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Tag: Marathi news channel

  • ABP Majha appoints Sarita Kaushik as deputy executive editor

    ABP Majha appoints Sarita Kaushik as deputy executive editor

    Mumbai: ABP Majha announced that it has elevated Sarita Kaushik as the deputy executive editor, effective from 29 August 2022. She will be taking charge of the entire content of ABP Majha.

    This is a significant move in the Marathi news space as it’s the first time ever that a woman has been appointed as an editor of a Marathi news channel. ABP Majha’s entire editorial team will report to Sarita. She will be reporting to ABP News & ABP Majha executive vice president Rajiv Khandekar.

    Sarita has a rich experience of almost 25 years in the field. She joined the ABP Network in the year 2008 as the Maharashtra region’s bureau chief. She has vast experience in handling political and internal security beats in print, electronic as well as regional media.

    She has several prestigious accolades to her name, for many of which she was the first one to receive them after they were instituted. Some of them being: the first state-level outstanding journalism award by the Mantralaya Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh at the hands of then governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao and then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis; Maharshi Narad Puraskar; and the Shobha Vinod Memorial Journalist of the Year award at the hands of Shatrughan Sinha.

    Sarita has studied media in the US through the ambassadorial scholarship of Rotary International. She has also co-edited “Unmasking India,” a best-seller book by union minister Nitin Gadkari. Moreover, she has independently authored “Better than the Dream,” which is considered to be a one-of-a-kind narrative of an infrastructure project.

    ABP Network has always been a proponent of parity for women in professional as well as personal space. The network is committed to taking all the required measures to ensure an equitable role for women in the organisation.

  • ABP Majha’s 7 wonders of Maharashtra

    ABP Majha’s 7 wonders of Maharashtra

    MUMBAI: It was late in the evening. The anchors Ashwin Bapat and Prajakta Dharmadhikari (those familiar with them will know them as ABP Majha news professionals) were ready in their Indian attire on stage which had an old world ambience, of times gone past, with magnificent golden heritage pillars bedecking it.

    In the audience were chief guest, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and tourism minister Chhagan Bhujbal.

    The occasion: Marathi news channel ABP Majha’s evening get together to unveil a programming initiative ‘7 wonders of Maharahtra’ as decided by a jury and ABP Majha viewers.

    Ajit Pawar and Rajiv Khandekar in conversation

    The locations in Maharashtra which made it to the list: The Ajanta Caves, Lonar Crater, Raigad Fort, Kas Plateau , Daulatabad Fort, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Global Pagoda.

    Supported by Maharashtra Tourism, the initiative saw almost 2.2 million votes pouring in from TV viewers. And the prominent jury panel included big names like Asiatic Society’s president Aroon Tikekar, conservation architect Vikas Dilawari, MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) MD Dr. Jagdish Patil, film actress and author Nishigandha Wad, heritage conservation committee chairman V Ranganathan, ABP Majha chief editor Rajiv Khandekar and archaeologist Arvind Jamkhedkar.

    Speaking about the selection process jury member, archaeologist Jamkhedkar said, “60 locations were chosen by channel and out of that we had selected 14 locations for the audiences to vote upon. In my personal opinion, I feel that these kind of shows will certainly boost the Maharashtra tourism.”

    “ABP Majha realises the rich heritage and culture of the state of Maharashtra. ‘7 Wonders of Maharashtra’ is a step forward to reinforce the belief of every Maharashtrian in their heritage. The state has a lot of wonders, but the ones who will make it to the list of top 7 wonders will be decided by a stringent process of selection by the eminent jury and citizens voting.”Added media content & communication services (MCCS) CEO Ashok Venkatramani, “The marketing team came up with the idea of this event. We are trying to do something different from other channels. Our idea has always been to link with the society in a better manner.”

    Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal and Rajiv Khandekar

    “We have seen our share of viewing rising during events because ‘Majha is a Raja’, added MCCS chief revenue officer & COO Avinash Pandey.”

    ABP Majha chief editor Rajiv Khandekar says a lot went into coming up with the 7 Wonders of Maharashtra concept. “We selected 350 places across the state and then we spoke to the experts from the districts and asked people, which place they would want to add in this list? Every day we were telecasting about the nominated places. Promos were constantly on air and we also telecast a thirty minutes special show. We have carried news capsules in our bulletin also.”

    From (L-R) Rajiv Khandekar, Dr. Jagdish Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Avinash Pandey and Ashok Venkatramani.

    The Marathi news channel already produces events like Majha Sanman Puruskar, Bappa Majha and Majha Maharashtra 20-20.

  • Real estate firm Sahana Group to launch two news channels

    Real estate firm Sahana Group to launch two news channels

    MUMBAI: Sudhakar Shetty-promoted real estate company Sahana Group is set to foray into television broadcast business with two news channels.

