News Broadcasting
BBC unveils future plans for its New Media unit
MUMBAI: BBC New Media in the UK has announced how it proposes to reallocate investment from its current online budget to help fund new broadband and innovative projects that support the BBC’s public values.
To achieve the 10 per cent growth target set by the board of governors, the BBC will to employ a range of solutions, including the closure of some sites, the reduction of investment and increased focus in others, as well as make savings through operational efficiencies.
The BBC has set itself the target of saving £6 milion on its new media unit. This will be made by the end of the financial year 2005/06 and will be reinvested in new media projects more closely aligned to the purposes of the BBC as set out in Building Public Value. BBC director of new media and technology Ashley Highfield said, “This is all about focussing our investment so that we can best use our funding to reach and delight the largest audiences with the most distinctive and original content.
“It is about preparing ourselves for the broadband world. In order to free up the required funding we need to behave like Television and Radio. In other words, decommission, reduce funding or archive web content that no longer needs this level of investment or which may have become amply supplied by the market.
It is an ongoing process for bbc.co.uk. These changes build on the first steps we took in July to close those websites which we felt did not offer sufficient distinctive public value for the investment required.
“The savings we made in July represented 2.5 per cent of our web output. To meet the 10 per cent target set out by the BBC Governors, we are announcing a further 7.5 per cent reduction to be achieved through lowering investment in areas where we feel this will not cause a reduction in public value, and by sharing resources with the commercial world.”
The US Sports section of bbc.co.uk/sport and the local history site, bbc.co.uk/legacies, will close down because of similarities with the existing market and insufficient value for money, respectively. Funding for bbc.co.uk/cult will be reduced, with the exception of the Doctor Who section, to support the forthcoming series on BBC Oe. bbc.co.uk/lifestyle will continue to operate, but with a more modest investment.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
