Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam at a press briefing at Foreign Service Academy. Photo: PID

DHAKA, Jan 5, 2025 (BSS) – The interim government is trying to empower national news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) and state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV), Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said today.

“A country has a state broadcaster and a state news agency. This is a very vital task,” he said while responding to a question at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy here this evening.

Alam said people may have a lack of understanding in this regard. “If you look around the world, you will see a state has a government broadcaster with a programming TV, news channel, English TV channel, vernacular language channel,” he said. 

He said such state broadcasters are found in Turkey, Russia, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and China and all the countries have made their state broadcasters bigger.

For instance, the press secretary said, a private channel may not run news of remote area due to its financial model but this news is a vital one. 

“Who will run this news? The state broadcaster will run this news. The state broadcaster has an importance too,” he said.

So, Alam said the government is trying to empower the BTV and BSS and make the organizations bigger so that people can watch and know all the news of Bangladesh.      
Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder also spoke at the press briefing.