Commission for merging BTV, Betar and BSS into one entity

The Media Reform Commission on Saturday recommended merging state-run media outlets – Bangladesh Television (BTV), Bangladesh Betar, and Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) – into a single entity.

It proposed naming entity as “Bangladesh Broadcasting Organisation” or “National Broadcasting Organisation.” 

The proposal, submitted to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna, envisions three departments— television, radio, and news—with BSS as the news arm.  

Commission chief Kamal Ahmed, briefing reporters outside Jamuna alongside Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, said the merger would optimise resources, citing models like the BBC. 

“BTV and Betar’s newsrooms lack professionalism, parroting government lines,” he noted, while BSS, despite flaws, offers a stronger base. 

The new organisation, led by a director general with directors per department, would streamline state media and serve BSS’s current clients.  

The commission also proposed replacing the Press Council and a stalled Broadcasting Commission with a new Bangladesh Media Commission, backed by a draft law.