News Broadcasting
VOICES TV TO SIMULTANEOUSLY BROADCAST MULTICULTURAL PROGRAMMING IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES
MUMBAI: Canada’s largest ethnic television broadcasting company is all set to unveil their newest venture – a uniquely innovative multicultural television channel that will allow Canadians of all communities and backgrounds to access programming content, be it news, information or entertainment, in the language of their choice, simultaneously.
Aptly titled Voices TV, the channel, a game-changing initiative of the Ethnic Channels Group Ltd (ECG), will focus on regional, national and international news, information, current affairs and entertainment programming to satisfy the needs of all Canadians irrespective of their cultural and linguistic background and ethnicity.
“A key element of our programming strategy for Voices TV is that we will be offering programming in multiple languages simultaneously throughout the broadcast day,” says Slava Levin, CEO of ECG. “We will begin by offering this programming in 10 different languages in the first year of operation using the multiple language feeds. We will increase the number of language feeds to 15 in the second year, 20 in the third year and to 25 by the fourth year of operation.”
To fulfil the growing needs of Canada’s diverse and robust multi-cultural community, Voices TV has developed an inclusive and innovative technological approach to provide multilingual and multi-ethnic programming, to ensure the largest number of Canadians from diverse communities can access programming on this channel, in the language of their choice, throughout the broadcast day.
The attempt is to not just allow people to access multicultural programming in their native language, but also encourage understanding and inclusion among the different diverse communities residing within Canada. “The idea is to cater to the needs of the diverse growing population in the country in a manner that most suits their wants and needs. Currently, over 20 percent of the Canadian population speaks a third language. This number is increasing by 15 percent every 5 years,” says Hari Srinivas, President, ECG.
“What we are essentially trying to do is eradicate language as a barrier when it comes to access to programming. Through the use of this state-of-the-art technology, a Chinese family will be able to access Arabic programming in Chinese. As a result, the possibilities for cultural inclusion and integration truly become endless,” he adds.
The channel will take on the important role of transmitting and dubbing crucial news, information, current affairs and programming that is consistent with the demands of Canada’s population diversity, while operating and broadcasting a minimum of three distinct regional programming feeds to serve audiences in Eastern, Central and Western Canada.
“Voices TV will be a trusted and reliable source of news and information for Canada’s multicultural communities. We will cover news stories and issues that are important to Canada’s multicultural communities across the country from a Canadian perspective. As our give back to the communities we serve, we also plan to produce and broadcast a program entitled Welcome to Canada that will assist new Canadians with their integration into Canadian society and Canadian life. We’re really excited about that!” added Levin
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
