News Broadcasting
Celebrating National Broadcasting Day 2022 on 23 July
Mumbai: National Broadcasting Day is celebrated in India on 23 July to make people aware of the importance of radio. On this day, the journey of All India Radio started in the year 1927.
Why do we celebrate National Broadcasting Day? Let us dig into the details!
This was the day when India got its first radio broadcasting company. A private company named Indian Broadcasting Company Limited (IBC) started its journey as India’s broadcasting company. The Indian broadcasting company started broadcasting radio from Mumbai’s station.
History of National Broadcasting Day
The history of broadcasting in India goes back almost thirteen years to the beginning of All India Radio (AIR). In June 1923, the Radio Club of Bombay in the British Raj broadcast for the first time in the country. Five months later, the Calcutta Radio Club was established but the Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) came into existence on 23 July, 1927.
All India Radio launched
All India Radio has come a long way in India. But broadcasting started in 1927 with just two privately owned transmitters in Bombay and Kolkata. In 1930, the government took these transmitters under its control and started running it under the name of Indian Broadcasting Service. In April 1930, the Indian Broadcasting Service under the Department of Labor and Industrial started its operations on an experimental basis. In May 1935, a private radio station was set up in All India Radio, Mysore.
On 8 June 1936, the Indian State Broadcasting Service known as All India Radio (AIR) was established. In 1956, it was called by the name Akashvani. In 1957, the Vividh Bharati service was started, which created a stir among film and music lovers & became very popular among the public.
What is AIR?
All India Radio or All India Radio (AIR) is India’s domestic national radio broadcasting service reaching millions of homes across the country. AIR is a division of Prasar Bharati which was earlier under government control but is now an autonomous body, established by an Act of Parliament.
India’s public service broadcaster, Prasar Bharati is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in the world. Prasar Bharati has four hundred seventy broadcasting centers across the country, covering about 92 per cent of the country’s area and 99.19 per cent of the total population. It has a reach across 150 countries through medium and short wave services. All India Radio originally broadcasts programs in twenty-three languages and one hundred seventy-nine dialects. As digital takes a lead, the oldest radio broadcaster has turned no stones unturned to stay relevant even in today’s world. It has its online and digital applications too. Prasar Bharati’s NewsonAIR mobile app has more than one million subscribers.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
