I had promised to revisit the excellent journalism done by a small group of health reporters who kept us informed about the pandemic last year. They worked against all odds, especially official obfuscation, global confusion and a plethora of half-truths and lies about Covid-19 and its effect on both people and the health system.
Between that promise made at the end of March and now, we find ourselves in a massive second wave and one that threatens to be as bad if not worse than the worse Covid-19 spike of 2020.
Events overtake us and journalists cannot sit on their laurels. So here we are again. Having negotiated through the various information minefields of inadequate disclosure, scatty and spotty Covid-19 strategies, the Central Government’s endless publicity gimmickry, the vagaries of the virus itself and then the deleterious effect on the medical community, journalists now find themselves back where they started. In the middle of a pandemic. A number of frontline journalists got Covid-19 and a few sadly succumbed.
You would hope that we had learnt something from last year. But for the most part, you would be wrong. A vast majority of India’s journalists or if you’re feeling generous, of India’s media houses, continue to see the world in terms of: promote Narendra Modi or keep quiet. Therefore, the Centre’s inept handling of the pandemic has to be covered up. As ever elections jump to the rescue. We have spent months concentrating on the “Battle for Bengal” as if that was all that mattered: five assembly elections.
And now, the large community of political journalists – especially those on the BJP cheerleading beat – are agog with excitement over Modi’s announcement of a “tika utsav” or vaccination festival. This is while our dedicated branch of health journalists track how states have run out of vaccines, how vaccine centres are turning people away, how the manufacturers have asked for money and time, how the calls for protocols to be loosened are growing wider…
On what basis will the Prime Minister, who has ignored the second wave to jeer at Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, organise this “festival” without vaccine stocks? Instead of concentrating on facts and logistics, because it is almost guaranteed that all available stocks will be held for the PM’s “festival” from April 11 to 14, we have senior TV persons full of excitement.
Pallavi Ghose of CNN News18 was practically first off the block: “PM makes a strong case for vaccine – vaccine utsav from 11th to 16th April” in a tweet on Thursday night, minutes after the announcement. The dates are wrong, but we can forgive that in the excitement to get a praise Modi tweet out. Please note that there is no analysis here. No questions on why we just need a proper plan and not more publicity stunts.
Thus, our colleagues on killing beats like health in the middle of a pandemic get short-changed by their own community.
Ghosh is just one example. I give you this tweet from Bhupendra Chaubey, formerly of CNN News18 and now with India Ahead: “11th April to 14th April. Anniversaries of Jyoti ba Phule and Baba saheb Ambedkar (sic, sic), in between these days “vaccination festival” @narendramodi. If there ever was a doubt that he was India’s best political communicator, the reference to these two anniversaries should settle it”.
Again, no questions, no relation to ground realities, only an overwhelming desire to praise Modi.
In what way can journalists who actually do their jobs – question, question, question– compete with this?
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia every Tuesday and Friday. Her views here are personal
CNN-News18 has launched a nationwide awareness campaign titled #DontShowMeYourface. Alongside on-air and online engagements, the channel will also launch a customized AR filter for social media platforms which will allow users to capture their pictures with a curated mask and support the campaign call.
Said Zakka Jacob, Managing Editor, CNN-News18: “With months of restrictions on movement followed by gradual unlocking, authorities have been observing a lax when it comes to following the strict physical distancing guidelines set forth by health professionals. Consequently, cases have also been rising across the country. As per a recent News18 survey, six in ten (64%) urban Indians feel that everyone should be subjected to the same coronavirus restrictions which include wearing the mask and using a sanitizer until most people have been vaccinated in the country. We, at CNN-News18, have always believed in raising relevant issues and creating impactful conversations to drive change. With face masks becoming a central tenet in limiting the spread of the virus, #DontShowYourFace is a step in the right direction to raise awareness on how we should be conscious of our health and the community-at-large. Through this initiative, we aim to encourage people to continue social distancing, and most importantly, to wear a mask when stepping out.”
Leading news channel CNN-News18 has refreshed its design, look and feel. “It is going to be bigger, bolder, brighter and better than before,” notes a communique.
