News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak’s ‘Chunavi Qawwali’ adds flavour to Elections 2004
MUMBAI: All news channels, be it Star News, NDTV, Aaj Tak, Sahara Samay or even Zee News are looking at making political sattires in the light of the upcoming elections. But Aaj Tak has gone a step ahead and is all set to grab maximum eyeballs this elections. The news channel has come up with a path-breaking programme to add a unique colour to its election coverage with Chunavi Qawwali.
From 12 April, Aaj Tak started televising a colourful and musical show that takes an unconventional look at the elections. The show aims at capturing the essence of the great electoral battle through rhyme and repartee, rather than the regular fare of reports, interviews and analysis.
Running Monday through Friday at 10:30 pm, this is the first time that qawaali has been used to communicate the various election agendas, claims and counter claims of political parties.
Aaj Tak endeavors to deliver contemporary issues pertaining to the general elections to its viewers in a form that has in the past been used for themes such as romance, religious devotion and at times social messages. This style of programming gets across complicated and confusing agendas of politicians to the electorate in a simple and humorous manner.
Chunavi Qawwali demonstrates the various charges levied by the leading political parties against each other in the form of parodies. The qawwali comprises two teams representing two major political groups, parties or individual led factions. It is set in a royal and elegant location and with participants dressed in an apt manner and this adds to the strong humorous element in the show. The qawaali has both teams fighting it out amongst themselves to create a favorable opinion and support. What the programme actually does is to bring out the truth and behind-the-scene elements pertaining to the various issues. Chunavi Qawwali enables Aaj Tak to portray the various angles to the issues that is generally not possible in normal news bulletins.
Chunaavi Qawalli is another testimony to Aaj Tak’s efforts at adding greater value to its viewing experience and it is through the use of such innovative formats that viewers will be treated to a complete election news experience, which will cover all aspects.
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.
