Kuensel
| Kuensel
|
|
|---|---|
| description | bilingual daily newspaper |
| language | Dzongkha and English |
| Headquarters | Thimphu |
| First edition | Late 1960s |
| Frequency of publication | Monday to Saturday |
| editor | Kuensel Corporation Limited |
| Web link | www.kuenselonline.com |
| ISSN (online) | 0259-1499 |
Kuensel is the oldest newspaper in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan . Until 2006, Kuensel was the only print medium in thecountry. Due to the history of its origins, the newspaper is considered close to the government.
Kuensel , which roughly means clarity or accuracy, was founded in 1965 as an internal government bulletin. The oldest documented edition is that of June 15, 1967. In 1974 a printing press was imported from India and installed in Thimphu . Initially, Kuensel appeared in English, but this was soon followed by an edition of the newsletter in Dzongkha , which was printed in Dzongkha block letters specially designed for this purpose .
In 1986, the Kuensel government bulletin was transformed into Bhutan's first and at that time only newspaper, published weekly by the Ministry of Communications' Department of Information . In 1988 Kuensel had a total circulation of 12,500 and was published in Dzongkha, Nepali and English . The Nepalese voice output was discontinued after the conflict over the deportation of members of the Nepalese minority ( Lhotshampas ). In 1992, a royal ordinance dissolved the links with the government and made Kuensel an independent company in order to create the conditions for the development of professional media. In 1998 state financial support ran out. Since then, Kuensel has supported itself through print jobs and income from advertising. On April 18, 2001, Kuensel Online was launched as the first online newspaper in Bhutan. Kuensel Online operates an internet forum with more than 100,000 participants. This platform enables the Bhutanese to discuss important aspects of social change in Bhutan.
In addition to the central production facility in Thimphu, Kuensel set up another printing facility in eastern Bhutan in 2005 to ensure daily delivery and availability of the newspaper far from the capital. In addition to its headquarters in the capital Thimphu, Kuensel has correspondent offices in Trashigang , Phuentsholing , Zhemgang and Bumthang . As part of the opening up of the media sector, the first non-state newspapers were created in 2006 with the Bhutan Times and the Bhutan Observer . Kuensel was entered in the business register as Kuensel Corporation Limited after shares were sold to the general public. However, the government of Bhutan still holds 51% of the shares, making it the largest shareholder.
In the course of time, Kuensel changed the appearance and scope several times. As a government bulletin, Kuensel was initially published every two weeks. After being converted into a news paper in the 1980s, the number of issues increased to one per week in the same decade. From 2005 Kuensel appeared twice a week, as of 2012 six days a week as a twelve-page issue, later as a 16-page issue. At the beginning of 2014, the volume was 12 pages on weekdays and 20 pages in the Saturday weekend edition. The newspaper is distributed throughout the country by sales agents appointed for each Dzongkhags (districts), Dungkhags (sub-districts) and cities. Subscribers outside the country are served by mail or email and have access to a PDF version of the print edition.
literature
- Sanjeev Mehta and Tshering Dorji: Role of Kuensel in Fostering Democracy in Bhutan . In: Center for Bhutan Studies & Gross National Happiness (Ed.): Journal of Bhutan Studies . Volume 14 Summer 2006. Thimphu, Bhutan (English, bhutanstudies.org.bt [PDF; 312 kB ]).
Web links
- Media Baseline Study. (pdf, 1380 kB) Bhutan Media Foundation, June 2012, accessed on November 14, 2017 (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kuensel . Entry in the online catalog of the Library of Congress . Retrieved November 18, 2017 .
- ↑ Martin Uitz: Bhutan - Entry into the realm of the thunder dragon . Edited new edition edition. Picus Verlag , Vienna 2011, ISBN 978-3-7117-1008-6 , p. 18 .
- ↑ Kuensel : Edition of January 2, 2014