Said Zakka Jacob, Executive Editor – CNN-News18: “The world has changed. We are adapting ourselves to continue to stand by our channel’s ethos of ‘On Your Side’. Given the current environment, this is a significant moment for news television. We at CNN-News18 believe it’s the right time to put sanity back in the news. It’s time to channel facts, not outrage. We have been known for our fair, balanced and non-partisan coverage, which means that all sides talk to us,” adding: “Our commitment to unbiased journalism and to putting India first will always be top priority. Bharat is an aspirational country with biggest young population in the world. We are also one of the oldest civilisations that even today has much to offer to the world. Our new look will blend all these factors and present a news viewing experience that New India truly deserves and aspires for.”
Notes a communique: “In this new look, for the first time, the channel will be setting the graphic design template in HD format. No other news channel has done this so far. For the viewers’ experience, the screen will be divided into multiple columns thereby making it look bigger, bolder and better to understand, thereby breaking all clutter.”
CNN-News 18 carried a series of tweets advertising its show The Right Stand on Twitter on Monday. These are quotes:
Why this pathological aversion to Ram?
In secular garb, anti-Hindus cling to straws.
Old anti-Hindu rhetoric in secularism garb.
History in the making, Ayodhya magic resounds.
In case you missed the context, CNN-News 18 claims to be a “news” channel which one presumes means there are journalists somewhere within.
Which of these four statements corresponds to journalism?
Is an anti-Hindu a thing? Is criticism of religions or religious customs banned in India? Is “magic” now an accepted reality which “resounds”?
One understands that this particular show and its anchor represents a “Hindutva” perspective, that mangled version of Hinduism invented by the Sangh Parivar. The same version that assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. How would The Right Stand have interpreted that? “Magic resounds at Birla House as Gandhi is shot dead”? “Why this aversion to bullets”? “In secularism garb, India clings to anti-murderer straws”? “Old anti-Hindutva rhetoric in anti-murderer garb”?
The same version of Hindutva also murdered rationalist and anti-superstition crusader Narendra Dabholkar in 2013.
“Why this aversion to Hindutva bullets?” would have been an apt teaser for The Right Stand had it existed at the time.
The story of the demolition of the Babri Masjid starts in colonial India in the 1800s. It is complicated and it is entangled. But the responses of colonial India and that of Constitutional India are not the same and cannot be. India is not a religious state. The BJP and its partners want exactly that. They want to destroy the Constitution and create a theocratic state. Any journalist would see that.
But not of course most Indian journalists.
CNN-News18 is only one example. It may be, in its show The Right Stand, a vile example of the rise and triumph of religious intolerance and majoritarian pride. But it is one of many. This does not mean that journalists cannot be religious. But your personal life is not your professional life. And the impact of this temple for the Hindu God Rama, at Ayodhya is political. Not religious. If you feel that “magic resounds” then at least have the courage to quit as a journalist and return as a Hindutva publicity agent. (I joke, I know.)
Is it remarkable that any journalist today does not know about the impact of the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the scars that India still bears? Indian newsrooms have worked hard over the past 12 or 13 years to demolish institutional memory, to remove anyone who carries the scars of covering India by asking questions. I do not know what they teach in those journalism schools which are now mandatory for jobs in media outlets. Judging from the results, either they do not teach our history of coverage or young journalists are not allowed to practice what they have learnt once they get jobs.
The history is out there for anyone to find out about. It needs little extra work, because 1992 was before we had this plethora of TV channels (which is why many of us watched the BBC in horror at what was unfolding), before Google, before internet archiving. It’s how some of us did our research before it was all available at our fingertips.
Meanwhile, let me remind you, the virus still rages, the economy is still in a state of collapse, China’s still in threatening mode, and if it’s not Ayodhya, it’s one death that TV channels are obsessed with.
There is news everywhere. But not if you’re a star struck propagandist for destructive forces.
Incidentally, the most common meaning for the term “ground zero”, used by CNN-News18 to describe Ayodhya, is that spot in the ground directly above or below an exploding nuclear bomb.
I’ll leave you with that thought.
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She is also Consulting Editor, MxMIndia. Her views here are personal
VideoTap, the video technology startup founded by N Dilip Venkatraman (former CEO of CNN-IBN, now CNN-News18 and IBN7, now News18 India) and Savvy Dilip (former Group CMO of ITV Network), has announced that it has been awarded seven patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office for its dynamic, adaptive, real time and non-linear video streaming technology, which enables personalised multi-functional streaming of videos.
