News Broadcasting
CNN to launch health show ‘Vital Signs’
MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN’s chief medical correspondent and practicing neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at the world of medicine in Vital Signs.
This is a new monthly, half-hour programme on CNN International. From China to Peru and Jerusalem to Japan, Dr. Gupta travels the globe looking for important medical breakthroughs, secrets to aging well, and clues that might solve medical mysteries.
CNN International senior VP Katherine Green says, “We are excited about this new program and the wealth of knowledge that Dr. Gupta can bring to our viewers regarding the field of medicine and its significance around the world”.
The first episode which airs on 27 November at 7:30 pm with repeats on 29 November at 1:30 pm and on 30 November at 9:30 am, 2 pm and at 8 pm looks at tuberculosis, one of the world’s most easily transmittable diseases. Dr. Gupta reports from Lima, Peru, a place that has become a surprising success story in the fight against drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Tokyo correspondent Kyung Lah also reports from Okinawa on a very active aging population in their ‘90s and 100’s defying the physical odds of old age. While the 100–year old crowd is healthy, their children are dying younger and at the highest rate anywhere in Japan. Vital Signs goes to find out just why this is.
Gupta says, “I’m really looking forward to talking to our global viewers about some of the major global health issues that impact us all in our rapidly shrinking world — as well as hearing from viewers about what concerns them most through our interactive Q&A opportunities via CNN.com and NNmobile”.
Regular segments in the programme that feature Dr. Gupta include ‘Doc Talk’, where he shares the buzz in the medical community; ‘Medical Myth Busters’, where he identifies medical myths that some doctors believe to be true; and ‘On the Frontlines’, where he and a number of CNN contributors report from the field on a specific issue.
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.