     

    The Marathi news channel, Jai Maharashtra, will launch on 1 May, which is also the Maharashtra Day. Sahana News, a Hindi news channel, is planned for launch by the end of the year.

     

    The test signal for Jai Maharashtra will start by first week of April.

     

    The television business is housed under Sahana Films, a subsidiary of Sahana Group. Waahiid Ali Khan, who is the Consultant Editorial Director for Sahana Films, will oversee the operations of the Group’s television business.

     

    “We have received licence for two news channels. The Marathi news channel will launch on 1 May while the Hindi one will be available by the year-end,” Khan tells Indiantelevision.com.

     

    Undeterred by the presence of channels like Zee 24 Taas, ABP Majha, IBN Lokmat and TV9 Maharashtra, Khan feels that there is still space for a new Marathi news channel.

     

    He is also confident about Sahana News despite the fragmented nature of the Hindi news genre.
        

    Mandar Phanse is the editor of Jai Maharashtra while Tulsidas Bhoite and Ravi Ambekar are the executive editors of the channel. The news gathering for the channel has already begun with an active YouTube channel and an online portal, which will also web stream the channel.

     

    The company is in talks with Aidem Ventures to handle ad sales. While Yezdi Sodabottlewala, who was earlier with Sri Adhikari Brothers, will head the distribution of the channel.

     

    The hunt for putting in place the editorial team at Sahana News is also in progress.

     

    The launch of Jai Maharashtra couldn’t have come at a better time, feels Khan, as the country is moving towards digitisation with three metros Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata already going digital.

     

    With Mumbai fully digitised, Khan reckons that the carriage cost for the news channel has halved. “The distribution cost of Marathi news channels has become 50 per cent because of digitisation in Mumbai. In the second phase a lot of cities in Maharashtra are going digital,” he adds.

     

    A typical Hindi news channel requires a capital expenditure of Rs 700 million to Rs 1 billion while the cost for running a regional news channel is less than half of that, says Khan.

     

    Khan also revealed about the company’s ambition to become a national network by launching region-specific channels in future. “Sahana Films has applied to the government for six more licences to launch regional channels,” he reveals.

     

    Jai Maharashtra Editor Mandar Phanse said that youth of Maharashtra will remain the focus of the channel. The existing Marathi news channels, he said, mostly cater to 45 plus age group.

     

    The channel also aims to give equal coverage to urban and rural issues besides focusing on youth related issues like jobs and education. Phanse also bemoaned the fact that Marathi news channels focus too much on political issues.

     

    “We want to represent the aspirations of the youth of Maharashtra with our news coverage. Sadly, what we see today on Marathi news channels is too much of political news which although required should be backed by focus on issues that impact common man,” avers Phanse.

  • IBN Lokmat revenue stagnates, net loss widens

    IBN Lokmat revenue stagnates, net loss widens

    MUMBAI: Raghav Bahl is finding the regional language news space a tough nut to crack. Even after spending more than two years in the market, IBN Lokmat is in operating losses while revenue is showing signs of stagnating.

    Set up as the joint venture of IBN18 and Lokmat Group, the Marathi news channel has posted a net loss of Rs 60 million for the three-month period ended September 2010. IBN Lokmat had reported a net loss of Rs 50 million in the year-ago period and Rs 40 million in the trailing quarter.   
         
      Revenue has stagnated at Rs 30 million compared to the year-ago period. In the trailing quarter, the company reported a revenue of Rs 40 million.

    IBN Lokmat has not been able to limit quarter expenses, which are at Rs 70 million in the quarter (from Rs 60 million in earlier year).

    IBN Lokmat incurred an Ebitda loss of Rs 40 million in the fiscal‘s second quarter, higher than the earlier year period and trailing quarter (Rs 30 million).

    IBN Lokmat was launched in March 2008 and faces tough competition from both Zee 24 Taas and Star Majha.

  • IBN Lokmat reduces Q2 loss on back of political ads

    IBN Lokmat reduces Q2 loss on back of political ads

    MUMBAI: IBN Lokmat, the JV company of IBN18 and Lokmat Group that runs a Marathi news channel, has posted a net loss of Rs 54.40 million for the quarter ending September 2009.

    The channel, which was launched in March 2008, had suffered a net loss of Rs 96.46 million in the year-ago period.

    Income from operations has jumped three-fold to Rs 25.51 million, up from Rs 6.22 million.

    The company said that on the back of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Q-o-Q revenue of the channel has gone up by 84 per cent.

    Meanwhile, the channel has also managed to curtail expenses to Rs 59.41 million in the quarter, as against Rs 86.39 million in the prior year period.

    Operating loss has dropped to Rs 33.91 million, from Rs 80.17 million in Q2 FY’09.

  • Star adds Marathi news channel, eyes more

    MUMBAI: Media Content and Communications Services (MCCS), the joint venture between Star and ABP Group, has decided to roll out a slew of regional news channels ahead of an English news channel launch.

