News Broadcasting
Media ought to regulate itself, says Punjab Guv
NEW DELHI: Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh V P Singh Badnore today said that the media should develop a self-regulatory mechanism to present to the government a true picture of the issues concerning people as this would help in finding solutions.
Addressing the Regional Editors’ Conference in Chandigarh, the Governor cited some incidents of paid news, and said the media should come forward to check this menace. He invited public suggestions to improve the infrastructure and public conveniences in Chandigarh.
Organiser Press Information Bureau’s director general (media and communications) A P Frank Naronha said the Government considers media as an important stakeholder in its agenda of development. “The media has an onerous responsibility as both a facilitator and a watchdog to ensure that the fruits of development are reaching the deserving,” he said. He added the media, especially the regional media, could play an important role in this venture.
During the inaugural session, home minister Rajnath Singh and member of Parliament Kirron Kher were also present.
Naronha said the Regional Editors Conference had been organized with an objective to provide an opportunity to the editors of the regional press to interact directly with ministers on crucial issues concerning their respective ministries. While the participants would get to know the relevant context and deeper background behind a particular initiative, programmes and policies, it would also help the policy makers in getting the feedback from the media which could be useful for improvement, he said.
Highlighting the role of PIB, Naronha said that, besides traditional modes of communication, PIB was also reaching the regional press and public through social media in big way to make them aware of government programmes.
In the two-day conference, six central Ministries – Home, Women & Child Development, Road Transport & Highways, Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution, Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, and Development for North East region are participating. Ministers would preside over the respective sessions, and address the editors about policy issues and initiatives.
In the conference, editors from the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram and Chandigarh are taking part.
This is the third Regional Editors’ Conference being organized by PIB during this calendar year. The earlier Regional Editors’ Conferences this year were held in Jaipur and Chennai.
The PIB also reaches out to the regional media through its regional and branch offices and through special initiatives like press tours and ‘Vartalap’ or Rural Media Workshop at the district level.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