Said Venkatraman, Founder and CEO of VideoTap, and co-inventor of the seven patents: “We are excited that our IP portfolio building exercise is off to a good start. We are in the process for filing many more patents. These patents strengthen our resolve to build world class products for world leading customers”.
Added Savvy Dilip, Founder and COO of VideoTap, and co-inventor of the sevent patents: “In linear videos, the main functionality is watching, whereas in Multi-Functional videos the consumer can navigate, engage, participate, get information, personalize and trigger call to action all within the video itself. We look forward to leveraging our IP to build cutting edge products ”
News18 India and CNN-News18 have lined up an extensive programming giving viewers access and insight into the upcoming elections. News18 India will present its programming under the umbrella branding ‘Sabse Bada Dangal’. The programming will also witness special edition of ‘Bhaiyaji Kahin’ and ‘Lapete Mein Netaji’.
CNN-News18 will delve into all aspects of the Lok Sabha elections with its special programming ‘A Billion Votes’. With its diverse formats and data-driven programming, the channel will bring up-to-the-minute updates throughout the election.
The programming will be led by the editorial team of the channels. On News18 India, Kishore Ajwani, Deputy Managing Editor, Amish Devgan, Executive Editor and Prateek Trivedi, Senior Editor, will be joined by prominent experts like Ram Kripal Singh and Shesh Narain Singh. CNN-News18 will feature top anchors – Bhupendra Chaubey, Executive Editor, Zakka Jacob, Editor – Output, Anand Narasimhan, Deputy Executive Editor, Marya Shakil, Political Editor. Complementing them will be a panel of eminent journalists and political analysts like Swapan Dasgupta, Vir Sanghvi and Ajoy Bose to name a few.
As you read this, ArnabGoswami would be in his state-of-the-art news floor, putting finishing touches to his launch plans for Republic TV. The billboards are out, and the ‘coming soon’ has made way for the final pitch.
But not far from the editorial headquarters of Republic is the Times Now newsroom. The brains trust there has been working overtime for a few months so that their former main man’s new venture doesn’t steal the thunder.
In many ways, Goswami has already done that. And despite all the savvy mediaminds that it has in its fold, Times Now has actually contributed to the buzz around the Republic TV launch. The sending of legal notices may have been standard practice, but it gave enough ammunition to Goswami.
Launching a channel is possibly the easiest of the tasks on hand. Ensuring that it thrives and hence survives are the tougher things to do. Goswami should know. Despite the moneypower of The Times of India group behind it, Times Now was floundering at launch in early 2006. It was almost like what NewsX is today.
It took some effort and reorientation for the Times Now primetime to stand out and although the world says that its star was on the ascendant post November 26, 2008, Â I thought Goswami was looking good from around a year earlier.
In fact friends at CNN-IBN were mighty upset when I wrote that Arnab was better than RajdeepSardesaiat primetime. But he was… he asked the tough questions.
Before one delves further on Republic and Times Now, let’s look at the rest.
First WION, the newest English news channel. Zee Group chief Subhash Chandra’s intent of starting an international news channel with an Indian POV was great, but it sadly appears to be going nowhere. The only good contribution is that it’s creating some employment for newswallahs. WION made a disastrous start with Rohit Gandhi as editor. Now, with Sudhir Chaudhary at the helm, the man who anchors the most watched primetime show on Hindi News TV, it’s possibly trying to earn some stripes, but will it make a difference to the fortunes of Republic TV?Will it change the rankings of its tribe? No way.
And what about NewsX? From what I understand, even though it’s not perceived to among an English news channel that matters, given that it’s got the India News backing and a media group that has fair muscle, it may not be entirely inconsequential. Also, it does have some good people working for it. But not again in the Top 3. Not even in the Top 5.
So, who’s left now:
NDTV 24×7, CNN-IBN, ah well, CNN-News18 Â and India Today.
Hey, before that, one must not forget DD News, DD Lok Sabha and DD Rajya Sabha. All are doing their bit given the constraints of being government/Parliament-owned. The primetime DD News bulletin has an excellent round-up capsule at 9.45pm, but that’s only good for those who dislike the talking heads brand of television journalism, or are taking the Civil Services or entrances where GK is tested.
Getting back to the threesome.
NDTV 24×7: I was worried about how the channel would do minus BarkhaDutt, but I must say that she isn’t being missed much. Sreenivasan Jain is still no answer to Dutt, but I quite like the new primetime format that the channel has adopted. My worry is that it’s happened five years late. The final view: unless the others flounder, Dr Prannoy Roy will still be counted as the pioneer of the English News TV business, but his channel has lost out. And this time, his executives can’t even crib about the ratings.
