News Broadcasting
BBC publishes Corporate Social Responsibility report
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has published its Corporate Social Responsibility Review for 2005 and it is full of stories and insights into how the BBC is living its commitment to corporate citizenship and to delivering public value through its services to audiences.
BBC DG Mark Thompson said, “The review highlights the undiminished commitment of our staff to deliver on the BBC’s aspiration to enrich the lives of communities in the UK and around the world. The review highlights what work is already being done and our challenge is to use the opportunities of new technologies and a more creative, open BBC to build on this work over the years ahead.”
Among the many diverse areas and issues the BBC are addressing are Disability, Volunteering and active Citizenship. The BBC hosted its biggest-ever Disability Forum in October, aimed at opening fresh dialogue on the portrayal of disability on-screen, recruitment of disabled staff and how technology can improve access to BBC services.
It followed the launch of a new BBC diversity strategy in April. 2005 was also the year of the volunteer and the BBC helped inspire mass audiences to take action with some dramatic outcomes.
The week-long DoNation season, highlighting the critical issue of organ donation, was directly responsible for adding 100,000 extra names to the organ donor register and an on-air and online partnership between BBC Radio 2 and TimeBank prompted thousands of new volunteers to sign up to give time in their community.
The BBC’s Corporate Social Responsibility Unit was established in 2003 to oversee the BBC: “Living our values with integrity and ethical consistency towards our own people, our audiences, our business suppliers and the communities in which we operate”.
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.
