& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

3 options for second BTV channel being considered

By Shehab Ahmed
The government is considering three options to open a second channel of the Bangladesh Television, using satellites to compete with the foreign TV networks.
II It is not possible to go satellite initially, the Channel-2 may use terrestrial network However, that may not be available throughout the country limiting it in and around the capital, sources concerned said.
A high level meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in chair on Tuesday reviewed various options to open the Channel-2. State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Abu Sayeed told The Daily Star yesterday. The opUons are : BTV should run it fully to supplement Channel-1. to permit private companies to run the channel entirely, and BTV may rent slots to private operators, allowing mixture of programmes.
He said the Channel-2 may hit the sky waves as soon as possible, subject to engineering and physical details, once the proposal receives go-ahead by the government which agreed to it in principle.
According to the sources, the first option might cost the ex c hequer nearly Tk 97 c rore The proposal in this regard says that the editorial and news content will remain the same on Channel-1 But time slots will be available commercially
The second option envisages total private management, with a representative from the government on the boarci of man agernent to oversee implementation of the government s communications policies and guidelines on private channel.
The third option suggests a joint venture by the govern merit and the private serfor on a 51:49 per cent share
The Information Ministry is preparing the project on the ba
sis of three options for approval by the authorities.
The proposal to open the second channel of the BTV was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in 1993 but was shelved.
Earlier, the then government had signed an accord with the Asiasat to use its transpon der for beaming Channel-2 pro grammes on satellite.
At least twelve private or ganisations. including some with foreign collaboration, showed their interest to use the Channel-2. But the ECNEC later considered it too expensive and shelved it and the initiatives were left to gather dust
Abu Sayeed said that the channel 2 if opened would broaden the horizon ol the national TV and enable it to btgh-1 light national issues llkCT poverty alleviation family’ planning, development and education.