Television Journalism, Market-orientation, and Media Democratization in Bangladesh by Anis Rahman MA, Goldsmiths University of London, 2008 MSS, University of Rajshahi, 2007 BSS, University of Rajshahi, 2005 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Communication Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology © Anis Rahman SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2017 . Approval Name: Anis Rahman Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title: Television Journalism, Market-orientation, and Media Democratization in Bangladesh Examining Committee: Chair: Gary McCarron Associate Professor Yuezhi Zhao Senior Supervisor Professor Robert Hackett Supervisor Professor Robert Anderson Supervisor Professor Stuart Poyntz Internal Examiner Associate Professor Stephen McDowell External Examiner Professor College of Communication and Information Florida State University Date Defended/Approved: December 15, 2017 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract This dissertation critically examines the emergence of a neoliberal market-oriented media system in Bangladesh and its impact on news production in both television channels and broadcast policymaking. The dissertation dissects the ownership structure and politics of licensing private television channels by successive governments between 1995 and 2017. It surveys the trends in the commercialization of television news to assess the symbolic and economic influence of advertising on journalism. It argues that the politically concentrated ownership of television and the practices of market-oriented television journalism in Bangladesh are symbiotically embedded with the political and social transformation of the nation-state, a postcolonial quest for nation-building, as well as an asymmetrical integration with the processes of neoliberal globalization. The analysis draws insights from critical and transcultural approaches to political economy of communication. Based on a mixture of multisite case studies, in-depth interviews, and documentary research methods, the study reveals multiple areas of journalistic struggles and democratic deficits in the television industry. It shows that with the rapid growth of private television channels and online media, state-administered television in Bangladesh is faced with a higher pressure of political instrumentalization and advertising dependency. The study demonstrates that although news production in private television channels appears to be less hierarchical, the ideology of market- orientation serves as an unwritten in-house self-censorship policy. It is evident that there is a mutual relationship between the ownership of television channels and ways in which news are produced and commodified within an urban-centric, exploitative and gendered division of labor. The study further reveals that the process of broadcast policymaking in Bangladesh, despite its inclusion of multiple stakeholders, is dominated by the same forces in a politico-commercial nexus which also owns and leads the private television industry. The study concludes that policy reform alone can achieve very little in the context of a postcolonial-turned- neoliberal nation-state like Bangladesh, as the problems are deeply rooted in political practices and social relations in which public participation in policymaking is either made structurally impossible or rendered invisible to the masses. To make the media system more democratic and inclusive, policy reform must be aligned with a broader and more progressive socio-political movement for social change. iv Keywords: Bangladesh; Television Ownership; News Production; Market-orientation; Broadcast Policy; Qualitative Research v Dedication To my mother Nurunnahar Begum, who sacrificed her life by bearing the pain of losing four children and our father, while I left her alone in our village to get my degrees To my brother Mizanur Rahman, who raised me for half of my life but gave up his to keep up his dignity in the face of an unequal and unjust society vi Acknowledgements This dissertation is an arduous project. Many people have directly and indirectly contributed at various stages of my undergraduate and graduate life to make this dissertation a reality. First, I am indebted to my supervisory committee, made up of Professors Yuezhi Zhao, Robert Hackett, and Robert Anderson, for providing me with diligent mentoring and enduring supports. Professor Zhao—with her high energy optimism, intellectual sophistication, and kind patience— walked me through a rigorous intellectual journey during my coursework, comprehensive examination, and the entire dissertation writing and revision processes. As the Senior Supervisor, Professor Zhao went beyond and above the call of duty to make sure