Bangladesh Betar (BB)
Bangladesh Betar (BB) is the national public radio broadcaster of Bangladesh, with a lineage that stretches back to 1936 when it first aired from Dhaka as part of All India Radio. Following the country’s independence, the station was known as Radio Bangladesh from 1975 until 1996, when it adopted its current name. Today, BB remains a key pillar in Bangladesh’s state media ecosystem, offering programming in news, culture, education, and entertainment across both AM and FM frequencies.
Media assets
Radio: Bangladesh Betar Radio
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
Bangladesh Betar operates as a fully state-owned entity under the auspices of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Senior management, including the Director General, is appointed by the government.
A S M Zahid is currently serving as the Director General of Bangladesh Betar. Zahid has decades of experience in broadcasting and media administration in Bangladesh.
Source of funding and budget
The broadcaster is almost entirely financed through public funds. In the 2018–2019 fiscal year, BB received a government subsidy of BDT 2.5 billion (approximately US$30.5 million), which constituted the bulk of its annual operating budget. More recent figures have not been disclosed publicly, and the agency’s financial transparency remains limited.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting serves as the budget holder, with direct oversight over funding allocations and strategic priorities, further underscoring the broadcaster’s dependency on the executive arm of the state.
Editorial independence
Bangladesh Betar remains state-controlled, adhering closely to editorial directives aligned with government messaging. No statutory protections, public service charter, or independent regulatory oversight currently exists to safeguard its editorial integrity. As such, the outlet has frequently been criticized for acting as a mouthpiece for the ruling party rather than as a neutral public broadcaster.
However, following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 6 August 2024, Bangladesh has embarked on a fragile but potentially transformative process of political reform. Among the proposed changes is a suite of media sector reforms aimed at restoring editorial independence to state media.
In September 2024, Nahid Islam, then Adviser to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, announced the establishment of a Reform Commission tasked with developing a framework to decouple editorial policy from direct state control. The commission, comprised of media professionals, legal experts, and civil society representatives, began consultations in late 2024 and published a preliminary white paper in March 2025, proposing the creation of an independent Public Media Oversight Authority.
Although no legislative changes have yet been enacted, the reforms have opened public debate around the future role of BB as a genuine public service broadcaster. As of mid-2025, deliberations remain ongoing, with some civil society groups calling for a full transformation of BB into an autonomous public institution governed by an independent board with guaranteed funding and statutory protection from political interference.
July 2025