Community radio in Bangladesh: The way forward
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Lucio N Tabing
The community radio movement in Bangladesh has started on the right foot though it may find itself balancing on a narrow plank.
The Bangladesh Ministry of Information, in collaboration with various stakeholders, has put together a set of guidelines called "community radio installation, broadcast and operation policy." The paper encompasses definition, fundamental principles, eligibility of applicants, technical structure, licensing process and fees as well as technical structure and other terms and conditions.
Indeed the framers of the policies should be applauded for the painstaking job and the pretty comprehensive document they have produced.
Crusaders in many developing countries have not been as fortunate to have the support of their governments. Bangladesh authority has decided to try the novel system in selected rural areas as it is now poised to issue dozens of licences.
Community radio in Asia is new and rare. In developing regions such as in South America and Africa as well as in developed countries of North America, Europe and Australia, tens of thousands of community radios are mushrooming. In the Asian region, where two out of every three people on the planet live, there are only over 250 or so genuine community radio stations.
Many Asian media and broadcast systems have been in the grip of governments that are autocracies. Where the system is open to private entrepreneurs, the commercial media dominate. It can be said that Asia's media system in general is largely driven by one or two or three motives of 5Ps -- profit, politics, propaganda, privilege and power. Service to the society is only a pretext for gaining a foothold. It is due to these grim realities that the growth of community broadcasting in Asia has been relatively slow.
Four years ago, India was preparing to set up thousands of community radios. What has materialised there so far are campus radio stations that are run under the auspices of universities. Nepal has reported over a hundred existing stations. The Philippines has over four dozens. Indonesia has hundreds of local private stations and Thailand counts several hundreds too - some are either private, government or community audio towers. Though not in terms of number but perhaps of quality, Sri Lanka, which started pioneering experiments on community involvement in radio, may have the most people-driven low-power facilities.
We can now expect that in this second decade of the 21st century, there will be a burgeoning of community radio in the region especially in South Asia. Interesting to watch will be the Indian and Bangladeshi governments giving formal assent and support to the new broadcast sector.
Bangladesh is now ready to grant licences to applicants for community radios. A number of preparatory seminars have been conducted in preparation for CR operation. We were pleasantly surprised to know that in 2008, Radio Veritas Asia in Dhaka organised a training in Khulna on community radio.
Certainly a series of intensive trainings and workshops on CR operation have to be conducted for the prospective licencees, trainers, policy makers and advocates. Organising and training the local level participants is a huge task that must be undertaken seriously. Among the many topics that stand as priorities are station management, participatory programme production, technical operation, pertinent media laws, code of conduct, conflict management, handling sensitive issues, sustainability schemes and integrating new media with C.R. Training of trainers on the subject matter should be organised at the national and regional levels. It takes just a few hundred thousand takas and one or two days to install the equipment. The heavier investment should be on the preparation of people who will work around the facility. The Bangladesh government must also review the terms and policies that it has devised in order to help the community radio move towards its avowed direction - development, empowerment, education and social equality.
Firstly, the licence fee of Taka 20,000 and the bond requirement of Taka 100,000 are onerous for small communities. Coupled with this is the provision that "Government reserves the right to revoke the licence at anytime in public interest in case of violation of the terms and conditions provided." These provisions unnerve a community which has inadequate means.
Other guidelines too appear restrictive and intimidating. For instance, an "advisory committee" composed largely of representatives from government functionaries and police will be formed to "monitor the operation of community radio." Such a committee may seem unnecessary. It gives an opportunity for the government functionaries to encroach on the programming and editorial matters of the stations.
To enable the broadcast media to function as a genuine exponent of democracy, the radio should be in the hands of the community members. It must be free from coercion, intimidation and threats from any quarter whether from government, politics, commerce, rebels or religious fundamentalists. Community radio's real master is the community. It should be answerable only to the society and the country within the framework of the laws that govern the land.
While it could be argued that there might be overriding or impending situations of rebellion and terrorism, the inclusion of government monitors is not justified as it does not provide a conducive atmosphere for the radios to function freely. Those who wield power and force, should stay away from the C.R. arena which espouses a cause where the name of the game is creativity and marketing of ideas. .
