News Broadcasting
NewsX undergoes makeover, gets new name
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Eighteen months after it was bought over by Indi Media from Indrani and Peter Mukerjea, the English news channel NewsX is all set to take on a new identity: it will be known as IMN News from July.
The change in the name of the channel to Independent Media Network News will also mean a change in the name of the company. But the new nomenclature will be known only after one of the three names, proposed by Indi Media, is approved.
Jehangir S Pocha, who had formed a joint venture with NaiDunia promoter and CEO Vinay Chhajlani to take over INX News in January last year, did not rule out more ventures in media after the re-launch of NewsX as IMN News. Pocha, who is a former editor of Businessworld, was categorical that any new venture would be in the non-fiction sphere.
Introducing the new name and logo, he told mediapersons that the entire news channel would undergo a complete change with new programmes and formats. He also stressed that the channel would not ‘personalise news’ – that is, individual presenters or anchors will not be promoted as it is being done by some other channels.
Pocha said that the new brand name and look had been developed by Argentina-based broadcast design house Stein Branding and the new sets were being created by James Yates Design in New York.
He said, unlike other news channels, IMN News would have a clear screen and not cluttered with several scrolls running simultaneously. There will be just one half-hour slot on entertainment, he said, reacting to a comment that most news channels thrive on cricket, cinema and crime. He said crime would not be played up as is being done by some channels, particularly in the regional and Hindi sphere.
Answering a question, he said around 15 to 25 new stories would be covered everyday, with just three or four being played up if necessary. He stressed that there would be no ‘noisy shouting’.
He was categorical that the aim would be to present news that is non-tabloid in nature and contemporary. Around 12 to 14 new programmes are being launched simultaneously though he indicated that the popular India Inc business programme would continue.
Talking about the logo, he emphasised that the morning beam and evening beam will have different colours in keeping with the mood of the day. He also said a new website will be launched, imnews.com.
Stressing that the new organisation had cut costs since it took over the channel, he said the number of staff had come down from 450 to around 327, of which 65 per cent were on the edit and journalistic side. Outside the country, the channel has bureaus only in New York and London.
While ruling out any financial investment by any other media group from India or overseas, he said that arrangements for getting news are being worked out with Voice of America and a Pakistani news channel.
He said TBWA is handling the advertising for the channel.
IMN News will continue to be beamed from INSAT 4A, which has a footprint over south and South East Asia and parts of the Arab world.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
