Kuensel
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| Type | national newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Kuensel Corporation |
| Publisher | Kuensel Corporation |
| Editor | Ugyen Penjore |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Language | Dzongkha and English |
| Headquarters | Thimphu |
| Country | Bhutan |
| ISSN | 0259-1499 |
| Website |
www www |
Kuensel (Dzongkha: ཀུན་གསལ།) is the national newspaper of the Kingdom of Bhutan. It was the only local newspaper available in Bhutan until 2006 when two more newspapers were launched. The government of Bhutan owns 51% of Kuensel while 49% is held by the public.
Kuensel (which loosely means clarity) was founded in 1967 as an internal government bulletin. In 1974 a press machine was bought from India and installed in Thimphu. Soon Dzongkha letter blocks were prepared by Japanese technicians and the bulletin was published in Dzongkha as well.
In 1986 it was reformatted and published weekly as Bhutan's only newspaper by the Ministry of Communications' Department of Information.
Kinley Dorji, who graduated from Columbia University, New York with a master's degree in journalism, served as editor of Kuensel, and later as both editor-in-chief and managing director, between 1986 and 2009.
Kuensel had a total circulation in 1988 of 12,500 and was published in Dzongkha, Nepali, and English.
In 1992, a royal edict de-linked Kuensel from the government and made it an autonomous corporation to allow for the professional growth of the media. It stopped receiving government subsidy in 1998. Today, the newspaper is subsidized by commercial printing and advertisements.
In 1996 the size of the paper was expanded from 12 to 16 pages in Dzongkha and English and to 20 pages in 1999. In February 2005 Kuensel began publishing a 12-page edition twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. In 2006 the Wednesday edition was increased to 14 pages and the Saturday edition to 18 pages with a colour pull-out lifestyle section called CityBytes.
Kuensel Corporation Limited., started an online version of the paper in 1999 (kuenselonline.com) the year internet first came to Bhutan. It has grown to become the most popular site on Bhutan with daily news updates on the happenings in the kingdom and an equally active discussion forum. In 2006, kuenselonline.com had an average of 3,000 visitors a day with more than 15,000 registered members.
Kuensel is published from the capital, Thimphu, and Kanglung, Trashigang, in eastern Bhutan where a press was set up in 2005. This has ensured that the paper is available in all districts on the day of publication.
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