Bangladesh Betar (BB) is the national public radio broadcaster in Bangladesh. The outlet operated as Radio Bangladesh between 1975 and 1996. The broadcaster’s history goes back to 1936 when the station began broadcasting in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city today, as part of All India Radio.


Media assets

Radio: Bangladesh Betar Radio

State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)


Ownership and governance

BB is a fully owned government company whose management is appointed by the government. In September 2020, the government appointed Hosne Ara Talukdar as the new Director General of Bangladesh Betar, according to information from the Information Ministry.

Source of funding and budget

BB has been subsidized by the government for a long period of time. In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, BB received a state subsidy of BDT 2.5bn (US$ 30.5m), which represented the largest part of the broadcaster’s budget, according to the broadcaster’s annual reports. BB is directly accountable to the Ministry of Information, which is the station’s budget holder.

Editorial independence

BB is a state-controlled media outlet, operating under strict editorial rules imposed by the government.

No domestic statute and no independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate BB’s editorial independence have been identified.

September 2023