My Publications

A walk down memory lane for you all...happy reading :-)   The Emergence of Creative TV Advertisements Faizul Khan Tanim takes a look at the past and present state of the creative television commercials in Bangladesh It is true that Bangladeshi creative TV commercials (TVCs) tend not to feature cutting edge technology and special effects, but in the face of the invasion of  an army of ads from the TV channels of our neighbouring country, a few of our own are standing out on their own merit. With the introduction of good production value, fantastic music and visualisation, our TVCs are set to compete for the highest awards in the world, many believe. Take for instance the Seylon Gold Tea TV commercial. Based on a simple yet beautiful  script, with an excellent cast, background score and set design, this ad has won the hearts of millions instantly ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgfg2o3WU0w ).  Its simplicity is based on romantic impulses and the p...

The Blogging Phenomenon Faizul Khan Tanim writes on this ‘citizen journalism’ tool which erupted as a worldwide phenomenon and has impacted Bangladesh significantly If you are still using the Microsoft Word 2003 version, the term blogging is not in its dictionary. However, this one word has become a global phenomenon…be it citizen journalism, individual reviews or photo story. One may call it a modern day digital diary of events and on the other hand, it can fetch you, starting from restaurant reviews up to blogs by genre like corporate, politics and more. The audiences comprise of any one and everyone with internet access and very importantly, blogs has become very interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments. Blogging is a form of social networking and these blog posts or entries are typically displayed in reverse chronological order, from the most recent post to the old. It is believed that the term "blog" was not coined until the late 19...

Follow-up   Impact and Sustainability of Community Radio in Bangladesh Faizul Khan Tanim does a follow-up on this exciting social media tool to find out how it is working A Radio Revolution has started in this country and community radio (CR) is the newest tool in the block to have emerged. Experts believe that, with its immense potential, it should not only be rural centric and should not be labelled as an ‘agriculture’ or ‘development’ tool only. Rather, it should be introduced in the capital city to see bigger pictures. And thanks to the advent of technology, CR is part of ‘alternative media’ and beyond. This is primarily because of the vast potential CR has – podcasting, amalgamating the usages of CR and social networking, transmission through mobile phone sets supporting radios which increases accessibility and the idea of sharing knowledge based resources - these will not be dreams anymore. To get a more in-depth idea on CR sustainability, t...

Cover Fire up the Sound, it’s Movie Time Faizul Khan Tanim writes on the latest technology in home theatre systems and the reasons behind the transformation from 'pricey' to 'affordable' 1080P, High Definition (HD), 5.1 Surround Sound with woofer, DTS, Dolby, LED and LCD TV, 3D projection, the logos of DVD and BLU-RAY – somehow these terms have become an everyday part of our lives and we get mighty kicks out of either discussing them or even better…experiencing them. It used to be that only rich neighbours could afford having a home theatre and we would just fancy them, dreaming to buy such things one day. With the advent of technology and our most loved statement – MADE IN CHINA, the world of home theatre systems is now in our homes and beyond. Home theatres worldwide have become extremely affordable and much more advanced as well! You can have a mini cinema in your home that can display video in incredible 3D, and the clever technology of 5....

Cover Story   Piracy in Media and the Bangladesh Scenario Faizul Khan Tanim writes on how piracy in the media is affecting emerging economies like Bangladesh. The piracy phenomenon is described as a pricing problem internationally but the scene is quite different in Bangladesh Here in Bangladesh, high price of media gadgets; low income; negligence of law enforcement agencies; very low royalty for artistes; zero awareness of music or media content fans; and cheap digital technologies are the main ingredients of media piracy, experts believe. So far, there has been no study or survey that has been conducted to figure out as to how much revenue Bangladesh looses per year due to media piracy. However, according to an online report published by Havocscope Black Markets – an online database of black market activities, the music piracy market value in Bangladesh stands at US$ 180 million which is 11 times higher than our neighbouring country India. Furthermore,...