As a first step, the Bangladesh government
has banned advertisements for cigarettes on private television before
10 pm as an interim measure before slapping a total ban. The decision
was taken on Monday by Information Minister Tariqul Islam who directed
the authorities concerned to take steps so that "no cigarette advertisement
is telecast on private television before 10 pm", pending a final embargo.
The directive came after elaborate discussion on cigarette advertisements
on private TV channels in the meeting held at the Information Ministry
yesterday between the government and the private TV authorities. Information
Minister Tariqul Islam presided over the meeting, according to a report
in the Bangladesh newspaper Daily Star.
On this side of the border, Indian information and broadcasting minister
Sushma Swaraj recently reiterated the government's stance that the
existing programming code doesn't permit TV channels, including state
run Doordarshan, to air surrogate liquor or tobacco ads. A government
panel which is looking into this issue had been sending notices to
various channels and had managed to curb the menace of surrogate ads
on TV channels substantially, the government maintains.
The two Bangladeshi private television channels targeted by the ban,
Channel I and ATN Bangla also agreed to telecast two news bulletins
of the state run BTV every day, in the course of Monday's meeting.
Representatives of the two channels, present at the meeting, said
they would incorporate BTV bulletins in their satellite telecasts
as per the provision of a clause of the private television channel
installation and operation policy, 1998. |
