News Broadcasting
CNN launches a suite of free video podcasts
MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN has announced the launch of six online video podcasts, regularly updated newscasts and programming produced specifically for digital video players.
The video podcasts, in addition to CNN’s audio podcasting products, are available for free at www.CNN.com/podcasting and at iTunes.
CNN.com senior VP, GM David Payne says, “For the most part, the podcasting audience skews much younger than CNN’s television viewers and, perhaps surprisingly, somewhat younger than even users of CNN.com. They were raised during the age of the Internet, not that of the 6 o’clock news. They don’t necessarily want to see polished newscasts, but they want to see the action and make judgments for themselves. So we have produced original podcasts in a format that appeals to their fast-paced lifestyles and varied interests.”
CNN producers designed each of the podcasts specifically for the small digital video player screen, although they may also be played on personal computers and other devices. The format also allowed CNN.com to offer programming with more raw footage, high-impact video, edgy humor and experimental content.
CNN’s video podcasts include All Access – Backstage Pass. This is a behind-the-scenes look at how CNN journalists get their stories. The launch of video podcasting marks the latest digital product from CNN. In June 2005, CNN.com began offering free video to all of its users. In December 2005, the site launched CNN Pipeline, an on-demand broadband video service that puts users in control of multiple live video streams, CNN’s video archives and on-demand news clips from CNN’s unmatched newsgathering operation around the world.
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.
