ITV

Tag: IBN7

  • Vinay Tewari quits Network 18

    Vinay Tewari quits Network 18

    MUMBAI: Adding to the list of the latest exits from Network 18, CNN-IBN and IBN7 managing editor Vinay Tewari has quit the company.

     

    Confirming the news to indiantelevision.com, Tewari said that he is evaluating his future course of action. Unconfirmed media reports state that he may be joining Headlines Today.

     

    Tewari has been associated with the network for nearly a decade. Prior to that, he was with TV today for three years, The Times of India for eight years and The Pioneer. 

     

    At Network 18, he was responsible for all special projects and news gathering operations.

     

    Initially Tewari was handling just the English channel but after Ashutosh quit as managing editor of IBN7 earlier this year to join the Aam Aadmi Party, Tewari was given the mandate of the Hindi channel as well.

  • IBN7’s Independence Day special

    IBN7’s Independence Day special

    MUMBAI: As the nation gears up for the 68th Independence Day, IBN7, the channel of Impact comes up with an array of special programming to denote this special Day. With Narendra Modi’s pledge to clean the Ganga, all the focus is now on the desecrated and polluted holy river. This Independence Day, IBN7 will bring to its viewers seven hours of extensive programming solely dedicated on river Ganges, an exclusive initiative taken by any news channel till date.

     

    The Independence Day special programming on IBN7 will start early morning with the live coverage of Prime Minister Modi’s address to the nation direct from the Red Fort. An eminent panel of guests in the studio will discuss and scrutinize this much anticipated speech which is likely to be Modi’s first address to his countrymen since he became the Prime Minister. From 12 noon till 7pm in the evening, the channel’s entire focus will be on Ganga. The long 7 hours of programming will highlight the plight of the holy river. IBN7’s OB vans will be stationed at various banks of Haridwar, Kanpur, Varanasi and Ganga Sagar in West Bengal. The channel’s reporters will do on-ground reporting from there and try talking to the localities aiming to showcase the horrifying condition of the sacred river and its banks. The reporters will also be joined by local activists, environmentalists, priests along with an elite panel of guests at the studio, who will try to analyze the various aspects of River Ganga and nuances related to this issue.

     

    At 7.30 PM, the last episode of Saving the Ganga series will culminate with a half hour special followed by another special show on Ganga where the experts will share their insights on the concern. From 9 pm onwards, the channel will discuss the PM’s speech and its significance in detail.

     

    Don’t miss the day-long Independence Day special programming, on Friday, 15th August, starting 7.30 a.m. only on IBN7.

  • Reliance Industries’ execs meet Network18 employees

    Reliance Industries’ execs meet Network18 employees

    MUMBAI: The Network18 office in Empire Mills Complex, in central Mumbai had some new visitors on 8 July 2014. Alok Agrawal who has been appointed as group COO of Network18, non-executive director Rohit Bansal and Reliance Industries Ltd’s media director Umesh Upadhyay held a town hall meeting with the entire staff of TV18 that includes CNN-IBN, IBN7, IBN Lokmat and History TV18.

     

    Attendees say it was a feel-good meeting and to reassure the employees about RIL’s honorable intentions for them all. The employees were told that the megacorp has full faith in them and hence had invested in the Network18 group and the objective was to make it a global brand.

     

    “There is no oil beneath your ground, if you are concerned about our motive,” is what one of them was heard to have said. Narrating an incident of the day founder Raghav Bahl finalised the deal, one of the members said, “Raghav on that day told the RIL executives that he had brought up the company to Rs 5000 crore and now you see if you can take it to Rs 50,000 crore.”

     

    They were further told that going forward the road ahead would be shared with them.  “It has been only 30 hours since the announcement of us acquiring Network18 has been made,” said one of them. “But you should know that 4G is very important for us as in the future smart phones are going to become very powerful. We are all happy that Raghav (Bahl) is continuing to give his support to the company.”

     

    A similar meeting had taken place a day earlier with the employees in the head office in Delhi where special assurance was given to the CNBC TV-18 employees that “they need not fear publishing any story.” Employees in both places were told that they can even report about RIL but not publish stories without any facts.

     

    One of the executives said that the main point in the whole RIL-Network18 deal was an exchange between two people (referring to Mukesh Ambani and Bahl) but everything else stays the same.

     

    A source from RIL says that the exercise is being conducted so that employees are personally met and assured rather than have them believe false rumours through the media. A few more meetings are expected to be held in the coming days.

