News Broadcasting
Star News empowers viewer to ‘be the reporter’
NEW DELHI: In an effort to further broaden its viewership and involve the audience more, Star News has decided to turn the common man into a TV journalist through an initiative that is called ‘You Be The Reporter’.
“Through `You Be The Reporter’, we not only want to become relevant to our audience, but also involve them in our endeavour to give them news and information that they would like to watch and/or highlight,” Star News president Ravina Raj Kohli told indiantelevision.com on a day when the whole country, especially Delhi, was all agog with the news of Aveek Sarkar of Ananda Bazar Patrika group was all set to pick up 74 per cent equity stake in the news venture.
Though, Kohli had evaded all questions on Star News’ restructuring — even dismissing a business newspaper report as being not true — she did admit that several initiatives are in the pipeline to involve the audience more with the news channel.
According to Kohli, `You Be The Reporter’ will allow any person to call up a designated number — to begin with in Mumbai — and give information on a happening or even something that he/she would like Star News to cover.
“After the information is verified, it’d be used by the news channel with due credit given to the person,” she added.
However, TV industry critics said that such initiatives are okay to begin with, but as time passes bogus information keeps piling up and a channel may face problems weeding out the wanted from the unwanted.
Agreeing to this, Kohli said that this is something that Star News would have to live with, though efforts would be made to minimise the junk. Still, she maintained that initiatives like this would “increase the involvement of the audience” with the channel.
The promos for this new initiative is likely to go on air soon on Star News, probably towards the last leg of commercial time on the channel’s new blockbuster programme Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri (Who’ll Become the Chief Minister).
According to Kohli, the promos have been put on the cable networks already. “As we get a toll free unified four-digit number for the whole country, we’d try to expand the initiative to other parts of the country soon.”
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