CNN-News18: The channel could’ve been in the dumps after RajdeepSardesai quit in 2014, but it’s commendable to see it make a comeback with a brand new leadership team and primetime faces. Zakka Jacob is excellent, and very confident of himself. Andif last night was any indication, he can shout at Pakistan defence analysts louder than Goswami and Navika Kumar put together. And he can rubbish them (the Pakistanis) to their face. I also found bossman Rahul Joshi excellent in his interviews with the Prime Minister, Amit Shah and a few others, but what CNN-News18 needs is a little something that it’s not taking it to the top slot. Loads more than just new shows clearly.
India Today: Part of the India Today stable, it lost Karan Thapar recently who is by far one of the best interviewers on English News Television. But the rest of star cast exists – RajdeepSardesai, Rahul Kanwal and a recent addition being Anjana Om Kashyap, the leading AajTak anchor, who has just started her innings at 7pm. From what one learns, her show is supposed to match the noise factor of Republic, but if that was the yardstick, then perhaps having it closer to 9pm would’ve been better. While it was the Republic-Times Now war for viewership that was to be the focus of attention, it was interesting to see an India Today billboard right next to Republic’s. If nothing else, it helped create a buzz, though it won’t be right to compare the Kashyap show with Goswami’s primetime act.
Times Now: It’s got itself to blame for the mess it finds itself in. Look at NDTV 24×7, CNN-News18 and India Today. None of them are dependant on just one face, and that’s the only reason why they’ve survived despite leading lights exiting the channel in recent years. But despite several CEOs and marketing heads helming the channel, they weren’t able to get a face who could match that ofGoswami’s. Or be a strong second-in-command. Sad. But now that what shouldn’t have happened has happened, Times Now is trying its best to counterArnabGoswami’s Republic. Can Navika Kumar’s Newshour kill Goswami’s primetime act? No way! Times Now ought to have reinvented itself like NDTV 24×7 has done rather than pursue the path of nationalistic belligerence where it clearly won’t be able to match Goswami. Times Now’s attempt to launch a flanking channel in the form of Mirror Now is a non-starter as of now, and I would’ve thought its editor and primetime face Faye D’Souza would’ve made for a good Newshour presenter.
Republic TV:From the interview he gave me last week, it’s clear that Republic TV won’t be dramatically different from Times Now. It will of course sharpen the offering and with new shows and anchors. Goswami says he will have a clear second and third line, but there’s no denying that the present and future of the channel depends entirely on its founder and editor-in-chief. Does it have a future? Of course it does. But sadly content alone doesn’t make a channel successful. Distribution and other marketing dynamics are crucial, and that’s where it will need really big monies. Goswami is known to be a keen student of viewership analytics, he’ll surely be pouring over numbers to check what works and what doesn’t. What’s also interesting is that the orchestration with digital will be seamless (or so he promises), something that the others haven’t done well, even though the web entities of CNN-News18 and NDTV24x7 are very popular.
So will Republic TV kill Times Now?Tough to do that in Week #1. And even if it does, it’s too early to predict how it will be six weeks later. However, if after all the excitement that has been built up over the last few months, it doesn’t get the right numbers, Goswami and Republic will need to re-examine their proposition. Ditto for Times Now which must relook at its offering any which way. And where does this leave India Today, CNN-News 18 and NDTV 24×7? As of now, I don’t see much of a change at NDTV. The other two will do their best to win a battle being fought essentially between Times Now and Republic. India Today says it’s got the most democratic newsroom, CNN-News18 has fashioned itself as non-aligned even though it’s owned by MukeshAmbani.
The next few weeks/months are going to be exciting. And we’ll be watching and evaluating. Beyond just the numbers.
PS: Interestingly, over the last few weeks, or months actually, the channel that’s knocking at the #1 slot is CNBC-TV18. But then that works well for only revenues. The war is still among the eight, or seven, or five, or four…
Call it the News Channel Dangal or whatever, here’s an analysis by Stratagem Media on how the English news channels fared post-demonetisation and Arnab Goswami’s exit
Background :
The economic and political scenario in the country over the last two months has been fodder for the news business – mainly with the announcement and unfolding of the demonetization drama, followed by the demise of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa. But for all of us in the marketing and media fraternity, something equally dramatic happened about the same time.
