News Broadcasting
Insat-3C to be finally launched on 23 January
The much-delayed Indian satellite Insat-3C is now all set for a 23 January liftoff.
According to satellite launch partner Arianespace, the Ariane 4 rocket, which will be used for Flight 147 is now ready, following the integration of Insat-3C atop the vehicle. Final checkout of the spacecraft and launcher are now underway, on schedule, for the 23 January launch, the space agency reports.
Insat-3C will be the eighth Indian satellite boosted into orbit by Europe’s Ariane launcher, and it will provide telecommunications and TV transmission services for the Indian subcontinent. Last week, Isro chairman K Kasturirangan had said that the launch window of Insat-3C will open on 22 January, although he did not give any definite dates about the actual launch.
Insat-3C will be launched from Kourou in French Guyana. The satellite was earlier scheduled for launch in November 2001 on an Ariane-5 rocket but after a flight failure, the launch vehicle was changed to an Ariane-4 rocket. The satellite was then to be launched on 16 January, but last minute preparations pushed the launch date further ahead. If all goes well, India will now have Insat-3C in orbit within the next week.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
