News Broadcasting
CNN’s ‘Art Of Life’ targets the discerning viewer
MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN is expanding its feature program line-up with a new monthly show exploring the art of luxury living. Designed for the discerning viewer, Art Of Life will showcase all things elegant, stylish and refined. The first episode airs on 28 January at 6 pm with a repeat on 29 January at 8 pm.
Presented by CNN anchor Monita Rajpal, the show examines the craftsmanship, aesthetics and quality which goes into creating the world’s most valuable items; it takes viewers to some of the world’s most exclusive and exciting locations, and introduces them to the chefs at some of the world’s top restaurants to find out why tables are difficult, and in some cases, impossible to book.
Each month, the show will look at the favourite hobbies and pastimes of the wealthy; and it gains an exclusive look into the carry-on bag of the celebrity jet set as they reveal the latest “indispensable” travel or lifestyle accessory.
CNN Intl senior VP Rena Golden said, “We are delighted to maintain CNN’s tradition of quality programming and to continue to expand our feature program line up in 2006. With the network’s highly affluent, but time-constrained viewer it was a natural move for CNN to create Art Of Life– a show featuring some of the finer things that life has to offer.”
The show will also have its own dedicated online section which will be sponsored by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
