ITV

Tag: general elections

  • CNN-IBN & IBN7 launch Open Mike on 10th March

    CNN-IBN & IBN7 launch Open Mike on 10th March

    MUMBAI: With the announcement of General Elections 2014, the spotlight is now on the voters who will play an important role in the entire process. In an effort to provide a platform to them on what they think about various socio-political issues and how they want to get them addressed, CNN-IBN & IBN7 are launching a unique initiative called Open Mike on 10th March, 2014. This one-of-its-kind initiative will give the common citizens an opportunity to voice their concerns, grievances, opinions and expectations from the upcoming General Elections at a scale that has never been seen before.

    Everyday a question revolving around the key political issues, opinions and policies will be put on–air as well as on the network’s various online and social media properties. ‘Open Mike’ will travel across pre-selected locations in 17 major cities across the country and capture bytes from people on the said question. Selected responses will be aired as special segments in the newswheel throughout the day on both the channels. In addition to this, a special half-hour show will also go on-air Mon-Thu at 10:30pm on CNN-IBN. Viewers would also be able to submit their videos, responses on the channel’s various web and social media interfaces.

    Speaking on the launch of this initiative, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN Network, said, “CNN-IBN and IBN7 have always followed a legacy of inclusive journalism. Taking this legacy forward at a very significant time in India, we have come up with the initiative ‘Open Mike’ to enable our common citizens to fully exercise their right to express their views and expectations from the government and help shape the future of our country.”

    Don’t miss this special starting from Monday, March 10th only on CNN-IBN & IBN7.

     

  • NE Bangla becomes Focus Bangla, changes logo

    NE Bangla becomes Focus Bangla, changes logo

    KOLKATA: News channels across the country are gearing up for one of the biggest events of the country – the Lok Sabha elections – and that’s the reason even the 24-hour Bengali news channel, Northeast Bangla has made changes in its overall look and feel. Two weeks ago, the channel switched to a new name – Focus Bangla – with an aim to reach more viewers in the region. It has also changed its logo with a promise to be “focused” in presenting unbiased news and create better impact.

     

    The channel, with 150 employees on-board, is strengthening its position and is also recruiting more people in order to cover all the aspects of news, current affairs and the upcoming elections to make a mark in the region.

     

    The new logo, unlike the old one which was simple and straightforward, is very symbolic – just a box with a red outline – bringing across the message that the channel has a “focused” approach.

     

    The seriousness to create an impact on its audience is evident from the fact that the channel is even planning to move to a bigger studio at Topsia Road very soon.

     

    “With the right team and the right programmes, we are now poised to execute on the near-term opportunities that will provide the foundation for our future growth and success,” says Focus Bangla editor-in-chief Biswa Majumdar.

     

    Few years ago, the channel had created its own space with shows such as Khas Khabar. However, with the emergence of newer channels presenting better programmes, it soon lost its sheen.

     

    However, in September 2013, NE Bangla inducted veteran journalist Biswa Majumdar, who was helming the operations of Kolkata TV, as the editor-in-chief. Majumdar is now set to bring on “impactful news” and interviews of big shots from the political arena to take the news broadcasting and entertainment network to another level.

     

    Apart from the Khabar Aajke segment, the channel will have a separate Bollywood entertainment section and also a segment on health – Doctor Online.

     

    To get a grip over the audience, the channel needs to work on its programming, believe media analysts. “It will all depend on the content of the programme and how biased they are towards parties and how different they can be from others in the fray,” he remarks.

  • IBN7 revamps primetime with two mega shows as polls come closer

    IBN7 revamps primetime with two mega shows as polls come closer

    NEW DELHI: With the general elections round the corner, IBN7 is revamping its primetime programming with the introduction of two brand new shows with veteran journalists Vinod Dua and Sanjay Pugalia.

     

    The new programming will mark the return of Vinod Dua in a special election show Vinod Dua Ka Prashnkaal, which will be the first fully interactive prime-time election show on any Hindi news platform. The host will give a platform to viewers to express themselves freely and participate in the election discussions.

