News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati chief urges DD channels to innovate
MUMBAI: Prasar Bharati chief executive K.S. Sarma has asked the pubcaster’s regional channels to come up with innovative concepts. Speaking at the inauguration of DD Sahyadri’s third Navratna awards in Mumbai on 14 April, Sarma praised DD Mumbai’s initiative around the awards, urging other kendra’s to institute regional awards too.
DD’s Sahyadri Navaratna Awards recognise the efforts of Maharashtra-originating individuals in nine spheres, right from singing to business to dance etc.
In his speech, Sarma appreciated the efforts of DD Sahyadri director Mukesh Sharma in conceiving and making the Navratna Awards a success. (DD Sahyadri and Indiantelevision.com had jointly worked on the first Sahyadri awards).
“Mumbai Dordarshan has been unique in organising such an event. Other channels from the Prasar Bharati bouquet should also try their hand at doing something like this”, he said.
One of the 25 regional channels of Prasar Bharati, DD Sahyadri is the only one with no free slot in its 18 hours per day schedule, he pointed out.
Sarma admitted that commercial pressures were increasingly impacting the pubcaster, but it was standing firm in its basic mandate of being a public service.
Said he:”Although Prasar Bharati is getting commercialised to survive, we will always have the public’s benefit at the back of our mind as the first priority. We will provide the advertisers subsidised rates for their ad space”.
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.
