Quality weeklies are rare

A large number of English and Bangla- weekly magazines come out from Dhaka but it is difficult to ascertain the exact number as most of them are irregular and underground publications.
However, a number of weekly magazines-both English and Bangla- are found in the market. The well known weekly English weeklies published regularly from Dhaka are-The Holiday, Dhaka Courier, Economic Times, Citizen, Evidence, Glimpse and The Message, but their circulation is very poor.
Compared to English weeklies, there are a huge number of Bangla weeklies published regularly from the capital city and some have been able to draw huge number of readers due to their quality publication. The most circulated Bangla weeklies are Bichitra, Shaptahik 2000, Apradh Bichitra, Binodon Bichitra, Chitra Bangla, Nipun, Apradh Sangbad, Anondo Alo etc.
According to a research carried out by Mass Com-munication and Journ-alism Department of Dhaka University, as many as 450 weeklies are being published from Ban-gladesh and most of them are from Dhaka, but only few of them are enlisted by the government and the rest are underground publications.
An Editor of an English Weekly Magazine in Motijheel said that out of 50/60 weekly magazines being published from the area only two or three have declaration and this is the case with other magazines in Dhaka and other parts of the country.
On condition of anony-mity, an official of a Bangla weekly said the most popular Bangla weekly is Shaptahik 2000 with a circulation of approximately 3000.
Visiting a number of Bangla and English weekly offices in Dhaka yesterday, this correspondent found that the owners of most of the magazines are businessmen and they publish these weeklies only to serve their interests and earn money through advertisement.
Weekly magazines are being published from Dhaka mainly focused on issues such as politics, entertainment and fashion. Talking to this correspondent, a group of students of Dhaka University expressed their frustration over the quality of these publications saying, the articles and news often published in Bangla weeklies serve the interest of certain political parties. There is a total absence of good journalism and that’s why these have been failing to draw the attraction of the readers.
The weeklies which are being published from city’s posh areas like Gulshan, Banani and Dhanmondhi mainly focus on lifestyle.

Courtesy of The Bangladesh Today