Monday, February 25, 2008

BBS Bhutan introduces online radio service

The Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS), the country’s national broadcaster, has launched an online radio service. BBS Radio introduced the Internet service on Thursday to mark the 28th birthday of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.The online service is available for 15 hours a day, from 0000-1500 UTC. It can be accessed via the BBS website: http://www.bbs.com.bt/ .

Launched in 1973, BBS Radio broadcasts on FM in the national language, Dzongkha, as well as Sharchop, Lhotsham and English. Its shortwave service can be heard as far afield as Europe and New Zealand.

BBS also runs a television service, introduced in 1999, which broadcasts for four hours daily in Dzongkha and English in the capital, Thimphu. It reaches other urban areas through cable services.
(Source: Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union via Ron Howard)

Log
1200 – 0300 GMT? The BBS schedule online is 0600 to 2020, which is thelocal time in Thimphu (0000 – 1420 UT). Listening to their audiostreaming after 0915 UT, they went into their call in show after thenews, corresponding to their Feb 24 schedule (1515 Thimphu time).Nice! (Ron Howard-CA)

I believe they are actually scheduled for sign-off at 1500UT, so they should be available online from 0000-1500 UT.

An update from Ron Howard:
Hi Ron,
Thanks for your e-mail. You're absolutely correct - BBS Radio's audio streaming is available from 0000 to 1500 GMT. I stupidly miscalculated that Thimpu was six hours behind GMT instead of six hours ahead. I'll correct the story on our website.

Thanks a million for spotting the error and letting me know about it.
Best wishes
Alan [Williams]
Managing Editor, Asiavision
Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union
Kuala Lumpur