    The company is launching the Marathi-language news channel, Star Majha (My Star), on 22 June. MCCS already operates Star News and Star Ananda in Hindi and Bengali.

    “We are going to launch more news channels in the regional space as they are mass-based. We, however, haven’t yet firmed up our plans on the markets we are going to launch next,” says MCCS vice president Barun Das.

    Star Majha’s tag line is ‘Open your eyes, Look closely’. There will also be an official website for the channel, www.starmajha.com.

    The news channel will initially be free to air (FTA). With 17 bureaus spread all over Maharasthra, Star Majha will leverage the strengths of Star News for national content and the Fox and Sky network for international news.

    The youngest sibling in the bouquet will stay with the image of being a “people’s” channel. It will focus on issues and not just events with the core target audience in the age group between 22-35 years.

    The channel will have a “Maharashtra-centric” approach and highlight the “modern and new outlook of every Marathi.” It will cover a variety of shows on politics, sports, entertainment, culture, education, career, real estate, religion, yoga, astrology and lifestyle.

    Commenting on the requirement of another news channel in the already cluttered market, Das has this to offer. “Hindi news channel viewership has doubled over last year, which clearly indicates that there is huge appetite for news. It does not create fatigue unlike the general entertainment channels. The definition of news is also changing. Anything that is relevant and contemporary is news and even news shows on saas-bahu serials in the afternoon slot is almost like a prime time band.” 

    Says Star India CEO Uday Shankar, “Maharashtra is at the forefront of reshaping the Indian society and economy and Star Majha is a new age channel for the new age Maharashtrian. Given the pattern of growing demand the launch of a specialized Marathi news channel of this nature is a natural requirement for the region.”

    The Marathi news space is going to see a flood of launches including TV 18 Group which has signed a joint venture with Lokmat Group, and Hyderabad-based TV9. Early this year, Zee launched 24 Tas.

  • GBN, Lokmat in JV to launch Marathi news channel

    MUMBAI:Global Broadcast News Limited (GBN), a TV18 group company, has entered into an equal joint venture with the Lokmat group to launch a 24-hour Marathi language news and current affairs channel.

    Indiantelevision.com was the first to report that GBN would foray into the regional news space and would partner with a media company to launch a Marathi news channel.
    The Lokmat Group are the owners of Lokmat which is a widely circulated newspaper in Maharashtra, and other publications including Lokmat Times and Lokmat Samachar.

    “The launch of the Marathi channel is a continuation of the growth momentum gained by GBN since its launch and is in line with the company’s strategy of becoming an integrated media platform both nationally and regionally,” says TV 18 group MD Raghav Bahl.

    Adds GBN joint MD Sameer Manchanda, “We see the regional language space powering the next phase of growth in the Indian television industry. Our partnership with Lokmat will be driven by these opportunities and also be in line with our quest to transform into a full play media house.

    Commenting on the joint venture, Lokmat group chairman Vijay Darda has this to offer. “The joint-venture will combine GBN’s world class standards with Lokmat’s reach and understanding of the Marathi mind. Lokmat already owns the Marathi space due to its intimate connectivity with the Marathi heartland over the last three decades and this relationship will further expand and strengthen this base.”

    Already in the Marathi news space is Zee’s 24 Taas while Star is planning a launch soon.

  • Zee Telefilms to launch Marathi news channel ’24 Tas’

    Zee Telefilms to launch Marathi news channel ’24 Tas’

    MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms Ltd. chairman Subhash Chandra is giving his news business a big push. His latest plan of action: to launch a Marathi news channel by the end of this year.

    Zee News Ltd (ZNL), the company which houses the news and regional channels, plans to invest Rs 1 billion over three years for this venture. 24 Tas (24 hours), as such, will become the first channel in the Marathi news space.

    “We plan to launch the Marathi news channel by December-end. Our projected investment for this is Rs 1 billion over a three-year period. We are putting the equipment in place,” says Zee News Ltd. director Laxmi Goel.

    More local language news channels are on the agenda. Goel had earlier told Indiantelevision.com that the company would launch news channels in the southern languages. Zee already runs a Bengali news channel through a joint venture with Akash Bangla.

    ZNL, will also be appointing a chief executive officer soon, said Goel. The company is also planning to launch a Tamil and a Malayalam channel to cover up all the southern language states.

    The company expects to post a 33 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years to touch revenue of Rs 8.7 billion by FY 2011, up from Rs 2.01 billion in FY 2005-06. ZNL’s operating margins, which stood at 16 per cent, are expected to expand to around 30 per cent during this period.

    ZNL has a networth of Rs 1.7 billion. The capital employed (as of 1 April 2006) is Rs 2.31 billion with loan funds standing at Rs 612 million.

    Chandra’s expansive news plans include the recent acquisition of a majority stake in United News of India (UNI), a news wire agency, which will give him access to a widely spread out infrastructure.