MNB (TV channel)

MNB

Country	Mongolia
Broadcast area	Mongolia Asia (Via Satellites)
Headquarters	Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Programming
Picture format	SECAM (576i) HDTV (1080i)
Ownership
Owner	Mongolian National Broadcaster
Sister channels	MNB News MNB Sport HD MNB World
History
Launched	September 27, 1967
Former names	Mongolian National Television (MNTV)
Links
Website	http://www.mnb.mn

MNB, an onscreen brand of what is officially known as Монголын Үндэсний Олон Нийтийн Телевиз 1 (Mongolian for 'Mongolian National Public Television 1', shortened as МҮОНТ-1), is a television channel owned by the Mongolian National Broadcaster (MNB), the official, state-funded broadcaster in Mongolia. On average, the channel broadcasts for 17 hours a day, from 07:00 to midnight. MNB can be viewed worldwide on MNB's Website.

History

On September 27, 1967, the Mongolian National Television started broadcasts, and with it started Mongolian TV Broadcasting. Coverage was limited to Ulan Bator with a relay in Darkhan being added shortly after. Initially all programmes were broadcast live but in December 1971 the Mongolian TV studios opened and another important step towards improving the quality of the images and enabling the pre-recording of documentaries and short films was taken. This in turn enabled the broadcast schedule to become much more varied and entertaining. Since the 1980s Mongolian National Broadcaster began working with a new generation of equipment made in Japan, France and Soviet Union and this, along with a new TV centre being put into commission, made the transition to colour possible.

During communist rule, Mongol Television was a propaganda tool, showing supposedly flawless Mongolia. It was the monopoly until the early-1990s, when it lost its monopoly to the private sector.

Until the mid-1980s, programs were only watched by a small percentage of the population but with the help of radio relay lines reception was extended. In 1991 it began broadcasting via the Asiasat satellite and this allowed its programs to be received in even the remotest parts of Mongolia. Today some 70% of the country's population watch the national TV channel.

By the 2000s, after the arrival of democracy, MNB was still conservative. Forum, the country's biggest political talk show as of 2006, was financed by the Open Society Foundations, which helped democratize media in Mongolia.

See also

• Media of Mongolia
• Communications in Mongolia

External links

• Official Site (in Mongolian)