It is also incomprehensible as to why cooperatives have not been included in the list of those eligible for licences. Coops, by its very nature, characterise an exercise of collective decision making and have the inherent motive of community building. Or is it that they are regarded in the category of NGOs? How about foundations, associations and schools that are inherently free from political and commercial interests? Experience has it that in many countries, coops are generally among organisations that demonstrate an independent capacity for sound CR management.
Furthermore, schools could be licensed to operate community radios. Tertiary schools that offer courses in communication or technology courses can make use of the CR as a laboratory and a tool for technology extension. Agricultural schools will find great use for the CR in bringing technology to its farmer clientele.
In the policies, criticising individuals, which may include public officials, is also forbidden. This amounts to muzzling the watch dog which is the time-honoured role that communication media play in society. Putting a gag on community members to discuss publicly how their leaders and public officials perform will embolden ill-meaning local functionaries to commit anomalies, corruption and other wrong doings. On the other hand, by opening up discussions on performance of public officials, community radio promotes accountability and transparency in governance. If it is so feared that community radio users could step beyond their lines, there should be enough laws in force in Bangladesh pertaining to slander, oral defamation and libel that could be invoked. Community radio operators should rather be guided on how to formulate and follow their own code of conduct and ethics and be enlightened on relevant laws of the land. The CR advocates, participants and policy makers should repose their trust in the community and its leaders and adopt a liberal attitude towards them.
There should be a full understanding on the relevance of people participation in media as well as in the empowerment or development of marginalised sectors. We ought to believe that ordinary people know how they will conduct themselves in a public platform. We must have faith in the capability of individuals and the collective will to discuss, plan and carry out what is good for them.
Such is the spirit of the freedom of expression that is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "Citizens have the right to freedom of expression, opinions and beliefs and this right includes the right to seek, impart and receive information, regardless of frontiers.' Community radio movement was born out of a spirit of bringing benefits and empowerment to the marginalized communities whose rights and opportunities are often wanting or limited.
The young movement of community radio in Bangladesh which is now taking a definite shape, should be free from restrictive provisions and intimidation. It has started right and it must move right.
The writer is the founder, Tambuli Community Radio in the Philippines and is the author of two books. He can be reached
at email:
robiul.khan@cosmosgroup.net
The community radio movement in Bangladesh has started on the right foot though it may find itself balancing on a narrow plank.
The Bangladesh Ministry of Information, in collaboration with various stakeholders, has put together a set of guidelines called "community radio installation, broadcast and operation policy." The paper encompasses definition, fundamental principles, eligibility of applicants, technical structure, licensing process and fees as well as technical structure and other terms and conditions.
Indeed the framers of the policies should be applauded for the painstaking job and the pretty comprehensive document they have produced.
Crusaders in many developing countries have not been as fortunate to have the support of their governments. Bangladesh authority has decided to try the novel system in selected rural areas as it is now poised to issue dozens of licences.
Community radio in Asia is new and rare. In developing regions such as in South America and Africa as well as in developed countries of North America, Europe and Australia, tens of thousands of community radios are mushrooming. In the Asian region, where two out of every three people on the planet live, there are only over 250 or so genuine community radio stations.
Many Asian media and broadcast systems have been in the grip of governments that are autocracies. Where the system is open to private entrepreneurs, the commercial media dominate. It can be said that Asia's media system in general is largely driven by one or two or three motives of 5Ps -- profit, politics, propaganda, privilege and power. Service to the society is only a pretext for gaining a foothold. It is due to these grim realities that the growth of community broadcasting in Asia has been relatively slow.
Four years ago, India was preparing to set up thousands of community radios. What has materialised there so far are campus radio stations that are run under the auspices of universities. Nepal has reported over a hundred existing stations. The Philippines has over four dozens. Indonesia has hundreds of local private stations and Thailand counts several hundreds too - some are either private, government or community audio towers. Though not in terms of number but perhaps of quality, Sri Lanka, which started pioneering experiments on community involvement in radio, may have the most people-driven low-power facilities.
We can now expect that in this second decade of the 21st century, there will be a burgeoning of community radio in the region especially in South Asia. Interesting to watch will be the Indian and Bangladeshi governments giving formal assent and support to the new broadcast sector.