     

    The channel will put out a “Topic of the Day” for a fixed time during the day, inviting viewers to call in with their views and questions. Questions would also be taken from Twitter, Facebook and the channel’s website – IBNKhabar. Additionally, the channel will also integrate a distinct video element called “Open Mike” which will allow on-camera views and questions on the day’s topic. Vinod Dua Ka Prashnkaal will air every Monday to Thursday at 8 pm.

     

    Another new prime time show, India 9 Baje, will go on air from 18 February every Monday to Friday at 9 pm, and will see Sanjay Pugalia do a round-up of the day’s major news stories. The show will follow a flexible format, primarily consisting of one big debate along with other stories of impact from the worlds of politics, sports, business, international and entertainment news. Sanjay Pugalia with his experience, credibility and vast knowledge of politics as well as political economy, will give viewers a rare combination of the two in his delivery of news.  

     

    Speaking on IBN7’s new prime-time line up, CNN-IBN and IBN7 MD Vinay Tewari said, “Elections are a complex, engaging and diverse event. It needs solid professionals who understand the complexities, who can simplify it for our audience and who believe in clarity over noise and sensation. We have brought in two of India’s leading journalists to take our primetime programming to the next level and who symbolise our beliefs about news. Vinod Dua, with his experience and unique style, is back to give viewers his take on the elections and engage them in our daily discourse while Sanjay Pugalia, whose understanding of politics and political economy is unparalleled, will debate and encapsulate the day’s major news on India 9 Baje.”

     

    IBN Network Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai said, “We are looking at possibly the most crucial general elections in Indian history. And IBN7 is set to launch two new shows anchored by two of the most influential and experienced journalists in the industry. Amidst the furore of elections, our new prime time line-up aims to help our viewers understand the socio-political scenario better and enable them to make informed decisions. We believe that these shows will add immense value to our programming and enable our network to set the industry standard for years to come.”

  • India TV freshens its look, strengthens editorial team

    India TV freshens its look, strengthens editorial team

    MUMBAI: It has been ten years since India TV has been present in the Hindi news genre and now it has decided to ramp itself up, five years after the previous touch up. The channel has got a brand new logo that will be aired from Monday, 16 December.

     

    It was only a few weeks ago that India TV brought on board veteran journalist Q W Naqvi as its editorial director. Now, the news channel is making its editorial team even stronger ahead of the 2014 General Elections.

     

    The channel has brought Amitabh, who has been with Aaj Tak since last 18 years, on board as the senior executive editor. Assisting Amitabh would be Pranay Yadav, who has been appointed as the executive editor and Shivendra Kumar as the deputy executive editor. Yadav was with TV9 prior to joining this, while Kumar was with ABP News.

     

    The news gathering team is to be headed by the new executive editor Rahul Choudhry from Aaj Tak with Sukesh Ranjan as political editor, Shamsher Singh as current affairs editor, Prateek Trivedi as associate editor and Sundeep Sonwalker as deputy editor.

     

    A new flagship show involving chairman and editor in chief Rajat Sharma called ‘Aaj Ki Baat-Rajat Sharma ke Saath’ is set to be aired during the prime time. “India TV newsroom is fully charged to capture the excitement of upcoming General elections. Extensive plans have been made to report, analyse and present the battle for the next Lok Sabha elections to our viewers,” said Sharma.

     

    Commenting on the new appointments India TV MD & CEO Ritu Dhawan said, “When the channel announced the appointment of QW Naqvi as the editorial director in October, it was always on cards that the content team will be further strengthened to gear up for the biggest event in the news genre, to begin with the General Elections slated for 2014.”

     

    “Our viewers can be assured of most accurate and responsible news reporting, which will further cement our leadership position in Hindi News genre,” said Naqvi.

     

    “All such efforts are a testimony to our commitment to broadcast a perfect mix of news, views & analysis to our ever-evolving audiences and we are sure that we will be able to create and maintain a perfect content mix,” added Dhawan.

