News Broadcasting
PBS gets grant for public affairs channel
MUMBAI: America’s public broadcaster PBS’ president and CEO Pat Mitchell has announced that PBS has received a $200,000 planning grant from the John and James L Knight Foundation.
The funds will support the planning process for a new digital service focussed on public affairs programming.
The project, which has the working title PBS Public Square, will be shaped by an advisory panel of station representatives, producers and thought leaders from the public sector. They will work with PBS senior programming VP Jacoba Atlas. PBS hopes to get the service off the ground in early 2005.
Mitchell was quoted in a company release saying, “This planning grant from Knight Foundation will make it possible for PBS and member stations, with our unique national / local distribution to all Americans, to design an electronic public square. This will be a digital programming service devoted entirely to issues of local, national and global impact. The opportunity to use digital technology to create new ways to inform and engage the public responds directly to our mission and to our commitment as public service media to strengthen and sustain the values of our democracy.”
During the planning phase, PBS will work with a project manager and an advisory panel, which will shortly be announced. Their mandate will be to develop a case study on the need this service will fill and identify the potential audiences that will be served. They will create a programme model for the service as well as a financial model for the service that would include possible revenue sources.
Atlas added, “We envision this service as a way to further enhance the value of award-winning public affairs programming currently on PBS. These include The Newshour With Jim Lehrer, Washington Week, Frontline. This service will also include new programmes and formats designed to deliver timely and compelling television and online content that will engage citizens around the issues of our time.”
PBS already operates two offshoots seen on satellite systems or digital cable. PBS Kids offers children’s programming. PBS You provides adult education programmes.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