  • CNN-IBN & IBN7 gear up for the Budget of Hope

    CNN-IBN & IBN7 gear up for the Budget of Hope

    MUMBAI: The recently elected Modi government will be presenting its first Budget on July 10 amidst high expectations. All of India is expecting Budget 2014 to give fresh impetus to the economy and deliver on the government’s promise of “Achhe Din.” To get a 360 degree perspective of what Budget 2014 will mean for the people of the country, CNN-IBN and IBN7 present the Budget of Hope & Modi Mantra-Budget 2014, respectively. Our array of special programming will include interviews, debates, analysis and discussions relevant to different sections of society – from industrialists to financial investors, small vendors to home makers.

     

    Our coverage will be led by a formidable team of anchors and journalists – Bhupendra Chaubey, Anubha Bhonsle, Karma Paljor, Sanjeev Paliwal, Smita Sharma and Sandeep Chaudhary. Our panel of experts consisting of the most pre-eminent economists, policy makers and senior journalists in the country – Swapan Dasgupta, Mani Shanker Aiyar, Shankar Acharya, Smita Gupta, Surajit Majumdar, Prasenjit bose, CM Vasudev, Vivian Fernandes, Siddharth Zarabi, Mohan Guruswamy, Vikram Mehta, and Sumant Sinha will elucidate every aspect of Budget 2014, making our analysis of the milestone budget unparalleled.

     

    The key highlights of the Budget 2014 coverage is as under:

     

    On July 9th, preceding the General Budget, The Economic Survey will highlight the economic performance of the country in the year gone by on key parameters. Through this one-hour special CNN-IBN & IBN7 will be showcasing the findings of the Economic Survey, with our panel of experts.

     

    On July 10th, Budget of Hope on CNN-IBN and Modi Mantra Budget on IBN7 will present a day-long coverage where our anchors and experts will discuss threadbare the key highlights of Budget 2014 and implications of the same for the common man/woman, key sectors and the overall economy. We will also have several special shows through the day including Rate the Budget and Budget & You on CNN-IBN and Kya Aa Gaye Achche Din and Call IN with Subhash Lakhotia where the Tax expert will address all the queries from the viewers only on IBN7.

     

    Don’t miss the special coverage on The Economic Survey on July 9th @12pm-1pm on CNN-IBN and 7pm-8pm on IBN7 by Union Budget programming, on July 10th, on both the channels, starting 8.00 am through the day.

  • Rajdeep Sardesai’s last email to IBN18

    Rajdeep Sardesai’s last email to IBN18

    MUMBAI: Rumours were finally put to rest as editor-in-chief of Network18 Rajdeep Sardesai quit the IBN18 Network. He sent out a detailed emotional email beginning with how difficult it was for him to leave the news network likening it to a baby.

     

    After quitting NDTV in 2005, Sardesai went on to join IBN18 as its editor-in-chief for nine long years. He was the face of the channel, hosting the prime time show ‘India at 9’.

     

    The Padma Shri awardee in his email sent out to employees some time back, spelt out how he began with the English channel with just a chair and a table. He also thanked IBN-18’s Hindi channel IBN7 for helping improve his Hindi oratory skills.

     

    While he tweeted; “Proud of what we have achieved at IBN18. Built channels from scratch that put journalism first. Will treasure the journey.”

     

    Below lies the full transcript of the email that Sardesai sent to his colleagues and employees at IBN18.

     

    “My dear friends,

     

    This is one of  the toughest letters to write. After nine wonderful years at IBN 18, its time to say goodbye. I must confess its not easy to leave a baby that one has helped create/build/grow and to leave such great colleagues. But I guess certain things in life are written in the stars. Editorial  ndependence and integrity have been articles of faith in 26 years in journalism and maybe I am too old now to change!

     

    I would though like to look at the brighter side, the many happy times we have all shared. I still remember when we decided to set up an English news channel: we had one chair and a table, and no one gave us a hope in hell. I recall an advertising executive watching our pitch and asking why we were even attempting a new news channel. But madness and a passion for journalism as defined by the spirit of  “whatever it takes” can break many a wall: we eventually did it! CNN IBN was a remarkable success: in nine years, we achieved the seemingly impossible in the news business: ratings, evenue, but most crucially, RESPECT for our  journalism. I am told that our awards tally is now over 200, more than all the other channels put together! This year’s election coverage was a good example of what we have been able to achieve: a friend in CNN said he would have been proud to put together such a formidable line up of  programming.

     

    IBN 7 had a more difficult period in a highly competitive market, but again I can look back with pride on the achievements of  the channel. We had a fire in the belly as typified by the tagline “khabar har keemat par’. I remember in a small town in UP when an elderly gent came to me and said, “sir  aan gaye, aap hee ka channel hai jo na mayawati ko na mulayam ko chhodta hai!” And thank you to the IBN 7 newsroom for helping me improve my Hindi to the point where I could maybe anchor in Hindi one day!

