The study examines the net impact of exposure to mass media (TV, radio, and newspaper) on antenatal care (ANC) utilization of pregnant mothers in Bangladesh. To find out the impact of mass media as a programmatic factor, other independent
variables such as demographic, socio-economic, and community factors have been considered as control variables. The dependent variable ANC is divided into two categories, use and non use. The study utilized secondary data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2004 which included 5408 mothers who gave live birth during the five years preceding the survey. The ANC use has been
considered only for the most recent birth. The result shows that 56 percent of pregnant mothers received antenatal care at least once from a trained or untrained provider. Among mothers, 68 percent have
access to any mass media (TV 8%, radio 30%, and newspaper 30%). Bivariate analysis shows that TV and radio along with other variables have significant impact on ANC utilization, all except mother’s occupation. Binary logistic regression shows
that the impact of exposure to TV and radio in using ANC is statistically significant after controlling for other variables. That means mothers who were exposed to TV and radio were more likely to use ANC than mothers who were not exposed to TV and radio. It proves that TV and Radio has a strong role in using ANC. So, in order to reduce maternal mortality, an up-to-date and attractive maternal health care programme should be broadcast through national mass media, especially by TV and Radio. Additionally, based on this study, policy makers and planners should consider mass media (as a key role player to motivate mothers in seeking maternal health services) in formulating plans and programmes to improve the maternal health of women at reproductive ages in Bangladesh