On November 2, the media fraternity witnessed a piece of truly “breaking news†–Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief and star NewsHour anchor of Times Now channel had resigned. Well of course, he was still on air, for the next few days, when on November 8, even as everyone was trying to predict the after-effect of his departure from the TV screen, the shock-n-awe of demonetisation happened.
Speculation about Goswami’s departure from the TV screen, and his plan thereafter,has been rife, ever since.
Objective of the study:
At Stratagem Media Pvt. Ltd, we were equally eager to understand the effect of these developments on the viewership of news channels. Our friends (mitrons) and fellow professionals in the media and marketing fields (by and large, our ‘nation’), would be keen to understand
– whether news viewership has risen post-demonetisation
– whether there is a difference between the after-math of demonetization on English and Hindi news channels?
– Or has Mr Goswami’s absence from the TV screen, had any effect on channel viewership and if so, how much?
But we felt it would be prudent to resist the temptation of jumping to conclusions and not rush through the analysis. So, we waited for the scenario to stabilise, till viewership data for at least a few weeks had trickled in.
Here’s a study of viewership,both pre- and post-demonetisation, which happened to also coincide with ArnabGoswami’s last week on the screen. Naturally, the questions that have been addressed are whether the viewership of English and Hindi News channels was affected in any way, post that week, and what was the effect on the viewership of specific channels.
Methodology:
A simple viewership comparison was undertaken for a period of 10 weeks i.e. five weeks pre- and five weeks post demonetisation/ Mr Goswami’s departure from the screen.
This study was focused on the ‘9 pm to 11 pm’ time slot on the weekdays, (which historically contributes to a major proportion of viewership). This analysis was done for three relevant geographical units (the 1mn+ cities across the country, Mumbai+Delhiand Mumbai+Delhi+Bengaluru), as well as for a relevant and sufficiently wide target group comprising of Males,above the age of 22 years belonging to the top two segments of affluence (i.e.NCCS AB)Although not all of it is published here, the analysis was also undertaken simultaneously, but separately, for the entire genre of Hindi News channels and English News channels (including English business channels).
Two viewership parameters were examined – gross impressions and relative channel share (for the English and Hindi channel genres).
The source of all data was the BARC viewership ratings.
From the above analyses,in the five weeks post-demonetisation,it is evident that (within the specific TG of Men, above the age of 22, from the top 2 affluence classes – NCCS A&B), in the prime time slot of 9 pm to 11 pm,
– The viewership of English News channels in all main cities in India, in fact declined by 1 %, in the 5 weeks post demonetization. But it increased by about 11 % to 12 % in the 2–3 main metros. In other words, as expected, the viewership pie of English news genre as a whole has only managed to increase in the main cities (Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi) where the English news channels get most of their eyeballs.
– While Times Now continues to lead the pack in the English News genre, the decline in its viewership, ranged from – 29 % to  -45 % in these 3 market units. In fact, even CNN News18 declined by about 27 %, to 61 %,whereas the gain in viewership of other channels such as NDTV 24×7 and India Today TV, was considerable, ranging between 99 % to 230 % for either of them, over the same period. However these channels grew from a relatively much smaller base.
– Consequently, in the main cities of the country as a unit, the decline in the relative share of viewership for Times Now was from 55 % to 40 %, whereas NDTV 24×7’s relative share grew from 8 % to 17 %, and India Today TV’s relative share grew from 12 % to 19 %.
– The corresponding changes in viewership shares, in the main metros for these channels were even more pronounced, as evident from the graphs.
– And yet, without doubt, Times Now still stands head-n-shoulders above the other English News channels.
Conclusions (Hindi News channels)
From the analyses, it was also evident that in the 5 weeks post demonetisation, (and within the specific TG of Men, above the age of 22, from the top 2 affluence classes – NCCS A&B), in the prime time slot of 9 pm to 11 pm
– The viewership of Hindi News channels increased by as much as 29 % in the 1 mn + cities, with some channels registering gains of more than 50 %
 – In terms of relative channel shares, the biggest gainers were News18 India, Zee News and AajTak.
So, on an apple-to-apple comparison, Hindi channels seem to have grown in the post-demonetisation phase, in the cities, whereas English channels have in fact, marginally declined. So, could this perhaps be a case of missed opportunity.