     

    and then to my friends in IBN Lokmat: you guys in many ways are the real rockstars. You overcame every challenge to build a channel of substance. You created programming that won awards at the national level and stories that made the people of Maharashtra sit up. “Chala Jag Jinkuiya”: truly you showed what the true spirit of journalism can do. My dream was that one day we would have similar quality channels in every Indian language: that dream must wait another day!

     

    None of  all this would have been possible without the freedom one enjoyed at Network 18. For that I am eternally grateful to the leadership. Above all, none of  this would have been possible without the professionalism that each and every one of  you has shown. Television news is the ultimate TEAM game: I know the hard work that every one of  you put to build this network: from OB drivers and engineers from video editors to video  journalists to the newsroom, each of  you deserve the highest acclaim for being there 24 x 7, through winter mornings and summer evenings.

     

    Forget the cynics, journalism my friends is a great profession. Good journalism makes a genuine difference to the world by offering a mirror to society. Our stories have exposed corrupt netas and forced ministers to resign; we did stories that got jobs for the disabled, land to the landless, justice to acid attack victims. Hell, we even pioneered the idea of citizen journalism and of  India Positive and Real Heroes to showcase an India that otherwise is lost in the noise of  breaking news. Yes, putting news above noise, sense above sensation and crediiblity above chaos must remain a credo forever: else journalism will lose its moral compass. I hope the new management will always put journalism first and I wish them well.

     

    I don’t want this note to be too long, (editors takes can get awfully long-winded) so I shall end here. I shall leave you with a Hindi film song which I believe should be a life philosophy: Aadmi musafir hai, aata hai aur jaata hai, aate jaate raste pe apne yaadein chhod jaata hai.. I hope, in my own small way, I have touched you on life’s journey; you guys certainly have made be a better person. I will treasure the memories of  what must be nine of  the best years of my professional life. As I move on, I have no doubt our paths will cross: the friendships and warmth will endure forever. Thank you for the memories.

     

    Warmest,

    Rajdeep

     

    P.S. am sorry if I would occasionally call at 3 am in the morning. Blame it on being a news junkie. And remember, every time there is a spelling mistake on the ticker, my ghost will haunt you!!

  • Finally, Rajdeep Sardesai says sayonara to IBN18

    Finally, Rajdeep Sardesai says sayonara to IBN18

    MUMBAI: First it was the better half of the power news couple – Sagarika Ghose-Rajdeep  Sardesai –  that announced through twitter last night that she was departing from CNN-IBN. Now Rajdeep Sardesai too has said his last sayonara to a news network he helped build from scratch. In a mail he sent out to his team today, he  announced his departure, expressing that it was one of the toughest letters to write.

     

    The reason for his departure he states in the message is that  editorial independence and integrity have been articles of faith in 26 years in journalism and may be “ I am too old  now to change.”

     

    Said he in the message: “ I must confess it’s not easy to leave a baby that one has helped create/build/grow and to leave such great colleagues. But I guess certain things in life are written in the stars. Editorial independence and integrity have been articles of faith in 26 years in journalism and maybe I am too old now to change!”

     

    He added in the message that the success of the channels – CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN Lokmat – was possible because of the freedom given to the journalists by the leadership at Network18.

     

    And he closed his message by saying: “Forget the cynics, journalism my friends is a great profession. Good journalism makes a genuine difference to the world by offering a mirror to society. Yes, putting news above noise, sense above sensation and credibility above chaos must remain a credo forever: else journalism will lose its moral compass. I hope the new management will always put journalism first and I wish them well.”

     

    Rajdeep’s departure comes two days before the new Network18 management is slated to be announced. 

  • This FIFA, news channels will even the score

    This FIFA, news channels will even the score

     MUMBAI: It’s raining goals this FIFA World Cup. Favourites are being kicked out while the underdogs are rising up the points table. And news channel are now vying to latch on to the football fever by focusing on dedicated FIFA shows and content.

     

    Official FIFA broadcaster, Sony Six, has associated with India’s premier news channel Times Now, to provide excerpts from their two shows: Café Rio and Football Extraaa, but not match content. Times Now utilises this exclusive content consisting of expert analysis for its sports slot between 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

     

     According to Sony Six assistant vice president marketing Murtuza Madraswala the association with the newscaster will benefit them both. He says, “We are happy to associate with Times Now as there is a synergy in our passion for the sport and we cater to a similar profile of target audience. FIFA World Cup is the greatest sporting extravaganza and this partnership only adds to the magic and the fervour of the greatest party in the world!”

