Myanmar Radio and Television (Burmese: မြန်မာ့အသံနှင့်ရုပ်မြင်သံကြား, abbreviated MRTV), formerly the Burma Broadcasting Service (BBS), is the parent of state-run Myanmar Radio National Service, and a television channel. The television channels are broadcast from its broadcast centre in Kamayut, Yangon. The radio service is now broadcast primarily from Naypyidaw.
Radio service in Myanmar first came on air in 1936 during the British colonial era. Regular programming by Bama Athan (Burmese: ဗမာ့အသံ; "Voice of Burma") began in February 1946 when the British established Burma Broadcasting Service (BBS), carrying Burmese language national and foreign news and musical entertainment, knowledge reply and school lessons and English language news and music programming. After independence in 1948, it was named Myanma Athan (Burmese: မြန်မာ့အသံ; also meaning Voice of Burma, but with the more formal term "Myanmar"). The service was renamed Myanmar Radio by the military government which came to power in 1988. The junta has also renamed the radio service's parent, BBS as Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) in 1997.
Myanmar Radio and Television 4, known as MRTV-4, is a Burmese state-owned television station and satellite television. It consists of 16 local channels and 154 foreign channels.
The channel was launched in May 2004. The channel is jointly operated by MRTV and the Forever Group, broadcasting programs between 7am and 11pm. However, it is only available to viewers with MMBox satellite or terrestrial DVB-T receivers.
The channel is run under the Ministry of Information, and international news broadcasts undergo censorship.
Today, MRTV-4 broadcasts 24 hours a day.
Myanmar International Television is a Burmese state-owned national and international English-language television channel based in Yangon, Myanmar. The channel was first launched in August 2001 as MRTV-3, the third ever television channel in Myanmar. It was rebranded as Myanmar International Television in April 2010.
The channel was first launched on 1 August 2001 was financed with a $1 million grant from Japan and is broadcast on the Shin Corp Thaicom 3 satellite. It is the third channel to be launched in Myanmar, after the main MRTV channel (1980) and Myawaddy TV (1995). The state-owned channel was viewable in 156 countries, broadcasting 17 hours a day in Myanmar and 8 hours a day in Europe and America, with coverage increasing to 24 hours a day worldwide on the occasion of the rebranding to Myanmar International.
The service is one of several television channels freely available in Myanmar.
According to Ye Tun, assistant manager of Myanmar International, the purposes of the channel are threefold: "to inform, to educate and to entertain the public and broadcast healthy programs". However, the channel has been criticised for broadcasting propaganda for the junta. A government official said the channel was launched to provide an "objective response" to international media reports about Burma.
(Words by Marty Falle and John Holmberg/ Music by Marty Falle)
Do you believe in miracles?,
Do you believe in Love?
How ‘bout things that last forever,
Do you think that could be us?
And as we are joined together on this very special day
In front of friends and family, who gives this bride away?
Girl forever…is a long, long time
I can’t see it any other way in my heart and in my mind
Will our love light burn strong and bright, surviving every rain?
Will our love stand tall, just like a wall, against our fears and pain?
Will you be there to catch me, if I should ever fall?
Will you swear your love to God above because he’s behind it all?
Girl forever,.. is a long, long time
I can’t see it any other way in my heart and in my mind.
As the river flows, safely to the sea…
That’s the way a love can be, with you and me….
Here comes the bride, all dressed in white
With her man by her side. For the rest of their lives…
Yes we believe in miracles and we believe in love
And if one thing lasts forever, I am sure it will be us…
And whenever I hear church bells, it will take me to this day
When I pledged my love forever, and you gave away your name
Here comes the bride…… all dressed in white
With her man by her side, for the rest of their lives……