Who's behind the news?
Who's behind the news?
1.5.2
Newsjunkie.net is a resource guide for journalists. We show who's behind the news, and provide tools to help navigate the modern business of information.
Use of Data
1.5.2
1.5.2
The Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) traces its origins to 11 November 1973, when volunteers from the National Youth Association of Bhutan (NYAB) began radio transmissions in Thimphu using a borrowed 400-watt civil wireless transmitter, broadcasting half an hour each Sunday as Radio NYAB. The service came under government oversight in 1979 and was formally renamed the Bhutan Broadcasting Service in 1986 with the commissioning of a 10-kilowatt shortwave transmitter and the introduction of daily broadcasts. In 1992, a Royal Kasho issued by King Jigme Singye Wangchuk granted BBS full autonomy from the Ministry of Information and Communications, establishing it as an autonomous corporation. Television broadcasting commenced on 2 June 1999, making Bhutan the last country in the world to introduce a domestic television service. BBS launched a second channel (BBS 2) in January 2012 and an educational channel (BBS 3) in May 2020.
BBS maintains a news and video archive accessible through its official website (bbs.bt), providing access to past news broadcasts, documentary programmes, and video content. As Bhutan's national broadcaster, BBS has produced the primary electronic record of Bhutanese public affairs, culture, and society since 1973. BBS broadcasts in four languages — Dzongkha, English, Lhotshamkha, and Tshanglakha — creating a multilingual documentary record of Bhutanese national life.
BBS operates two 24-hour radio channels and three television channels, transmitting via 30 FM towers nationwide and satellite distribution. The headquarters at Chubachu, Thimphu, were established in 1991. BBS is the sole provider of domestically produced television broadcasts within Bhutan and is fully funded by the state.
Past news and video content is accessible through the BBS website. BBS serves researchers, educators, journalists, and the general public seeking documentation of contemporary Bhutanese history and culture.
Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS)
PO Box 101, Chubachu, Thimphu 11001, Bhutan
Website: bbs.bt