News Broadcasting
Star’s Kumud Chowdhary joins SaharaOne as programming head
MUMBAI: Post the restructuring of Sahara’s media and entertainment business under a joint venture management company with Percept, the company saw a couple of high profile exits. One of them was Sahara Media and Entertainment vice president, programming Triptii Sharma in November last year. SaharaOne has found her replacement as programming head in Star India’s commissioning editor Kumud Chowdhary, who is slated to join office on 11 January.
Chowdhary, who was with Star for a period of two years, will be reporting to SaharaOne Television COO Karuna Samtani. Speaking to indiantelevision.com about the new development, Chowdhary says, “It was a great offer and there is nothing to lose here. One can do what one wants in terms of experimenting with different kinds of programming. My agenda here will be first find my focus and then work on it.”
Confirming Chowdhary’s appointment, Samtani, on the other hand says, “There are very few good professionals in this business and we were looking for someone who would gel in with our personality and our business goals. The Percept and Sahara Groups have found a great person in Kumud.”
The change from Sahara Manoranjan to SaharaOne last year has been more than just a name change as far as the channel is concerned. The look and feel of SaharaOne has slowly but surely seen a great deal of improvement in the last few months. And in this competitive market, where there are many players including Star’s new baby Star One, Samtani is looking at putting together a strong core team to take competition head on.
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.
