We will move ahead considering international norms and national needs of PSB: Dr Bista

Kathmandu, Jan 30: Chairman of the Public Service Broadcasting Nepal (PSB Nepal), Dr Mahendra Bista, has said that the PSB Nepal will move ahead keeping in mind the international norms and national needs of the public service broadcasting.    

He said so in an interview to RSS conducted in the context today of the 40th anniversary of Nepal Television (NTV), the country's first television service. Presently NTV is operated under the PSB Nepal.    

It may be noted here that the Federal Parliament passed a bill on August 31, 2024, mentioning that Radio Nepal, established under the Radio Broadcasting Service Development (Committee) Formation Order, 2041 and Nepal Television established under the Communication Institute Act, 2028, shall be converted into a public service broadcasting organization.    

The President authenticated this bill on October 8, 2024, thus the Act on PSB Nepal was enacted. PSB Nepal came into being after the Act was put into implementation on November 8, 2024.    

Dwelling on the NTV's history, PSB Nepal Chairman Bista said that NTV, when it was established in 2041 BS, was the country's new exercise in broadcasting, using the maximum technology available at that time. He said NTV had advanced the concept of 'Communications for Development' as its motto which was relevant then.    

"With the beginning of multi-party democracy in 1991, Nepal Television expanded its scope. In the process, it made a significant contribution to the institutionalization of democracy. It tried to create a sense of national unity, promote nationalism and address the common people living in different geographical areas and their concerns," he said.    

According to Dr Bista, NTV's scope has further expanded as the country has been exercising the federal democratic republican constitution. "We have now entered a new phase, considering the legacy of the past as an important pride and a historical one," he added.    

Talking about the role of PSB Nepal, he said although there is the worldwide practice of taking the public service broadcasting not only as broadcasting but also as a means of public service and a public media, we have been moving ahead towards the concept of public broadcast media.    

The PSB Nepal Chairman asserted that the principles of public service broadcasting would be adopted and the contents would be fundamentally changed and its scope further enlarged. "The PSB Nepal will embrace political neutrality and remain independent from business interests while fulfilling its core responsibilities as a public service broadcasting institution.    

Presenting his plans for PSB Nepal, he said in the first phase they are trying to be clear on and make others clear about PSB and are conducting orientation in that connection.    
"We are at this stage moving ahead adopting a re-orientation in every sector as news, programmes, engineering, administration, business and finance. Regarding the content, we have taken three areas as the priority area.    

They are national unity embracing the country's diversity, disaster and prosperity. Under the disaster pillar, our priority will be saving citizen's life. The disaster pillar encompasses natural disaster to epidemics to climate change hazards.    

Similarly, under the prosperity pillar is included economic prosperity, physical development and all aspects of human development and citizens' happiness."    

The PSB Nepal Chair also reiterated that the organization will adopt the 'hybrid model' for its financial viability and move ahead the radio broadcasting, television broadcasting and operation of digital platform in an integrated manner.    

He said that works have been moved ahead to operate the NTV World channel to establish Nepal in the global media milieu.  

  
Noting that establishment of PSB has created new opportunities and expanded the scope of broadcasting in a new way, the PSB Nepal Chairman called on all the PSB Nepal employees to internalize these changes and carry out their duties and responsibilities in a more professional manner.    

"On behalf of PSB Nepal, I would like to urge all the stakeholders to fulfill their responsibility towards the PSB to augment to the spirit of national unity," he added. (RSS)