Bangladesh Television Sylhet or BTV Sylhet (Bengali: বিটিভি সিলেট; Sylheti: ꠛꠤꠐꠤꠜꠤ ꠍꠤꠟꠐ) is a BTV-affiliated relay television station broadcast from Sylhet, serving northeastern Bangladesh, specifically the Sylhet Division.[2] Established in June 1977, it relays programming from the main television station of BTV in Dhaka. It is yet to be converted into a regional television station, although an initiative to do so was taken in 1991.[3] BTV Sylhet is headquartered in the Kazitula neighborhood of the city.[4]
 | |
| Type | Relay station |
|---|---|
| Country | Bangladesh |
| Broadcast area | Sylhet Division |
| Network | BTV Dhaka |
| Headquarters | Kazitula, Sylhet |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Bengali |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Government of Bangladesh |
| Parent | Bangladesh Television |
| History | |
| Launched | June 1977 |
| Links | |
| Website | btv |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Analog terrestrial | VHF channel 7 (November 1996)[1] |
History
editA 10-kilowatt satellite station in Sylhet was originally planned to be established by the end of 1975.[5] However, it was established in June 1977 in the city's Kazipara neighborhood, broadcasting on VHF channel 7 with a 10-kilowatt transmitter.[6] As of August 1989, BTV Sylhet broadcast with an increased 136 kilowatt transmitter.[7]
In 1991, the BNP-led government took the initiative to convert BTV Sylhet into a full-fledged regional television station in order to highlight the heritage and diversity of the Sylhet region. On 15 December 1995, the foundation stone of the station was laid at Bangladesh Betar's regional headquarters in the city's Tilagor neighborhood by then Finance Minister Saifur Rahman. A modernization project costing 270,000,000 BDT was initially planned but was later abandoned after the change of Bangladesh's regime in 1996.[8][3] Prior to the 2008 general election, then to be finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith made a pledge to establish a regional television station in Sylhet, although this did not happen even after he took the position.[3]
Due to a lightning strike in 2010, the feeder cable and the divider of the dispatch center of BTV Sylhet were heavily damaged, causing disruptions in terrestrial broadcasts. As a result, BTV Sylhet temporarily went off the air for a week on 20 October 2011 for repair work. This caused distress among viewers of the station as they were unable to watch the Bangladesh and West Indies games, whose broadcast rights were solely given to Bangladesh Television.[2][4]
In May 2014, then prime minister Sheikh Hasina rejected a proposal by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to upgrade some of BTV's relay stations, including the one in Sylhet, to full-fledged television stations while expressing her dissatisfaction with the quality of programmes broadcast on BTV at the time.[9] However, Bangladesh Television later sought 13,910,000 BDT for five new full-fledged stations to be launched, including BTV Sylhet.[10][11]
Later, then Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud announced the establishment of a full-fledged television center in Sylhet, as well as an information complex, in a speech at the Sylhet Circuit House during an exchange meeting with the Sylhet metropolitan and divisional Awami League leaders on 28 January 2022.[12]
Programming
editReferences
edit- ^ "Television Factbook" (PDF). 1997. p. 546. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ a b সিলেটে তিনদিন ধরে বিটিভি বন্ধ. Bdnews24.com (in Bengali). 22 October 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ a b c ১৬ বছর ধরে লাল ফিতায় বন্দি বিটিভির সিলেট কেন্দ্র. BanglaNews24 (in Bengali). 24 September 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ a b মেরামতের জন্য সিলেটে বিটিভির সম্প্রচার বন্ধ. BanglaNews24 (in Bengali). 22 October 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Television Factbook" (PDF). 1976. p. 1071. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Television Factbook" (PDF). 1981–82. p. 1189. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ "Television Factbook" (PDF). 1990. p. 409. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Babul, Faisal Ahmed (28 January 2017). দীর্ঘ প্রতীক্ষায়ও স্থাপন হয়নি বিটিভির সিলেট কেন্দ্র. Samakal (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Karim, Mohosinul (18 May 2014). "No upgrading of 5 BTV sub-stations". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "BTV to get Tk1,391cr for five new centres". Dhaka Tribune. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ "6 BTV centres to be built in divisional cities". Prothom Alo. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ শিগগির সিলেটে পূর্ণাঙ্গ টিভি কেন্দ্র ও তথ্য কমপ্লেক্স স্থাপন করা হবে: তথ্যমন্ত্রী. Daily Inqilab (in Bengali). 28 January 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
External links
edit- Official website (in Bengali)
- Official website (in English)