Experts call for fundamental reforms in media ownership, operations

Experts and senior broadcast professionals have voiced the need for fundamental reforms in the institutional structures governing media ownership and management, in addition to media laws.

Industry experts discussed this at a roundtable titled "Media for the People" organised by a citizen platform Bangladesh Next in the capital today. The event was held in collaboration with the South Asian Media Institute and the Innovation Center for Resource Diversity (ICRD).

It was moderated by IT entrepreneur and founder of ICRD Jishan Kingshuk Haque where a research presentation on media was given by Khorshed Alam, associate professor at the University of Dhaka's Department of Mass Communication and Journalism.

Jishan said, "The current generation is not engaged with the media, and the media does not understand them."

The participants, including academics, activists, media journalists, producers, advertisers, influencers, and students, stressed the need for extensive reforms in Bangladesh's broadcast and visual media sectors, including television, social media, YouTube, OTT, and other digital platforms.

In his opening speech, Shahidul Alam, managing director of Pathshala, said, "The media lacked credibility before, and it still does. Until this changes, we cannot call it public media."

Senior journalist Ashraf Kaiser said, "Advertising agencies control the media more than the government does, by manipulating revenue streams."

He urged for an end to the "mafia-like dominance" in the media and advertising sectors.

Talat Mamun, executive director of Channel 24, proposed implementing pay-channel policies, arguing, "Our media lacks its own revenue stream. Unless we adopt a subscription-based business model, media outlets will never be self-sustaining."

Media personality Abdun Noor Tushar stressed the need to eliminate intermediaries who siphon off a large portion of channel revenues, and highlighted that influential TV owners resist pay-channel regulations.

Chowdhury Saima Ferdous, a professor at the University of Dhaka, raised concerns about media accountability, questioning who the media should answer to, and how media owners could be trained on ethical standards.

Addressing media transparency, Mohammad Saeed, COO of Square Toiletries, noted that media and ad agencies often operate based on quotas, adding, "We are still advertising based on guesswork without proper visibility."

He and other speakers called for multiple Television Rating Point sources and the need to tackle tax evasion issues.

Samina Lutfa proposed introducing transparency in media through research on media value systems.

Tajdin Hassan, chief business officer of The Daily Star, stressed the importance of strong editorial independence and market development investments.

Representatives from Bangladesh Next, including Munaf and Zabed Piyas, urged media owners to invest in technology-driven business models.

Throughout the discussion, there was consensus that strong content is the cornerstone of successful media.