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The Bhutan Broadcasting Service is the national radio and television service in Bhutan. Run by the state, it is currently the only service to offer both radio and television to the Kingdom, and is the only television service to broadcast from inside the Bhutanese border. For many years, Bhutan did not have modern telecommunications. The first radio broadcasts commenced in November 1973, when the National Youth Association of Bhutan (NYAB) began radio transmissions of news and music for a half-hour each Sunday, under the name "Radio NYAB." The transmitter was first rented from a local telegraph office in Thimphu. The government took over Radio NYAB in 1979, and renamed it the Bhutan Broadcasting Service in 1986, with expansions in radio scheduling as well as construction of a modern broadcast facility occurring in 1991. As of April 2004, BBS FM radio service is available in 15 dzongkhags. Installation of FM transmitter in the rest of the 5 dzongkhags will be completed by the end of the current five year plan. Radio service (NYAB radio) in Bhutan started in November 1973 in the initiation of youths who formed National Youth Association of Bhutan (NYAB) led by a Royal female member. The station was operational only on Sundays with 30 minutes of news in English and music. The NYAB club office was transformed to announcing studio on weekends and increased to an hour a week after a few trial weeks. The 400-watt transmitter was rented from a local telegraph office. The station was called Radio NYAB. In 1979, the Royal Government recognizing the importance of the radio for development communication, embraced the station under the Ministry of Communications. Then it started three-hour programme on every Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday: 1.5 hours in Dzongkha, and 30 minutes each in Nepali (Lhotsamkha), Sarchopkha (Tshangla), and English. In 1986 Development Support Communication Division (later changed to Development Communication Corporation) was set up to help in the development of media. With the commissioning of a 10kw short-wave transmitter and a small broadcast studio, Radio NYAB was renamed as Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) in the same year. Daily broadcasting was introduced with three hours of programming that reflected the national character. Radio was then controlled by BBS. BBS/DSCD worked jointly under MoC until 1992 when they were transformed to corporation. In the same year UNESCO also provided BBS 10W SW transmitter. The radio transmission reached to most part of the country. In 1991 radio station relocated to India sponsored new complex with 50w SW transmitter. Since then, its programmes reached 30 hours per week. To strengthen the radio service to al parts of the country, government initiated the establishment of FM station merely means for relay of national broadcast. In 1987 local FM stations were set up in Thimphu with the aid of UNESCO. (96 and 98 MHz). In 1989-92 period DANIDA and UNESCO provided 1.14 million assistance for development of media in Bhutan. In March 1991 that BBS acquired a permanent seat and a professional look with the commissioning of a 50kw short-wave transmitter station and a studio complex-cum-office block. In June 2000, BBS introduced FM radio service for Western Bhutan as well with the inauguration of the main FM station at Dobchula and yet another one at Takti in the south. The FM service was extended to central Bhutan in January 2001 and plans are underway to cover the whole country by the end of the ninth five-year plan. At present broadcast, the radio has 12 hours broadcast service including 1.5 hours traditional music only; 4.5 hours in Dzongkha, and 2 hours each in Nepali (Lhotsamkha), Sarchhopkha and English. Technical Information Short wave Radio: Transmitter Power: 50 KW SW Broadcast Transmitter: SK 45 F3 Broadcast Frequency: 49 meter band 6035 kHz FM Network Dobchula Main Station: Standby Reserve Configuration 1+1 KW Frequency: 88.1 MHz Areas served: Punakha, Gasa, Wangdi Phodrang Frequency: 96 MHz: Areas served: Thimphu Takti Relay Station: 1 KW Frequency: 98 MHz Areas served: Chukha and Mongar Yotula Relay Station: 1 KW Frequency: 93 MHz Frequency: 90 MHz Areas served: for parts of Trashigang & Mongar Areas served: Bumthang, Trongsa Jabji Relay Station: 20 W Frequency: 92 MHz Areas served: Paro valley, Phuentsholing, Tsirang, Samtse and Trashigang Kharbandi Relay Station: 20W And 49 mband 6035 kHz Shortwave(SW)v Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) has seven-member National Editorial Board with 130 employees, 1/3 of them in administration section. It controls radio, television and FMs. It was corporatized in 1992. Government provides all most all funds for its functioning. In 2004 sources, it generated 3% revenue from advertisement. There are very rare ads from private sectors, that also appear during the King’s birthday, coronation anniversary, or the national day. Apart from giving the daily news bulletin in four languages (Dzongkha, Sharchop, Lhotsamkha and English) in radio and in Dzongkha and English on television, BBS devotes 75% of its programming on development issues such as new farming methods, health and hygiene, environment preservation, distance education, rural development, women and child care. Bhutan Broadcasting Service, established in 1973 and given its current name in 1986, operated under the auspices of the Department of Information; it offered thirty hours a week of shortwave radio programming in Dzongkha, Sharchopkha, Nepali, and English. There was daily FM programming in Thimphu and shortwave reception throughout the rest of the nation in the early 1990s. In 1991 there were thirty-nine public radio stations for internal communications. There were also two stations used exclusively for communications with Bhutan's embassies in New Delhi and Dhaka and thirteen stations used by hydrologists and meteorologists. There were no television stations in Bhutan in the early 1990s, and a 1989 royal decree ended the viewing of foreign television by mandating the dismantling of antennas. The government wanted to prevent Indian and Bangladeshi broadcasts from reaching Bhutan's citizens. For a long time, Bhutan was the only nation in the world to ban television. The first night of television broadcasts finally occurred on June 2, 1999, on the night of the Jigme Singye Wangchuk's silver jubilee. Currently, television service is limited to the capital city. News, documentaries, and entertainment programs were originally broadcast for three hours in the evening (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.), seven days a week, but expanded to four hours (6 p.m. to 10 p.m.) in December 2004. Most of the programming is aired in Dzongkha, but some current events and news programs are also aired in English. As of 2005, FM and shortwave radio service reaches about 75 percent of the country. The service plans to reach the rest of Bhutan by 2010.
External links
- Official website (in English)
