Bhutan Broadcasting Service: Channel I, Channel II and BBS 3 labels

News and education have different purposes

BBS’s report about launching its second channel explains that the additional service made simultaneous coverage of the National Assembly and National Council possible. It also describes an intended regular mix of entertainment and documentaries with an emphasis on young people and children. That launch context helps explain why a request for a parliamentary proceeding and a request for a family programme can lead to different BBS entries.

BICMA’s official Channel 3 notification announced a 13 October 2021 start and identified cable operators as the distribution route at that launch. Keep BBS 3 as its own label when a programme reference names it. An educational subject alone is insufficient reason to replace that label with Channel II.

Read that article as a launch record, rather than a current programme timetable. A news website’s surrounding date can change while the article describes an earlier event. Use the current programme entry for today’s showing, and preserve the original chamber or programme name when identifying an older recording.

Do not transfer radio languages onto television

The same official page separately identifies mixed radio output and names Dzongkha, English, Lhotshamkha and Tshanglakha in that radio context. A language appearing in the broadcaster’s radio description does not establish a matching television channel or an alternative television soundtrack.

For a television inquiry, state Channel I or II and the programme title. If the request concerns a news bulletin, add the desired language and date. For radio, say radio explicitly and include the language or programme. This small distinction prevents a website’s written news language from being mistaken for the language of a particular television transmission.

Choose the edition rather than the broadcaster alone

A complete BBS news request includes the subject, bulletin date and language. An education or entertainment request benefits from a programme name, presenter or topic. Where the title is written in Dzongkha, retain the original spelling alongside any English description so that a translated topic does not obscure the programme’s identity.

Check the current official programme route for the item you want before arranging a live appointment. A history page explains how the service developed; a current listing answers what is scheduled. If only an older clip can be found, keep its original date and ask whether a complete edition is available rather than assuming the clip represents the whole programme.