  • NNIS goes live from metros, strengthens online presence

    NNIS goes live from metros, strengthens online presence

    MUMBAI: Network1 News and Information Syndicate (NNIS) has announced that its news and feature service subscribers will also have access to live coverage from its news bureau network from metros locations. Simultaneously, NNIS has enhanced its focus to news breaking from Congress and BJP headquarters in Delhi to capture real-time developments during the ongoing assembly elections as also the ensuing general elections.

     “While NNIS has succeeded in getting great recognition for the quality of its content plus the choice it makes in selection and production, it is now very heartening to share that we have launched a Live service which would enable all our clients to get top quality Live coverage during the elections and beyond. We stand for quality, integrity backed by an excellent team to leave its mark in India and beyond,” said NNIS CEO Arup Ghosh in a release.

    In addition to television, the firm has also built a strong presence among online portals and mobile value added service (VAS) providers with its offerings in multiple Indian languages since it was set up in April 2010.

    The Network 1 Team

    “We have been in the media all our lives and know what it takes to create premium content. In the past, our association with media houses helped them create great branding. Now, it is our turn to create our own brand in NNIS which shall make maximum impact in times to come,” added Shireen Sethi.

    “With a Network of over 200 reporters, equally deft at handling news and feature reports, NNIS will also use live hunting units equipped with high definition equipment,” said Sethi.

    “Acquiring the best that there is in technology from news capturing, processing to transmission – allowed us to leap frog a complete generation. The new generation equipment offers twin advantages to media houses as they get quality, speed and reliability,” explained NNIS CTO and co-founder Kamal Dixit.

    NNIS claims to not work on legacy systems, it is in a position to offer news and feature content at prices that can help channels to reduce their operational expenses thus becoming profitable.

  • News channels urge government to keep Trai’s ad regulation in abeyance

    News channels urge government to keep Trai’s ad regulation in abeyance

    NEW DELHI: Fearing a huge impact on their revenue models, TV news broadcasters have urged the government not to implement the ad time regulation notified by the Telecom ReguIatory Authority of India (Trai) till digitisation is implemented across the country.

     

    News channels feel that high carriage fees and low subscription revenues due to constraint of bandwidth on analogue cable networks are issues that need to be sorted out first. Any current regulation that would harm their advertising revenue, which amounts to more than 90 per cent of their total income, can only be “ill-timed”. Advertising has been “slow” and the economic slowdown of 2008 “has not been corrected yet”.

     

    According to the Trai notification, news and current affairs channels will have to limit their commercial time to 12 minutes per clock hour.

        
    Expressing “deep shock” over the new notification, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) today said it was “appalled that by way of advertisement regulations, the Trai has issued the most sweeping and intrusive controls, and not just regulations, in relation to advertising that may be carried on TV channels.”

     

    NBA urged the government to keep the notification in abeyance till such time digitisation is fully implemented in the country (with consequential benefits of no or low carriage fees and credible subscription revenue) and DAVP recommences advertising on news channels at rates which are fair and acceptable.

     

    Despite Phase-1 of digitisation being implemented from 1 November last year, the benefits have not yet accrued to broadcasters, particularly news broadcasters. Carriage fees continue to be high and most news broadcasters do not get subscription revenues. Over the last year or so, news organisations have not received any advertising from DAVP, which has cut rates to levels 75 per cent lower than they were even five years ago. All of these factors have ensured that most news channel companies face losses on an annual basis.

     

    The NBA said it believed that in the garb of “regulation of advertisements”, Trai has imposed severe restrictions which amount to “control of content” which is “anathema to our constitutional scheme”. The ad regulations are in violation of Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, which entitles a citizen to carry-on any trade or business, NBA stated.

     

    The NBA notes that the recent regulations reveal a clear lack of understanding of the actual problems on the ground and the environment that the industry operates in. “The regulations, if implemented, will force many news organisations to shut down, taking away our democratic right to inform and educate and to do it independent of Government. With the general elections looming ahead, it would appear that this is an attempt to muzzle the media by taking away its ability to operate independently,” NBA said.