News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak lines up mega programming fare for year end
MUMBAI: As the year draws to a close, special programming has been lined up by Aaj Tak, which will capture the essence of the year that was, and look into what the future has in store. Spanning over 30 and 31 December, the programming will have a mix of information, insight and entertainment.
Some of the he major segments comprising a mix of the serious, the satirical and humorous are as follows:
Sabse Tez – This 30-minutes programme would focus on the personalities from the fields of politics, sports, entertainment and business, who were in the limelight for all the right reasons. Using the quintessential by-line of the channel, the “sabse tez” personalities would be nominated on the basis of their intelligence as well as their ability to have done quickly the right thing at the right time. This will be aired on 30 December at 10:30 pm with a repeat telecast on 31 December at 9:30 am and 2:30 pm.
Kismat Aapki Cards Hamare – The two-hour live program would be Aaj Tak’s way of looking at the future and what all 2005 has in store for big personalities as well as our viewers. Astrologer Meenakshi, will be in the studios to present an in-depth and engrossing chat as to what the stars have to say about the future. The future of famous people like Sonia Gandhi, Shahrukh Khan, Anil Ambani, Sushmita Sen would be discussed as also the future of all the star signs. This will be aired on 31 December from 6 pm to 8 pm.
Socha Na Tha – The program would encapsulate some major events and controversies that happened in 2004 that no one had anticipated. The program would be done in a tongue-in-cheek manner with the right mix of humour, sarcasm and responsible news analysis. This will be aired on 31 December from 10 pm to 11 pm.
Agar Aisa Hota – This will be a half hour program hosted by comedian Jaspal Bhatti. As the name suggests, the program will try to vision how things would have been in case certain things would have worked out a certain way. For example actress Mallika Sherawat once said during the year that she should be made the Censor board chief. Also there are examples like, had Ambani been poor, how would they have fought, what would happen had Sonia been the prime minister? This will be aired on 31 December at 9:30 pm with a repeat telecast on 1 January at 9:30 am and 2:30 pm.
Khabar Matlab Aaj Tak – This show will highlight some of Aaj Tak’s major news breaking stories that had political or social fallouts. This show will run through the day. For example Miss India Laxmi’s crown was taken back after it was first reported on Aaj Tak that she is married; 30 Delhi Police officials were suspended after Aaj Tak caught these officials on camera taking bribes, Uma Bharati first lashed out against Pramod Mahajan in an exclusive interview to Aaj tak thereby leading to political fallouts that ultimately resulted in her ouster from the BJP. This will aired on 31 December throughout the day.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
