The politico-commercial nexus and the broadcast policy reform in Bangladesh

Rahman, Anis; Reza, S. M. Shameem; Haq, Fahmidul

doi:10.4324/9781315267159-8

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…The prospects for media democratization are grim in countries like Bangladesh – the consequence of having a powerful and protective politico-commercial nexus – particularly in terms of accommodating and tolerating contending political ideas and instilling pluralist values for policymaking, such as accountability, impartiality, and autonomy (Freedman, 2008). Rahman et al (2017) showed that the nexus is not only influencing television channel licensing practices, but is also an active participant in policymaking processes that influence their outcome. Rahman et al further revealed that the objectives of policy committee stakeholders of the National Broadcast Policy 2014 were closely aligned with the interests of the politico-commercial nexus, while allowing contradictory outcomes to appear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are two major parties seeking to exert political influence by licensing television channels to their affiliates and loyalists through informal politics. In Bangladesh, there exists an informal power relationship that can be broadly defined as a politico-commercial nexus (Andaleeb and Rahman, 2015; Rahman, Reza and Haq, 2017). This nexus is a complex relationship of mutually interdependent interests and interlocking networks between high-level political leaders, media owners, advertisers, and top-tier industrial conglomerates.…”

Section: Theoretical Framework and Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The politico-commercial nexus and its implications for television industries in Bangladesh and South Asia

Rahman

2020

Media, Culture & Society

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Over the past decade, television has proven its political, economic, and cultural worth as the most influential mass media in South Asia. Taking Bangladesh as a vantage point, the article shows how informal political and economic affiliations have become crucial factors for media development in South Asia. Particularly, the article dissects the ownership structures and the formal and informal politics of licensing private television by Bangladeshi governments between 1995 and 2019 in contesting India’s regional media hegemony with harnessing a powerful indigenous ‘politico-commercial nexus’. Based on field-based research, this study reveals multiple areas of political struggle, regional contestation, and democratic deficits in the television industry. The findings widen our understanding beyond the bureaucratic processes of media regulation, revealing the deeper problem of unipolar political preconditioning and the increasingly authoritarian nature of the state vis-à-vis the ownership of media and its diminishing prospects for voicing plural and contending political perspectives.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Framework and Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The politico-commercial nexus and its implications for television industries in Bangladesh and South Asia

Rahman

2020

Media, Culture & Society

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“…The two major political parties, BNP and AL, use political power to issue private television licenses to their party men in an informal way to cement their political power. Scholars (Andaleeb and Rahman, 2015;Rahman, Reza, and Haq 2017;Anis Rahman, 2020) call it a "politico-commercial nexus." Anis Rahman puts it this way :…”

Section: The Political Economy Of the Private Television Channel Boom...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Political Economy of Emergence and Transformation of Private Television Channels in Bangladesh: A Critique

Khan

2023

NSJPGS

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The emergence of private television channels in Bangladesh was a remarkable chapter in Bangladesh's media democratization process. Three private television channels—ATN Bangla, Channel-I, and ETV— were allowed to air during Sheikh Hasina's first regime (1996-2001). All these three private channels brought a qualitative change in the broadcast history of Bangladesh. Bangladesh's people lost their confidence in the state-controlled only TV channel of the country named Bangladesh Television (BTV) simply because of its enslavement towards the government and the ruling party. Private TV channels emerged as windows for ordinary people to get accurate and unbiased news and views of Bangladesh and the world. Later on, during Begum Khaleda Zia's second regime (2001-2006), vicious and dirty party politics enveloped Bangladesh's private TV channels. As a result, private TV channels have been transformed into the government's mouthpiece and a tool for manufacturing consent in favor of the ruling party. This paper focuses on the political economy of private TV channels' emergence and their transformation in Bangladesh. The contention of this paper is to show how the social relations, i.e., communication relations between the ruling party elites and the crony capitalists, form a vicious nexus that brushes aside all rules and regulations for getting a private television channel with a view to becoming a big tool for manufacturing consent in favor of the ruling elites. The paper concludes that any authoritarian government, like a one-party rule, military regime, or even an elected government when it transforms into an autocratic one, always tries to support and sponsor crony capitalists for their political interest, which is a threat to any democracy and media democratization process of any society. The crony capitalists developed a corporate media culture of their own that doesn't give proper treatment of any national concern or issue that goes against the ruling party's interest. There is no space for objective journalism in this media culture. This corporate journalism culture, devoid of professionalism, has replaced ethical journalism in Bangladesh. It has become stronger day by day. Keywords: Political Economy, Private TV Channels, Emergence, Transformation, Crony Capitalism, Sheikh Hasina, and Begum Khaleda Zia

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“…Moreover, authoritarian attitude of the incumbents further constrained the pluralistic capacity of the medium. In another work, Anis Rahman et al (2017) argued that the Bangladesh's broadcast policy is so government-biased that it offered absolute power to the Prime Minister and Information Minister concerning the private television sector. In short, researchers are agreed that every regime want to control private television for own purposes.…”

Section: (Re)visiting Private Television Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

(Re)Visiting Private Television Research in Bangladesh: Call for New Research Agenda in News Media Study

Rahman

2023

Soc. Sci. Rev.

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Private television is the most popular mass media in Bangladesh with a vast audience of both news and programs. However, research on private television and its news media has not advanced sufficiently. Analysing available research on different databases this study identifies general trends in Bangladesh’s private television and its news media research which shows that in addition to low volume of research, most of the study focused on some common aspects resulting in many significant areas unexamined. Finally, this article suggests new agendas in news media research with particular focus on the role of the state, ownership and news labour—three key stakeholders of the private television news media. This investigation will contribute to the scholars and industry insiders to identify the gap in private television research, especially in relation to the news media, and take necessary initiatives. Social Science Review, Vol. 39(2), June 2022 [Special Issue] Page 79-98

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The politico-commercial nexus and the broadcast policy reform in Bangladesh

Cited by 5 publications

References 1 publication

The politico-commercial nexus and its implications for television industries in Bangladesh and South Asia

The politico-commercial nexus and its implications for television industries in Bangladesh and South Asia

The Political Economy of Emergence and Transformation of Private Television Channels in Bangladesh: A Critique

(Re)Visiting Private Television Research in Bangladesh: Call for New Research Agenda in News Media Study

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