News Broadcasting
Vatican drama has viewers hooked to TV news stations
MUMBAI: The death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI seems to have done wonders on the ratings front for television.
During the seven days following the Pope’s death, according to Nielsen Media Research, CNN saw its daytime ratings jump about 40 per cent vis-à-vis March 2005, while MSNBC’s viewership was up by about 30 per cent.
Coming to the new Pope’s induction, although official ratings are not yet out, agency reports stated that news channel heads were very upbeat about the viewing news numbers.
News channel executives are also very disheartened that the selection of the new Pope was completed so quickly.
There is no doubt that for news organisations, the benefit of a big news story like this is often more ethereal than financial considering advertisers buy commercial time much in advance.
But stories like this one, gives news units a chance to showcase competitive advantage and add to their image equity.
News channels as a practice spend millions to prepare for events like these in advance. For instance, NBC News had their infrastructure near the Vatican in place for years, in case something happened to the Pope in a sudden turn of events.
Stories like these don’t come often and news broadcaster are expected to cover cover stories like these intensively and hence there is a cost associated with that.
Apart for broadcasters benefiting, news websites reportedly also received considerable surge of hits when Pope Benedict was announced. Streaming videos of the coverage was also in demand and an estimated 100,000 streams was delivered.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
