NIMC, BTV, Betar need revamp

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon has called for structural transformation and radical modernisation of media institutions to reflect public aspirations and respond effectively to the rapidly changing technological landscape.

He made the call while addressing a seminar titled “Media, Public Aspirations and the July Mass Uprising” as chief guest at the Monsoon Revolution Auditorium of the National Institute of Mass Communication (NIMC) on Monday.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon has called for a fundamental overhaul of the country’s media institutions, saying existing structures must change to keep pace with technological advances and evolving public expectations.

“Media institutions must undergo fundamental modernisation and structural transformation to reflect public aspirations accurately and meet the challenges of the new era,” he said.

The minister was speaking at a seminar titled “Media, Public Aspirations and the July Mass Uprising”, organised at the Monsoon Revolution Auditorium of the National Institute of Mass Communication (NIMC).

Swapon said the rapid expansion of the internet, digital platforms and smart devices had fundamentally altered society.

“Over the past 20-25 years, the scale and intensity of social change brought by digital transformation have surpassed many of the changes witnessed over the previous thousand years,” he said.

According to the minister, public expression is no longer restricted to government-controlled or officially registered media outlets. Digital technology has created unprecedented opportunities for people to directly express their voices and aspirations, he said.

Swapon said institutions including NIMC, Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar were established under structures that predated the internet and smart-device era.

“These institutions must deeply understand the changing needs of audiences, the implications of cloud technology and the emerging challenges of the transformed media landscape,” he said.

He stressed that expert knowledge, sustainable technologies and professional skills needed to be integrated to translate public aspirations effectively into modern media content and services.

The minister also said the government would consider the seminar’s discussions and carefully formulated recommendations when preparing its policy roadmap.

He assured that the recommendations would also be incorporated into the action plans of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

NIMC Director General Muhammad Hiruzzaman chaired the seminar.

Member of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) Dr Chowdhury Saima Ferdous and Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Secretary General Kader Gani Chowdhury addressed the event as special guests.

Media researchers, teachers, journalists from different media outlets and senior officials of the ministry attended the seminar.