News Broadcasting
Star News to shift base to Delhi
MUMBAI: Star News is gearing up its Delhi operations with a view to sharpen its competitiveness that would herald a major shift in its functioning.
In the first phase of this game plan, which has been okayed by the management board in principle recently, the Delhi set-up will be beefed up in a way so that it could also function as the headquarters of the Hindi news channel.
According to Star News sources, the first phase could take up to six months time for completion.
Indiantelevision.com has learnt from a source that this gradual shifting of base to Delhi has got necessitated due to various reasons, including sourcing and nurturing of manpower for the Hindi news channel that primarily comes from North India.
The board of Media Content & Communications Services Pvt. Ltd (MCCS), which manages Star News and its Bengali sibling Star Ananda, has in principle given the green signal for this move taking into account various factors. MCCS is also setting up a committee that would look into the costing and feasibility of re-locating to Delhi.
However, the ad sales and marketing ops of Star News, which has been snapping at the heels of news market leader Aaj Tak from time to time, will stay put in Mumbai. Keeping in tune with this, it is expected that MCCS chief executive Uday Shankar will flit between Delhi and Mumbai as hes also involved in content creation on a daily basis.
MCCS is a 26:74 joint venture between the Rupert Murdoch-owned Star Group and the Kolkata-based Ananda Bazaar Patrika (ABP TV).
When Star News began afresh, after having severed content relationship with NDTV in 2003, it based its headquarters in Mumbai. Ravina Raj Kohli, the then president of the news channel, was heading a vision of creating an entity that would take on the likes of NDTV and Aaj Tak from Mumbai, which
is known more as the hub of Indias financial and entertainment activities.
Kohli had then pointed out that Star News, based in Mumbai with Delhi positioned as a super bureau, was modeled on Fox News in the US that is headquartered in New York, while Washington, the base for all political news and developments, served as a `super bureau.
At present, most news channels having national presence in India are based in and around Delhi from where most political and policy-level news emanate.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 rolls out Battle for the States ahead of key polls
Multi-format election coverage tracks voter mood across five battleground states
NEW DELHI: CNN-News18 has launched a special election programming initiative titled Battle for the States, as India gears up for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
Built around the theme ‘Road to Power’, the multi-format coverage aims to follow the entire electoral journey, from campaigning and polling to results and government formation. The network is leaning into on-ground reportage and data-backed storytelling to decode voter sentiment across regions where local issues often shape the narrative.
The programming line-up includes ‘Vote Tracker’, a three-part series developed in collaboration with survey agency Vote Vibe. The show blends survey insights with expert commentary and field reporting, using augmented reality graphics to present complex electoral data such as vote share, seat projections and leadership preferences in a more accessible format. It will air every Monday evening until April 6.
Adding a cultural lens to political reporting is ‘So Saree!’, a ground-driven segment where women anchors travel across constituencies dressed in traditional handwoven sarees from each state. The format uses attire as a storytelling device, highlighting regional identity while capturing grassroots voices.
Meanwhile, ‘Unfiltered Kaapi’ and ‘Chai-Niti’ bring a more conversational tone, drawing inspiration from everyday political discussions in tea stalls and coffee corners. These segments aim to break down key issues through candid, fast-paced exchanges between anchors and reporters, tailored to regional sensibilities.
For viewers seeking deeper insights, the weekend docuseries ‘Reporters Project’ takes a longer view, with correspondents travelling across constituencies to map voter concerns and political shifts on the ground.
“Elections are about people, their aspirations, identities and the issues that matter to them, and every state tells a different story,” said CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar. He added that the initiative focuses on understanding “the sentiment on the ground and what’s driving voter choices”.
Echoing the emphasis on credibility, Network18 CEO – English and business news Smriti Mehra said the network aims to combine on-ground reporting with data-led insights to deliver clear and timely coverage as the elections unfold.
With a mix of data, culture and grassroots reporting, CNN-News18 is positioning Battle for the States as a comprehensive window into one of India’s most closely watched electoral cycles, where every vote carries a story waiting to be told.
