News Broadcasting
NBC correspondent Bloom another media casualty in Iraq
NEW YORK: David Bloom, an NBC News correspondent travelling with the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division outside Baghdad, died yesterday, The broadcaster said that the 39-year-old husband and father of three, died of an apparent pulmonary embolism.
Bloom reported on many top stories for NBC and served as White House correspondent, Weekend Today anchor and field reporter. In a career that spanned nearly 20 years Bloom covered many top stories for NBC News, most recently reporting from Israel on the escalating violence in the Middle East and from the United States on home-front security and the recovery efforts at Ground Zero in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
In his most recent assignment while travelling with the 2nd Battalion, 315 Mechanised Unit of the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in its push toward Baghdad. Bloom broadcast live reports as the American armoured column he was traveling with fought its way north through the Iraqi desert.
Bloom and the crew covered the war on a specially modified M-88 tank recovery vehicle that allowed them to file live reports during the division’s campaign from Kuwait to the outskirts of Baghdad. Bloom’s reports from Iraq for NBC News, MSNBC TV and MSNBC.com drew attention to him and his news organization.
Paying tribute to Bloom NBC’s VP network news operations Stacy Brady said, “He was very involved in the whole process. Just from his reporting experience, he added in a lot of requirements or needs that he thought would be essential for this to work.”
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.
