Four Community Radio received highest number of prizes in Radio Category of UNICEF Meena Media Award-2015

Four community radio stations of the country received 13 awards in radio category in Meena Media Award-2015 for for their contribution in innovation in media and protection of child rights in the year 2015.

As in every year UNICEF Bangladesh has organized this competition. The winning stations are Community Radio Pollikontha 99.2, Community Radio Chilmari 99.2, Community Radio Jhenuk 99.2 and Community Borendra Radio 99.2 FM.

Earlier Ten Community radio stations of the country participated and submitted altogether 49 radio programs in the competition under two categories –below and above 18 years of age.  These programs reflected  important issues like child education, present situation of female child and the children from horizon community, child marriage/early marriage, evolution of  children organizations, child marriage in Dalit community, suicide of children, negligence of girl child in the community, life-threatening livelihood of child labors, drug addiction and its effects on family and society. Out of these 49 programs, 18 programs from 5 CR Stations have got nomination and 13 programs have received the final award. This is the highest number of awards received by one single category in the media competition.

The final awards are as follows:

1. Radio Pollikontha 99.2 received 04 awards:  Innovation/creative category (above 18 years): Magazine Program(2nd prize) Theme: Education of Horizon [Dalits] Children, §  Innovation/creative category (above 18 years): Drama Program(3rd prize) Theme: Child Marriage.§  Innovation/creative category (below 18 years): Drama Program(2nd prize) Theme: Status and situation of Autistic children, §  Investigative Reporting category (below 18 years): Investigative Report (3rd prize) Theme: Drug addiction

2. Radio Chilmari 99.2 received 02 awards: Innovation/creative category (above 18 years): Drama Program(1st prize) Theme: Child Marriege. Innovation/creative category (above 18 years): Report (3rd prize) Theme: Horizon Children: their way of life.

3. Radio Jhenuk 99.2 received 03 awards: Investigative Reporting category (above 18 years): Report (2nd prize) Theme: Child labor in hazardous work environment, Investigative Reporting category (below 18 years): Report (3rd prize) Theme: Child tendency in suicide ,Investigative Reporting category (below 18 years): Report (2nd prize) Theme: Study load on children

4. Borendra Radio 99.2 received 04 awards: Investigative Reporting category (above 18 years): Report (3rd  prize) Theme: Education of the children of ethnic/indigenous community in their own language, Investigative Reporting category (below 18 years): Report (1st prize) Theme: Adolescence of a child, Innovation/creative category (below 18 years): Drama Program(2nd prize) Theme: Education of the disadvantaged children, Investigative Reporting category (below 18 years): Drama (3rd prize) Theme: Study load of the children

As pre-scheduled the prizes have been distributed among the winners in a ceremony held in a hotel at Dhaka on October 20,2015. Mr. Hasanul Huq Inu MP, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Information attended as chief guest . The winners received crest, certificate and the cheques of taka 50,000 for 1st prize, taka 25,000 for the 2nd and taka 15,000 for 3rd position.

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

​.Now 1​6​ Community Radio Stations are on-air in the country, aiming to ensure empowerment and right to information for the rural community. They are broadcasting altogether 125 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 4.6 million rural people in 67 upazillas under 13 districts.

By bnnrc

AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR is Chief Executive Officer and founder Secretary of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC). He has more than 20 years experience in leveraging community media and right to communication to create successful policy advocacy in Bangladesh in line with community media development. His areas of expertise straddle community media policy advocacy, training, project management especially in the area of community media. He founded Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC). BNNRC Devoted Entirely to Promote Community Media for Development (CM4D). BNNRC Leads Supports and Advocates for the Initiators to actively provide independent community broadcasting in Bangladesh since 2000. BNNRC represent the community electronic media sector to Government, Industry, Regulatory Bodies, Media, Academia and Development Partners from 2000. The BNNRC provides leadership and support for rural initiators to facilitate independent electronic community broadcasting services and to build and strengthen rural communities. He 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. BNNRC's outreach extends to local, national and international forums for communicating Knowledge for Development (KM4D). In this backdrop, communication is recognized as an essential human need and, therefore, as a basic human right. Our working strategies are: 1. Communicating on the Public Sphere: The role of communication and media in exercising democratic political participation in society 2. Communicating Knowledge: The terms and means by which knowledge generated by society is communicated, or blocked, for use by different groups. 3. Civil Rights in Communication: The exercise of civil rights relating to the processes of communication in society & 4. Cultural Rights in Communication: The communication of diverse cultures, cultural forms and identities at the individual and social levels. BNNRC now strives for the following core interventions to contribute in achieving 6th five Years Plan, UN World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS) Action Plan and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through: Right to Information- RTI for ensuring improved livelihood of the marginalized ICT for Development- ICT4D for Bridging the Digital Divide in rural areas & Community Radio/Community TV/ Community Film for amplifying voices for the voiceless and Amateur Radio for Disaster Risk Reduction He graduated from University of Dhaka and Post graduated from Asian University of Bangladesh in the field of Social Science (MSS) in Government & Politics and Participated in certificate course on Development Management by Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) New Delhi, India He currently founder member of Bangladesh Working Group on UN World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS) headed by Bangladesh Government, Community Radio Monitoring Committee of Ministry of Information, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, founder member of Bangladesh UN Internet Governance Forum( UN IGF) Headed by Minister, Ministry of Information, Multi-stakeholder Steering Group Members of Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (AP-RIGF) & Distinguish Fellow, Center for e-Parliament Research. Contact: ceo@bnnrc.net www.bnnrc.net