Not public service broadcaster but public service roles: A political history of state-broadcasting in Bangladesh

Abstract

This article offers a historical critique of state-administered media in South Asia. Taking Bangladesh as a media epicentre, the article extrapolates the geopolitical consequences of the colonial era and postcolonial transformation in the South Asian region under which the modern state-administered media in Bangladesh continue to survive, albeit declining. Drawing from field interviews and documentary research, the article further highlights the historical struggles of the state-broadcasters, particularly Bangladesh Television, in providing public service to fragmented masses. The findings suggest that despite its failure to break free from colonial and authoritarian political misuse, state-broadcasting continues to matter for the public service to a limited extent, not because how pervasive its propaganda is but how well its programming serves the diverse publics despite persistent political mistreatment and growing market pressures. The findings are reflected with other contexts of South Asian state-broadcasting.