“Television is not just for entertainment or news, television will work to build life, society and country, that is our goal on World Television Day,” said Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hassan Mahmud.
He was speaking as the chief guest at a roundtable meeting on ‘Development of Television Channels in Bangladesh’ organised by Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) at a hotel in Banani area of the city on Sunday afternoon on the occasion of World Television Day on Sunday (November 21).
The meeting was chaired by ATCO President Anjan Chowdhury while, Vice President and Chairman of DBC24 Channel Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury conducted it.
Chief Information Commissioner Mortuza Ahmed, Press Council Chairman Justice Md Nizamul Haque, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Nasima Begum, Director General of Bangladesh Television Sohrab Hossain, Chairman of Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited Dr Shahjahan Mahmud, ATN Bangla Chairman Dr Mahfuzur Rahman, RTV Vice Chairman and FBCCI President Md Jasim Uddin, Desh TV Managing Director Arif Hasan, Ekushey TV Chief Executive Piyush Bandopadhyay and Mashranga TV News Chief Rezwanul Haque Raja spoke at the meeting.
ATCO directors, senior journalist Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul and senior TV journalists were present at the meeting.
Thanking ATCO for hosting the meeting on World Television Day, the Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said in his speech, “Bangladesh used to have only one television channel. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina started the journey of private television in Bangladesh.
Today, there are 34 television channels broadcasting and some more are taking preparation. In total, 45 channels have been given licenses. Apart from journalists and artisans, there are millions of people involved in the television industry. Many more create and sell content and ads. There are televisions in about 50 million homes.”
The Information Minister said, “The Prime Minister has given licenses to those whom she deemed fit, so that the country, society and journalists will benefit and at the same time be able to contribute to the formation of the country and society.
So my humble request in this day and age is that we should work towards the goal of building a new generation rich in patriotism, love, originality and talent.” Minister Hasan Mahmud said that the government has taken strong steps to develop the television industry. According to the law, only foreign channels have to send clean feed for broadcasting in Bangladesh. The order of the TV in the cable network was not right, now it is. Cable operators used to show advertisements themselves, they have been stopped.