This does however give rise to another pertinent question. What constitutes brand identity for a media house – be it a newspaper title, a TV channel, an FM station or a website? They say ‘Content is King’, but is it just content, or the values that the brand is perceived to stand for, or production quality, or just the sheer the persona of the anchors/ RJs.
To validate some of the quantitative findings of this analysis, we asked senior media professionals about their individual opinions and experiences. This is what they had to say :
Sandip Tarkas
Sandeep Tarkas, CEO (Sports, Media & Special Projects), Future Group, states that “I think Arnab was the person I missed the most during the entire demonetisation debate. After initially watching a lot more of news for about a week, I have almost stopped watching news TV, and that’s where I missed Arnab. He would have brought the right issues to the fore even if one didn’t agree with his take on the issueâ€.
Karthik Mani
Kartik Mani, Founder, Chief Insurgent – Merry Men, says that although he has never been a fan of Arnab Goswami, but Arnab’s absence has made watching Times Now, a lot less compelling.
Munnish Puri
Munnish Puri, media expert & Founder, Indian Financial Advisors, has this to say:”Beyond doubt, Arnab and Times Now were a highly impactful combination. Viewers tuned-in to get real ‘inside information’ of the news that mattered. Even global audiences took a strong liking to Arnab. Looking at the recent viewership data, it is not surprising that the Times Now viewership has been impacted. The Newshour is certainly not as engaging without Arnab!’
Bharat Kapadia
Bharat Kapadia, veteran media expert, confesses that he gets put off when news channels become noise channels, and that leads to reduced exposure. But he adds that Arnab always had the last & loudest word which at times made it interesting. And that he has hardly watched Times Now after Arnab quit. Bharatbhai also adds that his time spent watching news channels post demonetisation had increased, but he was disappointed about the way the topic was covered by all channels in general. There was no depth in the content, just opinionated angles and gimmicky presentation. He feels that it is entirely possible for face value to outweigh brand value of a media house, just as it happens in the film industry.
Sumit Roy
For Sumit Roy, Founder Director Univbrands, Times Now was not the preferred channel. He sums it up by saying: “Times Now isn’t any better now, without Arnab. As a policy I switch channels when any Anchor speaks over the Panelist and cannot control panelists speaking over each other. Some other anchors seem to have gone that route as well.As a result my preferred news channels are India Today, NDTV and BBC World. In that order. I stay with whichever (of these) has the more interesting story at the time of watching.â€
Nevertheless, as evident from the above analyses, it’s not just content, or the values of a news channel, or production quality, that builds a TV brand. Viewership also seems to be obviously sensitive to changes in brand persona.All in all, with state elections around the corner, we can be sure that the News Channel ‘Dangal’ is far from over.
Sundeep Nagpal
This report has been conceived and produced by Stratagem Media Pvt Ltd., an independent media specialist company, headed by its Founder–Director, Sundeep Nagpal
After nine successful years of honouring individuals and organisations that embody the spirit of excellence, CNN-News18 is set to celebrate the iconic Indians who have made a significant contribution to our society with their achievements in 2015. CNN-News18 presents the 10th edition of its flagship initiative – ‘Indian of the Year’ (IOTY), which over the years has become one of the biggest and most credible awards in Indian media. The winners will be felicitated at a glittering ceremony to be held at Taj Palace, New Delhi on 9th June, 2016.
Instituted in 2006, the CNN-News18 Indian of the Year has over the years achieved prestige and credibility unmatched by others in the media industry. The award distinguishes itself by celebrating not only exemplary individuals and their achievements but also the ideas that have inspired India and impacted lives.
The awards adhere to a transparent and robust selection procedure that includes the Editorial Board drawing up a list of nominees, further leading to the final selection of winners by a Jury comprising a select group of distinguished personalities. This year’s jury panel includes Soli Sarabjee, Former Attorney General of India, Kiran Karnik, Former President of NASSCOM, Kunal Bahl, Co-Founder & CEO of Snapdeal, Harish Salve, Leading Lawyer and Former Solicitor General of India, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman & MD of Biocon, Deepak Parekh, Chairman of HDFC, Mohanlal V Nair, Noted Thespian and Leander Paes, Tennis Champion.
