United News of Bangladesh

Set up in 1988, United News of Bangladesh (UNB), is the first fully computerised wire service in the private sector in South Asia. With Associated Press of America (AP), the world's largest wire service as its principal partner in news exchange and its network of correspondents and reporters across the country and around the world, UNB supplies news, features and news photos to its subscribers within and outside the country numbering about 100. UNB's subscribers include all leading local newspapers, important government offices, Bangladesh Television, Radio Bangladesh and some electronic and print media in cities abroad like London, New York and Dubai.

In addition to its main service, UNB maintains a Bangla (Bengali) service. UNB also operates an overseas service that provides news stories to foreign subscribers and a clipping service to meet the special needs of clients. UNB has adopted a state-of-the-art communication system to ensure a fast and efficient delivery of its services to the subscribers round the clock.

To keep pace with the globalization and the consequent economic liberalization, UNB management has upgraded and strengthened its financial services to give value to its customers.

UNB is recognized as the nation's most dependable and credible source of news and information, serving some 20 million readers, listeners and viewers in Bangladesh everyday. UNB's newsroom processes the equivalent of about a quarter million words a day gathered from the network of its local correspondents and reporters covering 64 districts of the country and dispatches from its international partners and overseas correspondents. UNB is run by a team of professional and technical staff totaling about 200 including its correspondents.

In recognition of its social responsibility, UNB has set up a human rights desk in its newsroom. Its purpose is to collect and give publicity through its own outfit, news and in depth stories on human rights issues designed to sensitize and create an awareness among the public that will have an impact and lead to some kind of action to improve the human rights situation on the ground.

In news, information and communications UNB stands steadfastly committed to a policy of quality, reliability innovation and leadership, always responding and delivering what its customers need.

UNB has linked itself with following Foreign News Agencies:

UNB has membership of such international professional bodies as OANA (Organization of Asian and Pacific News Agencies), CPU (Commonwealth Press Union), AMIC (Asian Mass Communication Research and Information Centre) and AsiaNet.

The agency has more than 70 correspondents/stringers assigned in all the country’s 64 district headquarters and major townships and economic growth centres feeding the central news desk 24-hour with all the latest news and developments from the remote countryside.

Apart from its English news service, which is the agency’s flagship, UNB also runs a Bangla service to cater to the needs of Bengali language newspapers in capital Dhaka, the port city of Chittagong and other provincial newspapers printed in other major towns in the country.

UNB Bangla Service also has a special overseas desk which serves the Bangla language ethnic newspapers published in Britain and United States, specially in such major cities like London and New York, where large community of Bangladeshi and other Bengali speaking expatriates live.

UNB also runs a photo service in collaboration with AP, distributing international news pictures to the local print media. UNB for the first time in this country introduced this ‘day’s picture in a day’ service whereby the local newspapers can print latest news photos from anywhere in the world without any delay.

UNB’s research and development department has developed and subsequently launched SMS (text) news service as well as IVR (Interactive voice), catering to the local mobile operators to provide value added services to mobile customers.
This service uses SMS text to deliver news and information to the mobile subscribers anywhere in the country with updated and breaking news as well as other information such as prayer timings, game schedules, currency rates, everyday commodity prices, bus/train/flight schedules, weather forecast, movie/theater schedules, emergency contacts etc. through our own platforms as well as third party content providers. Right now the Value Added Service (VAS) division is also testing WAP based news platform through which news can be read from any WAP enabled mobile phone as well.

UNB has set the hallmark for being the fastest and credible national news agency of Bangladesh, always ahead of others with the latest news as well as news behind the news for the readers and viewers across the country and beyond. We believe in people’s right to know.