Vision
A trusted public service broadcaster.
Mission
Empower society by informing, educating and entertaining with impartial, high-quality and diverse content that reflects Bhutanese expression and is guided by the values of Gross National Happiness.
Radio NYAB goes on air. Young university graduates, calling themselves the National Youth Association of Bhutan, borrow a 400-watt civil wireless transmitter and broadcast English for half an hour on Sundays. A year later they add half an hour in Dzongkha.
Government takes the station under its wing. Airtime grows to nine hours a week, on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The other days were reserved for the wireless link to the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Dhaka. Tshanglakha and Lhotshamkha follow.
Named Bhutan Broadcasting Service. A 10-kilowatt shortwave transmitter replaces the borrowed set and broadcasts become daily.
More power, more independence. A 50-kilowatt transmitter arrives and BBS moves to its present building. In 1992, a Royal Kasho from His Majesty the Fourth King grants BBS full autonomy.
Television arrives. BBS TV launches on 2 June, as Bhutan becomes the last country to allow television. Early bulletins were recorded on VHS tapes and sent by bus, so viewers in Trashigang saw the news three days late.
FM changes everything. The nationwide FM project begins in 2000 and reaches the whole country in 2005, with daily airtime rising to 15 hours.
Two channels, round the clock. TV Channel II launches in 2012. In 2013 a Dzongkha-only radio channel starts, and both radio channels run 24/7.
BBS today
30FM towers across the country
14Bureau offices, mostly one reporter who also films
1Radio channel (Mixed), on air on an hourly basis
2TV channels: news, and education and entertainment
What we broadcast
TV Channel I
News and current affairs, with a 20-minute evening bulletin in Dzongkha and English.
TV Channel II
Education and entertainment, available round the clock since 2012.
Radio (Mixed)
All radio channels (Dzongkha, English, Lhotshamkha and Tshanglakha) are on air on an hourly basis.
Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) is Bhutan’s primary national broadcaster, delivering diverse news and entertainment in multiple languages, fostering cultural understanding and public knowledge.