News Broadcasting
Ronan Keating to co-host 2002 MTV Asia Awards
MTV Asia, which claims to be the most wanted music channel in the region, has announced that Ronan Keating lead singer of the pop group Boyzone will host the first-ever MTV Asia Awards in Singapore on 2 February along with Mandy Moore.
An official release also states that World Wrestling Federation star The Rock will present an award. The audience is expected to cross 7,000 and the channel claims that the ceremony will be available to over 150 million homes. Groove Armada will make music at the post show VIP party.
These are popular awards and the winners will decided through online voting. Registration forms are also being distributed at music stores and other places where youngsters hang out.
Voting is through www.mtvasiaawards.com and the polling closes Friday, 18 January. Over 350 outlets have signed up as voting partners, the release says. In India, they include music stores Rhythm House and Planet M in Mumbai, ABC Bowling in Ahmedabad, Landmark and HFO in Chennai. More than 60 media partners will provide media support for the event locally or regionally. In India they include Record, Elle, Upbeat and Rock Street Journal.
In December the channel had organised parties at nightspots in several countries which included India, Korea and Thailand. The channel also says that the award design is refreshing. It has been created by MTV Asia along with Panasonic and Royal Selangor. The cubical award trophy opens up on the top like a box revealing a multimedia screen inside. This plays a short tribute to the winner.
Speaking on this MTV Asia senior V-P for content & creative and creator of the state-of-the-art award David Flack said: “The award was designed to reflect the cube shaped show logo and is inspired by the magical box surprise theme of the show. The intention this year is to blend tradition with cutting edge technology. The surprise as to what is inside will be the obvious analogy to the show.”
President MTV Asia Frank Brown said: “We are delighted to have such a fantastic lineup of celebrities and guests to join us at the show which celebrates both the great diversity as well as the commonality of youth culture throughout Asia. We look forward to creating an annual TV property that will play a significant role in documenting the music history of Asia over the years.”
Mitsubishi Motors and Panasonic are the official partner sponsors of the show while Smart Communications is a partner sponsor in the Philippines. The event also has the backing of the Singapore Tourism Board.
The Indian nominees were chosen on popular demand by viewers of the channel and the results were audited by Surana&Surana Associates.
Indian Pop
1. Asha Bhosle – Na Marte Hum
2. Falguni Pathak – Saawan Mein
3. Shaan – Tanha Dil
4. Sonu Nigam – Jeena Hai Tere Liye
5. Ustad Sultan Khan and Chitra – Piya Basanti
Indian Film
1. Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan – Jaane Kyon from Dil Chahta Hai
2. Alka Yagnik, Kavita K Subramaniam, Sonu Nigam and Amit Kumar – Bole Chudiyan from the movie Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
3. Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, and Srinivas – Mitwa from the film Lagaan
4. Lata Mangeshkar and Udit Narayan – Humko Humise Chura Lo from the film Mohabbatein
5. Asha Bhosle, Sukhwinder Singh and Sonu Nigam – Kambakth Ishq from the movie Pyar Tune Kya Kiya
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