The carefully selected categories for the awards are Sports, Entertainment, Business and Public Service. Other achievers are awarded under the categories of Special Achievement, Outstanding Achievement, Special Jury Award and Lifetime Achievement. One individual/organisation will be bestowed with the coveted ‘Indian of the Year’ Award for their indelible contribution to society. Over the years, the recipients of this prestigious award have included the likes of PM Narendra Modi, NGO Stop Acid Attacks, Vishwanathan Anand, AR Rahman, Team Chandrayan and E. Sreedharan.
Commenting on the announcement of the Awards, Radhakrishnan Nair, Managing Editor, CNN-News18, said, “I take great pride in the fact that Indian of the Year has seen immense success and acceptance as an institute that has over the years established itself as an exemplary model for Indian media awards. The 10th edition of the awards marks a tremendous milestone for CNN-News18 and we look forward to a great show honouring the winners.â€
One unspoken rule in print journalism is that when you want to do a relaunch or launch a new paper, never ever bite off more than you can chew. That is, keep the readers’ expectations low and do not make your launch or re-launch so fabulous that you can never keep up to the standards you have set. It sounds cynical but it works. The most famous example of how not to do it was in the 1980s, when advertisements for the Metropolitan outdid the newspaper to such an extent that the paper sank without a trace. What copywriters wish a newspaper would be and what journalists can deliver are obviously parallel lines never to meet!
It is possible that someone at Network 18 was aware of this rule and that is why the re-launch of CNN-IBN as CNN-News18 is somewhat underwhelming. I suppose in keeping with today’s rubbish management jargon I should call it a “re-branding†though heck knows I could be outdated on that too!
The channel has gone through plenty of turmoil in the last few years. Even before Raghav Bahl sold out to the Ambanis, we had all sorts of stories of political pressure, of Congress versus BJP, of its two main faces Rajdeep Sardesai and Sagorika Ghose being eased out. In fact since Sardesai’s departure, the channel has been struggling to claim attention in an arena where it was once top choice.
A re-configuration was therefore essential. And there is some thought at work here – getting a panel of in-house talking heads for instance. So we have Ayaz Memon, Ajoy Bose, Vir Sanghvi and Swapan Dasgupta as resident commentators, who will appear as experts on politics, sports, social trends and perhaps some will have their own shows. Until then, they have appeared on all or various news channels, now the viewer knows to expect them on CNN-News18.
Features like Bhupendra Chaubey’s “Five headlines in five minutes†sounds a lot like something Headlines Today used to do years ago when its tagline was “smart news for smart peopleâ€, before it became India Today TV. All Hindi news channels offer a variation of this which is far superior: 700 headlines in 20 seconds.
A quick survey of English news channels on Tuesday night showed a variety of stories on offer: the Kohinoor diamond and the government’s flip-flops on it, a Union minister’s comment that celebrities should be jailed for endorsing bad products, changing stances on the Samjhauta blasts case and the drought situation in the government. CNN-News18 decided that the late TV star Pratyusha Banerjee’s pregnancy and abortion was newsworthy during the same time slots. Also, comedian Kapil Sharma’s new show.
(In other news, how on earth is one supposed to tell Times Now and NewsX apart if Arnab Goswami is not on air?)
This is a quote of a firstpost.com report on the changes (firstpost.com is part of the Network 18 group):
“Enlarged reporting teams equipped with cutting edge technology tools to deliver news from the ground fastest, new studios designed by the best in the world and a deeper leveraging of the CNN global news resources, form the core of this brand refresh. While continuing with its emphasis on engaging viewers in ways that are intelligent as well as innovative, the channel will focus more on immersive journalism. It means more in-depth reporting of news stories and covering angles in news developments generally left unexplored.â€
One hopes that the unbearable jargon aside (“immersive journalism�), some of these features will soon be visible. An in-depth feature on grains rotting on the roadsides in Rohtak was however on the menu, which is an excellent story to cover. One assumes that immersive journalism could also look at submersible pumps and the damage they cause to the water table during drought conditions?
So is CNN-News18 a Times Now-killer?
By Pradyuman Maheshwari
I know the headline is unfair. But that’s what every English news channel should aspire to do, right? Displace the leader.
So the answer to the question is: No.
Not yet?
No.
Why?
Because the channel bosses haven’t done enough to effect a turnaround.
It’s old wine in a new bottle.  So let me whine about it a little bit.
