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In Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic & Social Council
Associated with the UN Department of Global Communications

World Radio Day 2018: Radio and Sports in line with Bangladesh Community Radio Context

13 February 2018 the “World Radio Day” is celebrated worldwide. The theme of the day this year is “Radio and Sports”. Radio is still playing a powerful medium for encouraging sports in the world as well as in Bangladesh. However, it was revealed in a study that only 4% of the programs broadcast by World Radio were broadcasted on women’s sports. 12% of sports news is presented by women, which is very frustrating.

The main impact of the current 17 Community Radios in the context of Bangladesh is that this mass media set up at the doorstep of the people has created a chance for the poor and marginalized population to speak their own words directly. This new media has given the right to information and communication rights to the people living in rural areas for the issues of social, political, economic, cultural and environmental conditions. In order to ensure good governance, the opportunity to facilitate public dialogues among public representatives, GOs and NGOs, and communities have been created.

Opportunities for direct access to communities with the main sectors of Sustainable development targets and the Seventh Five-Year Plan has been created. Community Radios have been playing a significant role in protecting people’s lives and resources by providing updated information on the natural disasters to the people. During the cyclone- Mahasen, Comen, and Roanur, the local administration has directly shared their instructions through Community Radios to make the local people cautious. Thus the risks of the disaster reduced.

However, the position of the community radio in our country is not as widespread as the broadcast of sports-related to traditional sports, equality between men and women, and promotion of peace and development initiatives in sports broadcasts.

It was found in a recent survey of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) that 17 Community Radios have been broadcasting 144 hours radio programs and news daily where the slot for news on sports (local, national and international) is only 2 hours and 37 minutes. On the other hand, 12 Community Radios (except 5 radio stations namely Radio, Padma, Radio Naf, Radio Sundarbans, Radio Meghna and Radio Sagordwip) has been broadcast 6 hours sports program on weekly basis. Male broadcasters present the sports program at all radio stations on the titles like- playground, galleries, Mahananda sports, sports updates, Sarabella sports etc.

Generally, the representatives of local sports organizations, local former and current players, coaches, officers from the administration, teachers (physical exercises), sports journalists, students and sports fans usually participate in these national and international level sports programs. It is notable that the participation of women in these programs is very poor.

In this situation, the timing and space need to be increased for local, traditional and domestic sports events on the community radio, in order to purify the principles of non-violence, tolerance, solidarity and family values in the society as well as to comprehend the current rules and concepts of gender. On the other hand, to increase women’s centered sports events as well as program presentation in broadcasting is needed urgently.

So all the radios will soon be responsible for strengthening the broadcast of traditional sports, bringing equality between women and men in sporting events, and strengthening the sports business to increase peace and development initiatives. Thus, the common people will be reunited with their own culture and heritage, the opportunity of freedom of expression will be created through cultural expression and discrimination between women and men will be reduced dramatically in sports broadcasts and the establishment of justice.

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