     

     Other major news channels too have joined the FIFA bandwagon by bringing in dedicated shows with big names associated as anchors and guests. Some of these channels include ABP News, ABP Ananda, CNN-IBN, IBN7, Headlines Today, NewsX and Al Jazeera.

     

     Headlines Today has come up with Carniball2014: Brazil which is aired between 7 pm to 8 pm every night. It covers performances and off-field developments with pre and post analysis of the games.

     

     The guest line up for Carniball2014, anchored by Shivani Gupta, comprises of former India manager Eric Benny, sports historian and consulting editor from Kolkata Boria Majumdar, former India skipper and current ISL football team owner Sourav Ganguly, I- league winning coach of Bengaluru FC team Ashley Westwood, super model Gabriela Bertante, soccer expert Roy Hay and director of the national football museum in Manchester Kevin Moore.

     

    The ABP group’s main show Duniya Gol Hai is aired at 8:30 am and 10:30 pm. The morning version focuses on match results, golden boot contenders and light features whereas the evening show is primarily a preview based show looking at players to watch out for and the games to expect. The group’s impressive guest lineup has famous Indian midfielder Renedy Singh whose career graph extends 14 long years. Joining him is football commentator Ghaus Mohammad and the show is anchored by GS Vivek along with a news anchor and two correspondents who are covering FIFA from Brasil.

     

    The ABP group, through ABP Ananda, has also focused on the regional Bengali market where a large football fan base exists. MCCS marketing manager Vikas Singh says, “Through ABP Ananda we have a battery of experts and a round the clock coverage catering extensively to the high fan base market like Bengal. For us, FIFA World Cup is not a sports event but a news event.”

     

    Network18’s CNN-IBN and IBN7 are not far behind. A Beautiful Game airs on CNN-IBN while Mission Brazil airs on IBN7. The expert lineup includes renowned former Moroccan footballer and coach Karim Bencherifa, football analyst and commentator Novy Kapadia and former captain and coach of the Indian football team Shabbir Ali.

     

    Commenting on the network’s special programming, IBN18 Network editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai said, “Football has a massive fan following in India and our extensive programming will be an absolute treat for the football enthusiasts of the nation. The programming will focus on providing extensive coverage of the tournament including unmatched analysis of the strategies adopted by various teams and a scrutiny of the players’ performances.”

     

    Tapping into the FIFA fever, Al Jazeera English has introduced Football Rebels, a show presented and narrated by former Manchester United star Eric Cantona. It is a five part documentary that sheds light on some unusual stories of football heroes.

     

     Meanwhile, News X has a special show-War of the World aired from Monday to Friday at 8:30 am and 6:30 pm and7:30 pm on Saturday and Sundays. Its morning show features guests like former EPL footballer with Liverpool Mark Seagraves, football journalist Anurag Jacob and News X consulting editor Ayaz Memon. War of the World is anchored by sports anchor Anil Senghera.

     

     India News has launched Dan Dana Dan which is broadcast daily at 7:30 am and 6:30 pm. Dan Dana Dan is anchored by  Rajeev Mishra along with a guest line up of ex FIFA referee Melvyn Da Souza, former Mohan Bagan coach Santosh Kayshap and former India players Mahesh Gawli and Shamsi Raza.

     

     To make the shows more engaging and interactive in nature, a few of the news channels have realised that it is extremely important to engage with netizens and make them active viewers rather than just passive audiences. Headlines Today has two contests – a Carniball Weekly Contest and Trivia of the Day. Participants stand a chance to win Adidas FIFA merchandise and a Maruti Suzuki Swift Car. On twitter the channel has been engaging with the twitterati by creating the hashtag #Carniball2014. These tweets are displayed on air during the show.

     

    For those who think that news channels only show political news seem to forget that FIFA is not just a sport; it’s a news maker and audience capturer all by itself!

  • IBN7 presents ‘Ache Din Aayenge Kya?’

    IBN7 presents ‘Ache Din Aayenge Kya?’

    MUMBAI: After a successful Election campaign, the new government now faces the enormous task of delivering on its promise of ‘acche din aane wale hain’. As the nation prepares for the Modi government’s first Budget, IBN7 presents ‘Ache Din Ayenge kya?’ an exhaustive line up of special programming on Budget 2014 – to analyse and understand if better times truly lie ahead!

    ‘Ache Din Ayenge kya?’ will bring to the viewers a sharp and precise overview of numerous issues facing the Indian economy. The channel’s experienced team of reporters and anchors along with noted panelists will try to examine options available to the government for driving economic reforms, boosting growth and controlling deficits. From discussions on what the budget 2014 is likely to hold, to opinions from the common people–IBN7 will have it all.

