10 more TV stations
Dhaka, Oct 12 (bdnews24.com)--The information ministry has given provisional approval to launch 10 more private TV stations, a top government official told bdnews24.com on Monday. The government has started giving them no-objection letters for getting on air, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The approvals are first since the coalition government headed by Awami League took office in Jan 6 this year. Another decision has been made to launch a terrestrial channel to air the parliament sessions, the senior official added.
The channels are Ekattur Television of Mozammel Huq Babu, Bijoy TV of Chittagong mayor A B M Mohiuddin Chowdhury, GTV owned by Gazi Golam Ashriar, Channel 9 of Syeda Mahbuba Akhter, Somoyer Television of Ahmed Zubair, Independent Television of Beximco Group, Machhranga Television owned by Anjan Chowdhury, ATN News of Mahfuzur Rahman, Mohona TV of Kamal Ahmed Majumder and My TV of Nasir Uddin.
Morshedul Islam, brother of state minister for law Quamrul Islam, is one of the directors of Somoyer Television. Syeda Mahbuba Akhter of Channel 9 is the wife of retired brigadier general Syed Shafayetul Islam, son of former acting president of wartime provisional government Syed Nazrul Islam and younger brother of LGRD minister and Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam.
Eleven private channels are already in operating other than the two run by the government--BTV and BTV World. Information minister Abul Kalam Azad told parliament on Oct 8 that the government had decided to award more licences to private TVs.
The previous four-party alliance government gave approval NTV, RTV, Channel 1, Boishakhi, Diganta Television, Bangla Vision, Islamic TV and Desh TV. Then main opposition AL and other groups claimed that the TV stations had been given approval in breach of the rules and on political considerations.
Subsequently, some stations including NTV, Channel 1 and Bangla Vision were not allowed for sometime to cover programmes of then opposition chief Sheikh Hasina.
The first approvals for private TV stations in Bangladesh were given by the 1996-2001 AL government, following which ATN Bangla, Channel i and Ekushey Television (ETV) were launched.
ETV was given terrestrial telecast facility but it stopped following a High Court order during the 2001-06 BNP-led coalition government's stint. It was later given permission to be on air as a satellite channel.
Dhaka, Oct 12 (bdnews24.com)--The information ministry has given provisional approval to launch 10 more private TV stations, a top government official told bdnews24.com on Monday. The government has started giving them no-objection letters for getting on air, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The approvals are first since the coalition government headed by Awami League took office in Jan 6 this year. Another decision has been made to launch a terrestrial channel to air the parliament sessions, the senior official added.
The channels are Ekattur Television of Mozammel Huq Babu, Bijoy TV of Chittagong mayor A B M Mohiuddin Chowdhury, GTV owned by Gazi Golam Ashriar, Channel 9 of Syeda Mahbuba Akhter, Somoyer Television of Ahmed Zubair, Independent Television of Beximco Group, Machhranga Television owned by Anjan Chowdhury, ATN News of Mahfuzur Rahman, Mohona TV of Kamal Ahmed Majumder and My TV of Nasir Uddin.
Morshedul Islam, brother of state minister for law Quamrul Islam, is one of the directors of Somoyer Television. Syeda Mahbuba Akhter of Channel 9 is the wife of retired brigadier general Syed Shafayetul Islam, son of former acting president of wartime provisional government Syed Nazrul Islam and younger brother of LGRD minister and Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam.
Eleven private channels are already in operating other than the two run by the government--BTV and BTV World. Information minister Abul Kalam Azad told parliament on Oct 8 that the government had decided to award more licences to private TVs.
The previous four-party alliance government gave approval NTV, RTV, Channel 1, Boishakhi, Diganta Television, Bangla Vision, Islamic TV and Desh TV. Then main opposition AL and other groups claimed that the TV stations had been given approval in breach of the rules and on political considerations.
Subsequently, some stations including NTV, Channel 1 and Bangla Vision were not allowed for sometime to cover programmes of then opposition chief Sheikh Hasina.
The first approvals for private TV stations in Bangladesh were given by the 1996-2001 AL government, following which ATN Bangla, Channel i and Ekushey Television (ETV) were launched.
ETV was given terrestrial telecast facility but it stopped following a High Court order during the 2001-06 BNP-led coalition government's stint. It was later given permission to be on air as a satellite channel.
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