News Broadcasting
Pew ranks CNN US as top news source for Hurricane Katrina
MUMBAI: Television, and cable news channels in particular are the main sources of news for most Americans during a crisis. That was again the case for Hurricane Katrina. In a survey the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press revealed CNN to be the number one source in the US for news about Hurricane Katrina. The results are based on a national survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by Pew on 6 and 7 September 2005.
The survey, conducted in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, found that of those surveyed, 31 per cent cited CNN as one of their main sources for news about Hurricane Katrina, more than any other branded news source. The Fox News Channel and MSNBC also saw sizable, though smaller, audience gains from Katrina. Cable television – CNN in particular – made the greatest gains in audience and was the leading news source during coverage of Hurricane Katrina, up 13 percentage points in viewership in June.
Americans who reported CNN as one of their primary sources of news were more likely to have made a donation to help those affected by the hurricane than Americans who cited the Fox News Channel, the broadcast networks or newspapers as a main source for Hurricane Katrina news. As occurred after 9/11 and during the start of the war in Iraq, the proportion of Americans who cited cable news channels as a main source of news grew dramatically.
In this instance, CNN made the greatest gains. In June, 18 per cent of Americans cited CNN as a source of most of their news about national and international issues. Following Katrina,
Television’s larger audience came at the expense of newspapers, the internet and radio. While still a primary source of information for many Americans on the disaster, all three are cited less frequently in this situation than under normal circumstances. Overall, two-thirds give news organizations excellent (28 per cent) or good (37 per cent) ratings for their coverage of the impact of Katrina. This is considerably more favourable than the public’s ratings a year ago for press coverage of the presidential election campaign. Current evaluations of coverage are in line with views of other major recent events, though considerably lower than the overwhelmingly positive media ratings following 9/11 (56 per cent excellent, 33 per cent good).
All in all, most (62 per cent ) said that the amount of coverage given to Katrina’s aftermath is appropriate, while less than a quarter (21 per cent ) said that there has been too much. There is a considerable partisan divide on this, however  Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say there has been too much coverage of the impact of Katrina (27 per cent vs 15 per cent).
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.
