In January, however, Bhutan's broadcasting industry itself hit the headlines, in a story unlikely to get much coverage on the new BBS television station. Radio announcer Nandalal Gautam worked in the Nepali language service of the government-run Bhutan Broadcasting Corporation, but left the country in December, officials said. The government has denied persecuting ethnic minorities, and instead has claimed its policies are only directed at illegal immigrants from Nepal. Bhutan's radio broadcasting is in Dzonghkha language as well as English and Nepali. Despite a loosening of the TV airwaves with the new BBS channel, access to any global network is still forbidden.
Satellite dishes remain illegal.
Last year, however, the king surprised the nation by letting them view the World Cup soccer game played in France, by granting permits to some Bhutanese sports associations to erect their own temporary dishes. Some schools are also allowed educational use of dishes to watch programmes considered beneficial to students. The TV Rush Is On The new TV station has meanwhile run into the problem of supply and demand. As soon as they turned on the switch and started the flow of shows on June 2, the public rushed to buy television sets, antennas and computer modems for the Internet connection as well. Equipment quickly ran out.