News Broadcasting
GoM to review print sector vis-a-vis FIIs
NEW DELHI: Giving away a fact that there must have been some internal differences on the matter, the Indian government, today said that a ministerial group will review the whole print medium sector vis-?-vis foreign investments (FII).
“A group of ministers (GoM) would review the entire print medium sector vis-a-vis publications of foreign journals and newspapers in India and the foreign investment allowed at present,” information and broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy today told journalists during a briefing of a Cabinet meeting. The I&B ministry had taken some media-related issues to the Union Cabinet, including amendments to an antiquated Press Registration Bureau Act, in the light of the fact that The International Herald Tribune has started publication from India in what the government feels is a breach of the letter and spirit of existing guidelines on the issue.
Though Reddy made it clear that the proposed GoM is unlikely to have a say in foreign investment norms for the television sector, he did not rule out over turning of the previous government’s decision allowing up to 26 per cent foreign investment in the news category of the print medium and up to 74 per cent in the technical journal category.
“How can I predict what view the GoM would take? One of the options could be to make the present guidelines (on foreign investment in print medium) more stringent,” he cautiously said.
The changes in the foreign investment norms in the print medium was brought about in 2002, after hectic lobbying by a section of media companies, by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government. That there were some differences within the Union Cabinet on the issue of amendment in the PRB Act and the IHT case could be seen from the fact the compromise formula was the suggestion on formation of a GoM, rather than okay an I&B ministry proposal, envisaging a slew of changes.
The GoM, which does not have any time frame for its recommendations at the moment, would look at the print medium sector, violations of guidelines occurring therein and what could be done keeping in mind the changing national and global scenario.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
