News Broadcasting
Sharp analysis, credibility: Need of the hour for news channels
NEW DELHI: In a special ongoing training workshop organised by the Jagran group of newspapers proposed news channel, Channel 7, the consensus was clearly in favour of more authentic reportage backed by a razor sharp analysis of news.
Well known personalities from various walks of society such as Dr Sanjaya Baru, media advisor to the Prime Minister; former police commissioner Arun Bhagat, noted media personality Madhu Trehan, MPs Sachin Pilot and Navjot Singh Sidhu in their special address stressed on the need for news channels to act as credible guiding forces for the viewers.
Highlighting the importance of organising a training session, Jagran TV director Siddhartha Gupta said, “With a slew of television channels around media professionals are churned out at an unbelievable speed. Unlike a decade ago, the media scene, especially that of television has become exceedingly cut throat. Quality training is as important to the continued growth of the television industry as development funding, production investment and marketing.”
Finer details of television journalism will be imparted by experts to the team of Channel 7 at this forum. Most importantly though, this workshop is not about learning what or how “television news is done,” but about how Channel 7 aims to do it. The “learning workshop” is at present going on.
In the course of the next few days, the workshop will focus on coverage related to law and media by minister of state of science and tech and lawyer Kapil Sibal, international coverage by Saeed Naqvi and right wing Journalism by former deputy editor of India Today Swapan Dasgupta.
To provide a snapshot of some of the opinions expressed during the course of the discussions so far:
DR Sanjaya Baru: Television journalism should move beyond mere news reporting to in-depth analysis of news. Todays journalists should become the flag bearers of change and bring about a transformation in journalism.
Arun Bhagat: News channels need to be more sensitive in their reportage and should present the facts in a new format. Reporting must not be restricted to only crime related stories and all stories ought to be thoroughly investigated.
Madhu Trehan: News anchors need to be more persistent while following a story idea. Sensitivity should reflect in coverage especially in news related to accidents and other calamities.
Sachin Pilot: Television in India has not yet reached a mature stage. The youth of this country has always bought about change and has the potential to do so even in the television industry.
Channel 7 will be launched in March and is being distributed by Jagran TV Pvt. Limited.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
