सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Kathmandu. The National Mass Media Policy, 2073 was issued as per the recommendation of the High-Level Committee on Information and Communication formed by the Constituent Assembly with the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal (2072).
This policy included the provision for establishing public service broadcasting and transforming Radio Nepal and Nepal Television. The bill passed by the Federal Parliament on Bhadra 31, 2081 was certified by the President on Asoj 22. The Act came into effect on the 31st day of certification, i.e., Kartik 23, 2081, as per the provisions of the Act.
With the implementation of the new Act, a public service broadcasting organization was established and Radio Nepal, formed under the Radio Broadcasting Service Development (Committee) Formation Order, 2041, and Nepal Television, established under the Media Institutions Act, 2028, were converted into a public service broadcasting organization.
Presented is an interview with Dr. Mahendra Bista, Chairman of Public Service Broadcasting Nepal, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Nepal Television:
As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Nepal Television, which is considered the mother of television broadcasting in Nepal, how do you view the purpose of establishing NTV and the role it has been playing?
Nepal Television was established as the first television broadcasting organization in Nepal. When it was established in 2041 BS, it came as a matter of curiosity for everyone as a new practice. It came by making the best use of the technology of that time. It was already established as a color television. In terms of content, the slogan of communication for development was put forward, which was very relevant for that time.
According to its development, not only technology but also the content it provided were the main things. When it came to content, the governance system of the time was not in a position to be different from that governance system in terms of its structure. In terms of content, the initial days progressed in a controlled manner. It did not have the freedom to fully adhere to the basic principles of freedom of the press and expression and journalism. When the people’s movement began in 2046 BS, the dawn of democracy began in Nepal.
With the beginning of democracy, Nepal Television broadened its scope. In the process of building it, it made a significant contribution to institutionalizing democracy. It tried to create a sense of national unity, promote nationalism, and address the concerns of the general public living in different geographical areas. In the meantime, whenever there was a restriction in political change, a situation was created in which it was again reduced.
We are now in the practice of a federal democratic republic. As we went through this practice, its scope expanded. However, the structure of Nepal Television and Radio Nepal, which was one year old, was not ready to advance press freedom as an independent and comprehensive one. By expanding it further, the plan has moved forward in comprehensiveness as a public service broadcaster. We have now entered a new phase, considering a kind of legacy of the past as an important and proud one and a historical one.
Nepal Television has been transformed into a public service broadcaster. How will the common people understand PSB in the new situation? As the first chairman of PSB, how will you take it forward now?
## As soon as we say public service broadcasting, there are its basic principles. There are beliefs, there are stages that have been practiced and developed globally for almost a century. Public service broadcasting is not just broadcasting, but also practices that have been practiced as a public service medium and PSB as a PM. Although we are called PSB in name, we are moving towards PBM practice. While going through that practice, three or four types of areas move forward in a new way. In this, we are not in the form of Nepal Television and Radio Nepal now, but in its transformed form.
Since a new institution called Public Service Broadcasting has been established and these institutions have also been transformed into an institution, we take that historical legacy. But the contents change fundamentally. Its scope becomes wider. For example, if we look at it politically, it takes political neutrality. It will not be presented as a one-sided representation of any particular party or any particular structure. Even if it was in a certain period, it will no longer be in PSB. It maintains political neutrality. Similarly, there is no compulsion to act motivated by commercial interests. We remain neutral rather than commercial interests. We will move forward by keeping in mind the international recognition of PSP and national needs in order to comply with the obligations of the state.
What is your plan as the first chairman of Public Service Broadcasting? How are you progressing the work for the implementation of PSP?
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## We have planned to work in three or four phases. In the first phase, we are in the phase of becoming clear and clarifying about PSP. The orientation process is ongoing. We are in the phase of reorienting every sector of news, programs, engineering, administration, economy and business to move forward. The process has already progressed.
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## Similarly, we have completed the pre-launch program of PSB with group discussions in different nine/ten sectors. That has not limited our scope to discussions among ourselves but has also tried to reach out to other parties and its main stakeholders. That process is ongoing.
We are in the process of determining the priority areas of our content and as we move forward with the new process, from the organizational structure, the adjustment of the determination of positions, to the opportunities for new types of attitude development, to the internal practice stages and the content programs, news formats, policies, programs, standards, procedures that it provides externally, we will review all of them. We have mainly taken three areas as priority areas towards the content. The three pillars of national unity, disaster and prosperity will be the content. Within the three pillars, we will manage the entire sector as if it were a subdivision. Within national unity, the nation encompasses all languages, cultures, religions, races, and genders. Within that, we include nationality, geographical integrity, and various aspects of plurality and diversity within the sense of national unity.