that I complete all requirements on time. Professor Hackett provided me with meticulous methodical guidance to improve the theoretical consistency and analytical rigor of the thesis. Professor Anderson’s compassionate and gentle role modeling gave me power and self-confidence during the time of crisis. I am very thankful to the examiners of this thesis, Professors Stuart Poyntz (SFU School of Communication) and Stephen D McDowell (Florida State University), who carefully examined the thesis and gave me important suggestions and new directions in the post-defense stage. I am indebted to the encouragements and intellectual motivations that I received from many faculty members of the School of Communication, including Professors Richard Gruneau, Gary McCarron, Catherine Murray, Adel Iskandar, Katherine Reilly, Enda Brophy, Shane Gunster, Zoe Druick, Jody Baker, Daniel Ahadi, and Dal Yong Jin. I am thankful for the patience supports from the highly efficient and friendly staff of the School of Communication including Lucie Menkveld, Denise Vanderwolf, Neena Shahani, Amy Soo, and Jill Baryluk. Special thanks to Graduate Program Coordinator Jason Congdon who was always available to advise and support. I am thankful to my friends, cohorts, and colleagues at the School of Communication who supported me for years and made me feel the School as my second home, including Byron Hauck (Who meticulously helped me with the editing work of nearly half volume of my dissertation), Robert Neubauer, Robert Pray, Sylvia Blake, John Hughes, Indranil Chakraborty, Nawal Musleh-Motut, Gopa Biswas, Betty Ackah, Sibo Chen, Shan Wu, Julie Frizzo-Barker, Kyle Thompson, Graeme Webb, Vincent vii Andrisani, Maggie MacAulay, and Matthew Greaves. I am lucky to have this incredible support group. Also, thanks to the well-wishers and friends beyond the School, including Sylvia Roberts (SFU Communication Liaison Librarian), Sarah Louise Turner (SFU Teaching and Learning Centre), Ian Chunn (Columbia College), Sylvia Richardson and Stuart Richardson, Gretchen Ferguson (Simon Fraser University), and Melissa R Meade (Temple University). I am grateful to several scholars and mentors who cared about my doctoral project and inspired me to excel, including Professors Gregory Ferrell Lowe (Northwestern University Qatar), Minna Aslama Horowitz (St. John’s University), Ali Riaz (Illinois State University), Juraj Kittler (St. Lawrence University), and Azmat Rasul (Florida State University). I am also thankful to my mentors at Goldsmiths University of London, Professors James Curran, Des Freedman, and Peter Lee-Wright. I want to express deep gratitude to my undergraduate and graduate teachers and mentors in Bangladesh who shaped my academic character and given me hope and inspiration to come to this level of my academic career and to get this project done, such as Professors Salim Reza Newton (University of Rajshahi), A-Al Mamun (University of Rajshahi), Pradip Kumar Panday (University of Rajshahi), Dulal Chandra Biswas (University of Rajshahi), as well as Professors Fahmidul Haq (University of Dhaka), Gitiara Nasreen (University of Dhaka), SM Shameem Reza (University of Dhaka), Abdur Razzaque Khan (University of Dhaka), Kaberi Gayen (University of Dhaka), Abu J M S Alam Bhuiyan (University of Dhaka), Mohammad Sahid Ullah (University of Chittagong), and Syed Saad Andaleeb (BRAC University). This thesis would be nothing without the helpful participation of all interviewees listed in the Appendix. I am thankful to all of them for their time and participation. I want to specially thank my friends and senior cohorts who helped me during the data collection stage, in addition to providing life-long supports and motivations, including Tofael Ahmad (Maasranga TV), Mahfuz Mishu (Jamuna TV), Arafat Siddique (NTV), Abdullah Al Mamun (BTV), Zannatul Bakeya Keka (Channel i), Atikuzzaman Russel (New Age), Benaul Islam Kajal (Prime Minister’s Office), Mahmudur Rahman Sohel (Australia), Ashraful Alam Naser (Sweden), and Wolilul Kabir Asif (Dhaka). viii Thanks to my Bangladeshi friends in Vancouver, Sanjeeda Nasreen, Shakil Seeraji, Suhash Shimon, and Mahmud Hasan Tipu, who were curious of my thesis and wanted me to do it well. Thanks to the helpful staff of the Starbucks at Station Square in Burnaby, who not only gave me a much necessary space to write a large chunk of this dissertation, but also cheered me up with a smile and strong caffeine. Finally, I am deeply indebted to my wife Afsarina Runi—my ex-classmate and lifelong partner-in-crime—who never gave up on me, who supported me tirelessly. We gave birth to the two most precious in our lives- Aurora and Orion, and my wife has singlehandedly taken care of our two children. I cannot thank her enough for giving me unconditional love and