News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak all geared up for the upcoming budget
MUMBAI: All eyes are glued on the UPA government and its forthcoming budget. To keep abreast with the happenings as well as to mark the run-up to the Union Budget 2004, Aaj Tak has drawn a comprehensive programming schedule which has been on air since 26 June.
The master-branding for Aaj Tak’s complete budget-related programming is Suniye Vitt Mantri Ji. This includes live reactions with the man on the street from various locations across the country at 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm, interviews with industry leaders, analysis of the various budget-related issues apart from the reactions of the various political parties at 6:30 and 10:30 pm with a repeat telecast the next day at 8:15 am.
To highlight the needs and apprehensions of the general family, Aaj Tak has introduced a special segment called Sharmaji Ka Khandaan. This is the most important segment in the budget programming on Aaj Tak. This programme focuses on a real middle-class Delhi-based family, and based on its interview with the various members of the family, the channel depicts the aspirations and apprehensions of the middle class Indian family. Various other segments will focus on the wish-list of different sectors like industries, trade, union, farmers, markets, etc thus capturing the shift in policy and aspirations from the UPA government.
The budget day programming would comprise live coverage of the finance minister P Chidambaram’s speech followed by expert comments, and panel discussions focusing on the stock market investors, the political economy and the different segments of the society.
Aaj Tak has also drawn a comprehensive programming schedule around the railway budget. Focusing on India’s life-line, Rail kA Khel will be a run-up to the railway budget. Aaj Tak already has two programmes Kitne Late Hai Train and Ghar Ghar Jati Rail on air under the umbrella branding. These programmes focus on various topics related to the railways and its operations. Each of these segments are of five minutes duration and provide critical analysis on various issues like technology, safety, speed, crime, efficiency, facilitation and services, etc.
On 6 July, the day’s programming would be devoted to the railway budget and will be live from 11 am. Christened Laloo Ki Rail, the coverage includes a live chat on the budget from all zonal headquarters of the Indian Railways, with special reference to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Patna and Lucknow. In the evening, Aaj Tak will air an in-depth analysis of the railway budget and its implications on the rail travelers. This would be followed by an interview with the railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav. The railway programming will conclude with a live audience interaction with Yadav and former railway ministers Nitish Kumar, CK Jafar Sharif and Suresh Kalmadi and will be aired live from one of the make-shift studios being prepared by Aaj Tak at one of the railway stations in Delhi.
Speaking on the budget-related programming TV Today Network’s spokesperson Rajesh Sheshadri said, “As a channel for the masses it would be our endeavor to provide the common man’s perspective as well as the implication of the budget on the masses.”
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.