No one will be left out of this. We will remain a mirror of inclusivity. Similarly, within disasters, our primary concern is to protect the lives of citizens. Be it natural disasters or epidemics and the environment, in the field of climate change, we will take all these areas into the disaster. Similarly, within prosperity, we include all aspects of economic prosperity, physical development to human development, all aspects of changes in human life that are included, including aspects of the happiness and well-being of citizens. We present new topics and in a new way. We are changing the style of news that is happening now and have already started doing so. We take radio, television and digital platforms into three parallel parts. The basic belief of PSB is omnipresence, we practice omnipresence completely. The content of that technology advances in both ways.
The arrangement for the operating expenses of television is not clearly mentioned in the PSB Act. But the financial burden on the organization is increasing. In such a situation, how are NTV’s current channels operated in PSB? What is the way to earn money for operation in particular?
Different types of PSB operation models are in practice in the world. Some of them collect taxes from viewers, while others operate in a way that they receive money for watching and listening. Some state funds are making some investments, some are dependent on external or internal support, and some are doing it from the commercial market through the business sector. Our Public Service Broadcasting Act has included grants from the federal government, grants from the provincial and local levels, support from the external sector, and the income it earns as its sources of income. Based on these designated areas, it seems that we are envisioning a hybrid model that is not completely dependent on the tax system, citizens, or business, but rather a mixed model.
This model has also come into practice. While going hybrid, some practices have been seen that have been easy, some have been very dangerous and risky. It has given mixed results. As you said, in terms of fund management of the PSP operating fund, it has not yet reached a safe state. We need to move forward in a hybrid of clarity, by practicing new forms, and promoting areas where resources are assured, and by becoming a stable fund, and by making the organization competitive in its own capacity development. Looking at its managerial leadership, I see the need to take initiatives to manage the fund in a way that reduces the amount of risk, increases its opportunities, and ensures its future.
To do that, we have already started an initiative with the state or the government. Discussions are still being held on this from the civil level. It is not even within the scope of national stakeholders. UNESCO will also start listing it now. Tomorrow its standards will start to be seen there. . I am confident that as we continue to practice all these, its funds will also be ensured and stability will be maintained.
What is the plan of Nepal Television to expand its channels and bureaus in the future? What is the status of the NTV World channel operation?
We take three things in parallel. We take radio broadcasting, television broadcasting and the operation of digital platforms together. When we take these three pillars, the current radio broadcasting through medium wave and frequency modulation. This has increased the reach of each one. However, some things are still difficult to do easily. This means that we are moving towards a radio that can go through two channels instead of the single channel of the radio.
Similarly, on the television side, we will divide the channels that are currently operating by five channels more clearly. We will further promote the channel operating in two provinces, which is specialized in focusing more on that region, and the channel that is coming as a national channel to the commercial market. Then, one channel will be made to be able to go as a full PSB, i.e. clean feed, along with this. Now, NTV World is being conceived by keeping in mind the practices outside in order to establish Nepal as one in the world community. We have started the work to put it into operation soon. In terms of multimedia, we will make the digital platform very strong so that its separate content can be produced and the people can watch, listen, and read our content in any medium that suits them and at any time. We will move forward.
Finally, what would you say to the employees working on television, viewers and listeners and advertisers on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Nepal Television?
First of all, I would like to request you to understand the 40th anniversary of Nepal Television as an anniversary of the state of public service broadcasting. Although we celebrate this fiscal year as a separate anniversary according to two separate regulations and regulations, I would like to request you to understand it as a phase of PSB transformation. I would like to request you to support this by understanding that it is separate from any kind of self-interest and that there is no other interest in it except the interest of the citizens, and to accept it within your domain as part of your ownership and to support it with LIC.
I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have contributed to our development to this point and to all those who are involved in helping us as advertisers and in various types of content, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of them for helping us to get here and I would like to expect their support in a broader form in the future. . This PSV is creating new opportunities for the staff journalists and all the human resources associated here. It is broadening the scope.
We are also creating opportunities for attitude development in a new way. In order to move forward with great motivation and we now have this right. Considering that the responsibility has also been added, I urge you to take the initiative and be spontaneously motivated to take the initiative to move forward and be ready to shoulder the new responsibility. On behalf of the media, I would like to urge all of us to work together to fulfill our responsibility towards the PSB to develop a sense of national unity.
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्