Whine because Network 18 – given that it’s owned by Mukesh Ambani – has enough resources at its disposal. And in terms of top deck, it’s got some of the brightest brains. Rahul Joshi, President – News, is one of the best newsrooms managers in the country.  It’s also got some sharpshooters within its ranks.
So what do we have? A credo that says it’s got no agenda. Heck, if there’s one business group that’s said to set all the agendas in the world it’s the Ambanis, but guess the owners don’t have much of a role… and one is being uncharitable towards the professional managers running it.
One can interpret it as a comment on Times Now. But let’s get to my instant view on CNN-News18.
[] The look is neat and clean. Brighter… looks much better on a screen of at least 32 inches or more. Has some shades of India Today (after it switched from Headlines Today), but betters it.
[]Zakka Jacob is still the best amongst Tier 2b anchors in the country (Tier 1 being Arnab, Rajdeep, Barkha and you can add Prannoy Roy of course, Tier 2a being Vikram Chandra, Rahul Shivshankar, Rahul Kanwal and etc and Tier 2b has Ndhi Razdan and the likes and now Zakka Jacob.)
[] The CNN-IBN reporting team is still top class, though post-retrenchment of the last few years, many bright hands have exited
[] Bhupendra Chaubey is still around, albeit at 10pm. He is just about tolerable
[] Getting Cyrus Broacha to do more than his weekly bit was a good idea
[] Good to see Ayaz Memon on the primetime panel. Cricket rules, and we don’t too many observers of the game who can match him
While getting Ayaz was a good idea, but why Swapan Dasgupta and Ajoy Bose? Both can speak on everything under the sun, but we could’ve got some better folk. Say Siddharth Varadarajan. A Hartosh Singh Bal would’ve been better than Bose.
And Vir Sanghvi? One of the most stylish journalists in the country, he is past his prime (or as they say: sell-by-date). The Niira Radia controversy didn’t too much for his rep, but he doesn’t make for good television any longer. Even a Suhel Seth would’ve been better.
One would’ve expected an entertainment specialist to be also on the show, and getting inhouse resource Rajeev Masand on board would’ve been good. Or the many specialists on the subject in Mumbai and Delhi.
Will the new look earn better ratings for the channel?
I haven’t seen Mumbai roads plastered with hoardings on the channel, but am sure some work has been done on distribution. I don’t think we will see CNN-News18 upstaging Times Now the way India Today did on launch week, but perhaps the idea is do it slow and steady.
Network18 has announced the re-branding of CNN-IBN to CNN-News18. The channel will unveiling a new name and logo, its revamped studio and a new look-and-feel to the news screen at 8pm tonight (April 18). Meanwhile, IBNLive.com, the digital destination of the channel, will also change to to News18.com.
Speaking on the occasion, Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman, Network18 said, “A decade back, CNN-IBN re-invented news by getting to its viewers the benefits of a reputed international news partner CNN, and eventually emerging as the most awarded English general news channel. We are now at a time when breaking news role is taken by social media and there is an oversupply of news sources because of which just breaking news isn’t enough. In this problem of plenty, quality suffers and consumers don’t know what to believe or trust in. Also the insights into an issue keep getting compromised for lack of time and resources. Realizsng this gap, we have decided to take the onus of breaking this clutter by focusing on quality of reporting, in-depth analysis and an all-round view of key issues. We are optimistic about bringing this change wherein we will keep the journalist and the consumer at the centre of our programming, which is the critical need of the hour.â€
Speaking about the re-branding and revamped content, Avinash Kaul, CEO – IBN News Network said, “The refreshed identity of CNN-News18 aims to bring the value of immersive journalism to its viewers. Inspired by ournew tagline – ‘On Your Side’, CNN-News18 will strive to make news more objective keeping the viewers at the centre of its content strategy. We will significantly ramp-up our digital presence to ensure that viewers are seamlessly able to interact and engage with our content.â€
Leading commentators including Vir Sanghvi, Swapan Dasgupta, Ayaz Memon and Ajoy Bose will join the channel’s primetime coverage from 8 to 11pm.
By Ranjona Banerji
In case you missed the context, CNN-News 18 claims to be a “news” channel which one presumes means there are journalists somewhere within.
But we felt it would be prudent to resist the temptation of jumping to conclusions and not rush through the analysis. So, we waited for the scenario to stabilise, till viewership data for at least a few weeks had trickled in.
By Ranjona Banerji
By Pradyuman Maheshwari