News Headline
Kerala gets another News channel, TV New
MUMBAI: Kerala is all set to get a new News channel, thanks to the affluent Malayali community in the Middle East. Real Video Impact, which is funded by four wealthy investors from the Middle East and the directors of the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is launching Malayali News channel christened TV New from 14 July.
The launch day will see news and soft programmes with full-fledged reporting to begin within 15 days. The weekends will have feature shows such as musical programmes that will be youth as well as family oriented. News will focus on the Malayali community in the state and the NRIs with majority of it being political news. Apart from that, focus will also be on the economy and development of the state that will allow the younger generation to be more business oriented.
Broadcasting from Intelsat 17, the channel will be available to 80 per cent of Kerala through MSOs Asianet Cable Vision and Kerala Communicators Cable while DTH platforms are yet to be brought on board. Nearly Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore is being spent as carriage fees.
The CEO and editor-in-chief of the channel is former Indiavision news editor Bhagath Chandrasekhar, who along with three others came up with an idea to launch the channel that focuses on positive news and nurture entrepreneurship. “The year 2004 saw the first News channel being launched in Kerala and now in 2014 we have the courage to start a new form of journalism,” he says.
Chandrasekhar is managing a team of 257 people. Reporters and camerapersons are placed in headquarters (HQ) Kochi with bureaus in Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Dubai and Qatar. The HQ has a 12,000 square feet 360 degree studio with Panasonic 250 HD cameras. “We had started preparations in January 2013 and within a year the channel is going on air which is positive and assuring,” Chandrasekhar shares. The 19 bureaus also have live connectivity with the HQ with cameras and servers from Grass Valley.
Work is on to get advertisers on board but Chandrasekhar isn’t expecting any wonders. “We will approach advertisers with good ratings. We don’t expect that within a month or two we will conquer the market. But we will try to breakeven by the first year itself,” he says optimistically. He adds that the investment in the channel is to the tune of Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore.
The marketing campaign, for which approximately Rs 1 crore has been kept aside, is set to run for three months beginning from the launch day with special focus on Onam. The thrust will be on outdoor hoardings and transport buses with nearly 150 hoardings being booked all over Kerala of above 1000 square feet. Two newspapers and three to five magazines will be targeted immediately post launch.
As time processes, TV spots will be bought on a few national channels after a few months to target the Malayali diaspora in India as well as abroad. Radio spots too will be bought after a month to promote time-band based properties. The creatives for the same have been done by TV New creative head Sumesh Lal with the planning being executed by an in-house team.
“Though Kerala is a crowded market, we strongly believe that content is the king. We have a very energetic, talented, young, well informed and well groomed news team. And time and again we will evaluate our content,” says TV New VP sales and marketing Shine Leadit Joy.
The current News channels in Malayalam are Indiavision, Asianet News, Manorama News, Mathrubhumi News, Reporter TV and People TV.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