Bangladesh is now ready to grant licences to applicants for community radios. A number of preparatory seminars have been conducted in preparation for CR operation. We were pleasantly surprised to know that in 2008, Radio Veritas Asia in Dhaka organised a training in Khulna on community radio.
Certainly a series of intensive trainings and workshops on CR operation have to be conducted for the prospective licencees, trainers, policy makers and advocates. Organising and training the local level participants is a huge task that must be undertaken seriously. Among the many topics that stand as priorities are station management, participatory programme production, technical operation, pertinent media laws, code of conduct, conflict management, handling sensitive issues, sustainability schemes and integrating new media with C.R. Training of trainers on the subject matter should be organised at the national and regional levels. It takes just a few hundred thousand takas and one or two days to install the equipment. The heavier investment should be on the preparation of people who will work around the facility. The Bangladesh government must also review the terms and policies that it has devised in order to help the community radio move towards its avowed direction - development, empowerment, education and social equality.
Firstly, the licence fee of Taka 20,000 and the bond requirement of Taka 100,000 are onerous for small communities. Coupled with this is the provision that "Government reserves the right to revoke the licence at anytime in public interest in case of violation of the terms and conditions provided." These provisions unnerve a community which has inadequate means.
Other guidelines too appear restrictive and intimidating. For instance, an "advisory committee" composed largely of representatives from government functionaries and police will be formed to "monitor the operation of community radio." Such a committee may seem unnecessary. It gives an opportunity for the government functionaries to encroach on the programming and editorial matters of the stations.
To enable the broadcast media to function as a genuine exponent of democracy, the radio should be in the hands of the community members. It must be free from coercion, intimidation and threats from any quarter whether from government, politics, commerce, rebels or religious fundamentalists. Community radio's real master is the community. It should be answerable only to the society and the country within the framework of the laws that govern the land.
While it could be argued that there might be overriding or impending situations of rebellion and terrorism, the inclusion of government monitors is not justified as it does not provide a conducive atmosphere for the radios to function freely. Those who wield power and force, should stay away from the C.R. arena which espouses a cause where the name of the game is creativity and marketing of ideas. .
It is also incomprehensible as to why cooperatives have not been included in the list of those eligible for licences. Coops, by its very nature, characterise an exercise of collective decision making and have the inherent motive of community building. Or is it that they are regarded in the category of NGOs? How about foundations, associations and schools that are inherently free from political and commercial interests? Experience has it that in many countries, coops are generally among organisations that demonstrate an independent capacity for sound CR management.
Furthermore, schools could be licensed to operate community radios. Tertiary schools that offer courses in communication or technology courses can make use of the CR as a laboratory and a tool for technology extension. Agricultural schools will find great use for the CR in bringing technology to its farmer clientele.
In the policies, criticising individuals, which may include public officials, is also forbidden. This amounts to muzzling the watch dog which is the time-honoured role that communication media play in society. Putting a gag on community members to discuss publicly how their leaders and public officials perform will embolden ill-meaning local functionaries to commit anomalies, corruption and other wrong doings. On the other hand, by opening up discussions on performance of public officials, community radio promotes accountability and transparency in governance. If it is so feared that community radio users could step beyond their lines, there should be enough laws in force in Bangladesh pertaining to slander, oral defamation and libel that could be invoked. Community radio operators should rather be guided on how to formulate and follow their own code of conduct and ethics and be enlightened on relevant laws of the land. The CR advocates, participants and policy makers should repose their trust in the community and its leaders and adopt a liberal attitude towards them.
There should be a full understanding on the relevance of people participation in media as well as in the empowerment or development of marginalised sectors. We ought to believe that ordinary people know how they will conduct themselves in a public platform. We must have faith in the capability of individuals and the collective will to discuss, plan and carry out what is good for them.
Such is the spirit of the freedom of expression that is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "Citizens have the right to freedom of expression, opinions and beliefs and this right includes the right to seek, impart and receive information, regardless of frontiers.' Community radio movement was born out of a spirit of bringing benefits and empowerment to the marginalized communities whose rights and opportunities are often wanting or limited.
The young movement of community radio in Bangladesh which is now taking a definite shape, should be free from restrictive provisions and intimidation. It has started right and it must move right.
The writer is the founder, Tambuli Community Radio in the Philippines and is the author of two books. He can be reached
at email:
robiul.khan@cosmosgroup.net