    This series that has already gone live on IBN7 will have 12 half hour special episodes, addressing the issues of Inflation, Tax, Education, Housing, Water & sanitation, Power, Women special, Railway special, Business Environment, Growth, Price Rise, Local Urban travel especially the Mumbai Locals.

    Additionally, IBN7 will also feature 3 special Budget related segments:

    YUVA – will aim to evaluate if the new government is aligned to the needs and expectations of the youth of the nation.  Through video bytes, they will be given a chance of voicing their concerns and getting the government to address the same.

    AGAR MAIN FM HOTA – will be a compilation of the common man’s suggestions to the Finance Minister on possible steps that he could take to push the economy. In line with IBN7’s consistent effort to give a voice to the nation, Agar Main FM Hota will serve as a platform for people across various strata of society to voice their opinions and expectations from this budget.

    BUDGET YATRA – will take the viewers through a journey from the first ever Union Budget in 1952 to the last union budget in 2013. This special segment will present glimpses of all the budgets presented till date, as a build up to Budget 2014.
    Don’t miss the special pre-budget programming, “Ache Din Ayenge Kya” from Monday-Friday @ 8.30 PM, only on IBN7.

     

  • CNN-IBN & IBN7 bring back the 8th Edition of Campus Calling

    CNN-IBN & IBN7 bring back the 8th Edition of Campus Calling

    MUMBAI: The college admission season is upon students once again. With multiple career options available to them, the biggest challenge for students remains what career path to choose? To help the youth make up their mind at this crucial juncture, CNN-IBN & IBN7 have brought back their educational series ‘Campus Calling’. This series will keep the students informed about various courses offered in different universities and also about their admission procedure. It will also update the students about new career options and their prospects.

     

    The curtain raiser episode on CNN-IBN will highlight the problem of decreasing Quality in Popular courses & how to address it, while the subsequent episodes would discuss the 4–year Graduate Degree of Delhi University and courses like Medical, Dental, Engineering and MBA. Also, through call-ins leading academicians and eminent professional counselors will address admission/career related queries of the viewers.

     

    On IBN7, the series will start with a panel discussion on the expectations of the private and public sector institutes from the new government, followed by four weekly episodes that would give the viewers extensive insights on various career options such as engineering & IT, Management, Medicine/Dental, Mass Communication and Animation.

     

    According to Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN Network, “The transition from school to college is the most critical phase in a student’s life. IBN Network will, furthering our legacy of empowering our viewers, including and especially the youth, will through our well-researched show ‘Campus Calling’, provide advice that will enable life defining decisions.”

     

    Don’t forget to watch ‘Campus Calling’, the five episode educational series, starting from June 13th, every Friday @ 2.30 PM with a repeat on Monday @ 10.30 AM only on IBN7 & the four episode series every Friday  @ 4.30 PM with a repeat on Saturday @ 1.30 PM only on CNN-IBN.

     

  • Catch the FIFA World Cup Mania on CNN-IBN & IBN7

    Catch the FIFA World Cup Mania on CNN-IBN & IBN7

    MUMBAI: Celebrating one of the biggest sporting extravaganzas on the planet, CNN-IBN and IBN7 present an exciting programming line-up that will capture the latest happenings and the action from the football field during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The special programming ‘A Beautiful Game’ on CNN-IBN and ‘Mission Brazil’ on IBN7 will provide a 360 degree perspective on the tournament.

     

    Our panel of experts will add their analytical perspective to the game through special preview and review shows of each match played, and an in-depth examination of the players’ performance in the tournament. Our experts will include renowned former Moroccan football player and renowned football coach, Karim Bencherifa, country’s top football analyst and commentator Novy Kapadia and Shabbir Ali, former Captain and Coach, Indian football team. They will provide the viewers with all the vital highlights and analysis of the matches and cover all aspects of the FIFA World Cup 2014.

    Speaking on the special programming line-up for the FIFA World Cup 2014, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN Network said, “Football has a massive fan following in India and our extensive programming will be an absolute treat for the football enthusiasts of the nation. The programming will focus on providing extensive coverage of the tournament including unmatched analysis of the strategies adopted by various teams and a scrutiny of the players’ performances.”

     

    Don’t forget to watch ‘THE BEAUTIFUL GAME’ everyday @ 7 AM, 7.30 PM & 11.30 PM only on CNN-IBN & ‘MISSION BRAZIL’ @ 6.30 PM and 8 AM, daily on IBN7.