NEC demands 100pc hike in govt advert rates

The National Editors’ Council (NEC) has called for a fresh revision of government advertisement rates for newspapers, describing the recently announced increase as inadequate and unacceptable amid rising publishing costs.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, NEC President and Jaijaidin Editor Shafik Rehman and Secretary General and Amar Desh Editor Mahmudur Rahman urged the government to raise the rates by 100 per cent instead of the proposed increase of 22 to 25 per cent.

The statement said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting recently issued a circular revising government advertisement rates for national and regional newspapers.

The previous rates had been set in October 2019, seven years ago. According to the NEC, those rates were based on a proposal made in 2006 but implemented only in 2019, after a delay of 13 years. No further adjustment was made despite substantial increases in newspaper production costs.

The council said prices of newsprint, printing ink and other publishing materials had risen repeatedly over the years. Meanwhile, several government pay scales had been announced, adding to the pressure on the newspaper industry.

The statement also referred to several meetings held during the interim government between the then information adviser and representatives of journalist organisations, editors and senior journalists. At those meetings, industry representatives proposed setting the minimum government advertisement rate at Tk 900 and the maximum at Tk 3,000 per column inch.

However, the circular issued on October 13 set rates considerably below the industry's proposal, the NEC said.

The council argued that the proposed increase of 22 to 25 per cent, depending on newspaper circulation, was unrealistic and could make it increasingly difficult for newspapers to remain financially viable.
It urged the government to consider the industry's current operating costs and increase government advertisement rates by 100 per cent.

The NEC also called for existing additional rates for colour advertisements and advertisements published on the front and back pages to remain unchanged, even if they could not be increased further.