bbs: not ready to go 24/7
Communication minister asks BBS tv to go round the clock, MD says “we had not thought in our wildest dreams to go 24/7”
The directive from the communication minister, Lyonpo Nandalal Rai, for the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) television to start round the clock telecast has caught the national broadcaster off guard.
“We had not thought in our wildest dreams to go 24/7 and the directive took us by surprise,” said the BBS Managing Director Pema Choden.
“We thought we were headed in the right direction to improve coverage and quality but now we are concerned that it will compromise quality,” she said.
The tv may be able to go 24 hours in about two years, she said. It already provides radio services round the clock.
The issue started after the government legalized the direct-to-home (DTH) television service for areas not connected by cable television in the country. BBS was worried that Indian DTH providers could misuse the unused BBS airtime. It took the issue to the government which responded with the directive to go 24/7.
The government has told the BBS to study the possibility of linking up with Bharti Airtel of India to provide the DTH service.
Lyonpo Nandalal Rai told Business Bhutan: “BBS has been broadcasting for the last 11 years and it is time they look into expanding and improving the content, increase the airtime and think about showcasing Bhutan round the clock.”
The BBS managing director said, “We are still scrambling around trying what we can possibly put if we have to go 24 hours.”
On the other hand, the former managing director of BBS, Mingbo Dukpa, said, “BBS has come a long way, and given its technical advancement, the team might be able to handle the challenge.” He gave a nod that it would call for more hard work.
He said, “They will need skilled manpower, more video cameras and Satellite News Gatherings (SNG) vans so that they can feed in live news from all parts of the country.”
The directive has created chaos among BBS employees. “We are already working for 16 hours and going 24 hours will not be possible at the moment,” said a senior employee who did not want to be named. She said most employees shared her concern.
Another concern for the BBS is the lack of indication from the government to increase funding for the national service broadcaster. Earlier, the government had shut down a proposal from the BBS for increased funding.
Pema Choden said the government’s directive to go 24 hours is not accompanied by any indication for additional resource. “Even if we go 24 hours we will not be able to last (continue 24/7 telecast)for more than a few months,” she said.
Outlining its social responsibility, Pema Choden said the BBS television content gives priority to serious in-house discussions, cultural documentaries and socio-economic programs which has no means of making money on its own. She said it was a typical case for any public service broadcaster around the world.
Pema Choden said the BBS earned around 30% of its revenue from making public announcements last year but it is not enough to sustain itself.
Today, the BBS has 303 employees with 50 working for its radio department and 96 for television. The others work for the technical, finance, administration, and human resource departments.
As opposed to the general notion that BBS is not doing so well, the latest media impact survey showed BBS to be the most popular channel out of about 40 international channels available in the country through both cable and DTH services. Pema Choden described the achievement as a success for BBS.
BBS is fully funded by government. For 2009-10, the government allocated a total budget of Nu 163.08mn with Nu 90mn for current expenses and the remaining Nu 73.08mn for capital expenses. The managing director said they did not get any budget for training. “We don’t have scholarships from the government for our employees but we are doing the best in our capacity,” she said.
Being funded by the government also comes at a cost of often being touted as a “government mouthpiece” to which Pema Choden strongly retorted saying BBS is completely independent.
SARASWATI in Business Bhutan
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