News Broadcasting
Al Jazeera to go public; US pressure seen as being involved
MUMBAI: Al Jazeera – possibly the most controversial media entity of the recent times in the Middle East, and a wholly financed company by the Qatari government – is accelerating plans to sell off the channel to private buyers. In order to maintain a certain control over editorial content, the channel is even contemplating going public.
The move is widely perceived as being influenced by increasing pressure from the US authorities, more so because Qatar is a key ally of the the Bush administration in the region.
As regards the quantum of equity that will be open to the public, Qatari government spokesperson Jihad Ballut has been quoted by AFP as saying: “There will be restrictions in the shares offer and we don’t know (yet) if it will be on offer locally, regionally or internationally.”
According to reports in sections of Arab and Western media, a spokesperson for the channel said that the form of privatisation would be decided over the coming months.
Media reports suggest that the task of the channel would be to explore the best possibility for a sell out. The reason sighted by senior Qatari officials is that the pressure has been so intense that “We really have a headache, not just from the United States but from advertisers and from other countries as well.”
The government is accelerating plans to put Al Jazeera on the market. Though Bush administration officials counter that a privately owned station in the region may be no better from their point of view.
The channel’s audience range has been estimated to be approximately 30 million to 50 million. Despite a wide audience; the reach does not translate into profitability, and the station relies vastly on subsidy from the Qatari government. The official is also quoted saying that Qatar hoped to find a buyer within a year.
The channel gained popularity after displaying taped messages of Osama Bin Laden and anti Bush reports during and post Afghanistan and Iraq war. Qatari sponsored channel has been criticised largely by the US authorities for broadcasting inflammatory information against US.
The channel is planning to launch an English-language channel, Al Jazeera International and also to start up a documentary channel and kids’ channel in 2005.
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.
