are the Holiday and the Dhaka Courier. While each town publishes its own newspaper or newspapers, the capital, Dhaka, accounts for the largest segment of the national press, which is undergoing rapid modernisation and adopting advanced printing technologies.

  The country enjoys total press freedom under the democratic Government of the Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP) led by Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

  The two news agencies in the country are the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) and the United News of Bangladesh (UNB).

   Several international news services, such as Reuter, Associated Press (AP), Iranian News Agency (IRNA), Agence France Press (AFP) and Xinhua, have offices in Dhaka.

  Radio Bangladesh has nine stations in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet, Rangamati, Comilla and Thakurgaon. The broadcasts from these stations are heard for a total of 92 hours.

   Radio Bangladesh also runs an External Service which is beamed in seven languages to Europe, the Middle East, Pakistan, India and Nepal.

   The national broadcasting station, Dhaka, alone transmits for 18 hours.

    Almost 40 news bulletins and seven news commentaries are aired daily.

  Television was introduced in 1964 and, since then, it has undergone rapid expansion and modernisation with the setting up of 10 relay stations at Chittagong, Natore, Khulna, Sylhet, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Noakhali, Satkhira, Cox's Bazaar and Rangamati.

   Bangladesh Television transmits about 53 hours weekly.

  The government believes in the global free flow of information and has recently decided to allow the use of a satellite dish to receive foreign television programmes.

   Meanwhile, Bangladesh Television relays CNN International between 7 am and 1.30 pm every day except Friday.

   On Fridays, special religious and children's programmes are transmitted.

  The Bangladesh Film Development Corporation, a public sector enterprise, produces about 70 feature films in addition to a significant number of documentary films which are produced annually by the Department of Films and Publications.

  Foreign films in English are also imported and screened.



Government works to push growth of Press freedom