News Broadcasting
BBC World Service invites audience to help create interactive drama
MUMBAI: BBC World Service’s weekday magazine programme Outlook is doing an interactive drama collaboration that asks listeners to help create a play – Kim’s Game – to be broadcast in the World Drama slot on 16 February.
The idea is that Outlook listeners will steer the writer Jonathan Myerson in his scripting of the full 60-minute play.
In Kim’s Game, a young woman walks into a London police station with no idea of who she is or how she got there.
She goes on Outlook to explain her predicament on air and to ask if anyone out there knows her. Her plea appears online as a blog, with pictures of the objects that she has with her – which include a key and two photos.
She calls herself Kim – after the game in which listeners have to look at objects on a tray and then remember them when they are removed. Meanwhile, she tries to regain her memory. What does the key open? Who is the young man in the photo, which seems to have been torn in half?
Listeners are invited to post comments identifying the pictures or the key, suggesting who the young woman might be and what might have happened to her. Each day, she will learn more about herself from the listeners.
When other clues turn up, Outlook’s listeners are invited to contribute. Perhaps there is a song she can’t get out of her head? What does it mean? Perhaps the door which can be opened by the key is found – what lies behind it?
Finally, the young woman discovers something that raises big questions about how she came to be where she is.
News Broadcasting
News18 hosts Tamil Nadu town hall ahead of 2026 polls
MK Stalin headlines ‘Next Big Leap’ event from 10am on 23 February in Chennai with leaders and icons.
MUMBAI: Tamil Nadu’s political pot is simmering and News18’s town hall is stirring it up just in time for the 2026 assembly elections boilover. Set for 23 February from 10am onwards in Chennai, the News18 Network Town Hall gathers heavyweights under the banner ‘The Next Big Leap for Tamil Nadu’ to dissect the state’s political pulse, economic edge, and cultural clout. With the 234-seat assembly contest looming as a fiercely competitive showdown, the event spotlights how Tamil Nadu’s identity-driven politics and engaged voters continue to ripple across national debates.
Chief minister MK Stalin leads the charge with a keynote on the theme, sketching his government’s blueprint for governance, development, and staying power pre-polls. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin chimes in on ‘Voices, Vision & Way Forward’, unpacking generational shifts and fresh narratives. From the opposition corner, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami tackles ‘Baton Change at the Ballot?’, floating alternatives to the status quo.
Economic vibes get a nudge from industries minister TRB Rajaa on ‘Investment Story Intact?’, probing the state’s draw for big bucks. BJP’s K Annamalai dives into ‘People, Trust & Political Ideology’, positioning his party in the Dravidian-dominated turf. IT Minister Palanivel ThiagaRajan explores ‘Code, Capacity & Citizenship’, on tech’s role in citizen-focused services. TVK’s KG Arunraj questions if ‘Winds of Change are Possible’ in this pattern-prone state.
A panel on innovation features IIT Madras director Prof V Kamakoti, M&M’s Velusamy R, and Electronic Industries Association’s Dr Sasikumar Gendham, musing how AI and knowledge hubs are remaking opportunities. AICC’s Praveen Chakravarty weighs ‘Power Sharing vs Principles’, while former Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan joins the fray. Culture gets its due with composer Anirudh Ravichander on ‘Tamil Music for the World’.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar noted, “The News18 Network Tamil Nadu Town Hall… reflects our core editorial focus, to capture the political mood of the state and spotlight the ideas that will shape the next phase of governance and growth.”
Network18, CEO of English & business news Smriti Mehra added, “As Tamil Nadu moves closer to a defining electoral moment… we see it as our responsibility to drive informed and meaningful conversations.”
Network18 managing editor for South, Vivek Narayan said, “The News18 Network Townhall in Tamil Nadu is designed as a platform where policy, politics and public interest intersect.”
Backed by associate partners Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles and Reliance Industries, the live event streams on CNN-News18, News18 Tamil, CTV, and Youtube from 10am on 23 February perfect for catching the sparks, even if you’re not knee-deep in Dravidian drama.
