News Broadcasting
Brian Williams to leave CNBC show
NEW YORK: As he prepares to succeed Tom Brokaw as the anchor of the NBC Nightly News after the 2004 presidential election, Brian Williams is shedding a high-profile assignment on one of the network’s cable channels.
Beginning in January, CNBC’s The News with Brian Williams will have a different anchor, NBC News announced on 10 November. Williams has been the anchor of the one-hour, prime-time news program on CNBC since July 2002, when NBC News shifted it from a sister channel, MSNBC, to make room for the short-lived return to television of Phil Donahue.
“We are heading into an incredibly busy news cycle in 2004 with the primary season, the conventions, the Olympics and the elections,” NBC News president Neal Shapiro said. “With the transition at ‘Nightly’ on the horizon, it’s more important than ever that Williams is able to turn his full attention to the network for the coverage of these stories.”
Nonetheless, the change comes when the ratings for Williams’s program are substantially lower than a year ago. In October the program drew an average of 439,000 viewers, a decrease of 41 per cent from the same month a year ago, when its average viewership was 743,000, according to Nielsen Media Research.
But NBC executives said that the decision to relieve Williams of his duties had nothing to do with ratings, and that they considered such comparisons unfair. In October 2002, they said, Williams’ ratings – along with those of other news programs – were unusually high because of coverage of the sniper shootings in the Washington area.
Last month, they pointed out that Williams was frequently absent from his program, as he traveled to Rome (for the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II) and to California (for the recall election) on behalf of NBC News.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
