Bangladeshi Community radio stations namely Community Radio Meghna 99.0 of Charfesson, Bhola Island, selected the finalists for special Jury of the prestigious Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Prizes 2019 in the news reporting category of radio operation from Asia-Pacific region competing with Public Service Broadcasting, Private Broadcasting, and Community Broadcasting channels. Community Radio Meghna 90.0 initiated by The COAST.

COAST www.coastbd.net has emerged as an NGO from a ten-year-old project of an international NGO since the beginning of 1998. It was a project situated in the southern part of Bhola island, i.e., in the mouth of the Bay of Bengal where the joint flow of world mighty river Ganjes and Brhamaputra are met, this is one of the world most dangerous cyclone zone. It was painstaking nationalization process have had happened during the period of 1994-1997, mainly these are reducing overhead cost in building capacity and enhancing coverage, empowering beneficiaries to change their role as an active partner of the development initiatives and finally forming a board to ensure local accountability.

For ABU Prizes 2019, ABU received 97 radio-related entries. Out of these 26 are selected as finalists by jury as pre-selection. Among the finalists, The ABU Prizes 2019 Final Judging will be taking place next week from 24-26 September 2019 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Six Radio judges from 6 ABU member countries will be judging 33 shortlisted entries across 8 categories. Winners will be announced at the ABU Prizes Award Ceremony on 21st November 2019 in Tokyo during the ABU General Assembly hosted by NHK, Japan.

There are 33 youth women broadcasters are currently working at Community Radio Meghna 99.0 FM who are producing and presenting their programs and news with the active participation of the local community for ensuring voices for the voiceless people.

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) actively works to improve recognition of the community electronic media sector Community Radio, Community TV, Community Film, & its work in and involvement with the communities, it seeks to serve from 2000 with support from Free Press Unlimited, The Netherlands.

In 1964, the 1st General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), then known as the Asian Broadcasting Union, approved the establishment of an international competition for radio and TV programs titled the ‘ABU Prizes’. During the 48th General Assembly (2011), the ABU adopted a resolution empowering a working party to approve changes in the rules of the ABU Prizes in line with the ABU’s objective of promoting excellence in broadcasting.
Now 18 Community Radio Stations are on-air in the country, aiming to ensure empowerment and the right to information for the rural community. They are broadcasting altogether 160 hours program per day on information, education, local entertainment, and development motivation activities. Around 1000 Youth Women & Youth are now working with those Stations throughout the country as rural broadcasters within 6.18 million rural people in Bangladesh.

The ABU, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014, has currently 272-member broadcasters large and small in 69 countries spread across the region and beyond, from Turkey in the west to Samoa in the east, and from Russia in the north to New Zealand in the south.

ABU works closely with the regional broadcasting unions in other parts of the world on matters of common concern, and with many other international organisations to exchange information on the latest developments in broadcasting, undertake activities to improve the skills and technologies of its members and encourage harmonisation of operating and technical broadcasting standards and systems in the region.
Most of the ABU’s associate members comprise European, African and North American broadcasters, many of whom have operations in Asia, and pay-TV and cable operators in the Asia-Pacific. Its affiliate members include satellite providers, telcos, production companies, equipment vendors, and regulators.

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) is a proud member of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).