News Broadcasting
Attenborough concludes his look at life on earth on BBC One with cold-blooded animals
MUMBAI: Sir David Attenborough concludes his epic overview of life on earth with new perceptions of cold-blooded animals in the show Life In Cold Blood. The show is a co-production between BBC and Animal Planet and will air in the UK on BBC One.
Attenborough says, “Reptiles and amphibians are sometimes thought of as slow, dim-witted and primitive. In fact, they can be lethally fast, spectacularly beautiful, surprisingly affectionate and extremely sophisticated.”
He first brought viewers Life on Earth, then The Private Life Of Plants, followed by The Life Of Birds, The Life Of Mammals and Life In The Undergrowth.
Now, using the latest in filming technology from the BBC’s Natural History Unit – including ultra-high-speed, thermal, miniature and on-board cameras – Attenborough reveals the surprising and intimate lives of the cold-blooded reptiles and amphibians, discovering the secret of their survival. After all, they have ruled the earth for nearly 200 million years and, today, there are well over 14,000 species.
From the largest and most dangerous reptiles on earth demonstrating tender and sensual courtship, to tortoises and horned chameleons jousting dramatically, flashing anolis lizards and waving jacky dragons, the Life In Cold Blood team capture previously unseen behaviour bringing their unknown lives to the screen as never before.
Tiny scarlet frogs engage in sumo wrestling, baby worm-like caecilians feast on their mother’s skin, mother salamanders viciously defend their broods against marauders and spectacled caiman are filmed taking care of crèches of up to 100 young.
After each main programme, there is a 10-minute feature, “Under The Skin,” produced in collaboration with the Open University in the UK. It follows Attenborough as he examines the technology used by scientists that enable the team to bring this incredible animal behaviour to the small screen.
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.
