News Broadcasting
Swaraj commissions DD Metro station in Bellary
MUMBAI:Information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday commissioned national broadcaster Doordarshan’s Metro Low-Power Transmitter (LPT) and laid the foundation stone for an FM radio station in Bellary, Karnataka.
Bellary is among 12 places in the country selected for the “narrowcasting” programme to be introduced by Prasar Bharati from 12 October, Swaraj has said. Programmes about local issues and schemes will be telecast to a limited population served by the LPTs.
The I&B ministry is meanwhile, giving final touches to a proposal permitting schools, colleges and other educational institutions to set up their own radio stations to cater to a variety of activities.
Swaraj has said the proposal will be placed before the Cabinet next month and initially IIMs, IITs and residential schools will be targeted. Swaraj’s stated aim is that every school in India should eventually have its own radio.
Once the proposal gets Cabinet approval, the Department of Telecommunications will be approached to allot frequencies to interested institutions. These radio “stations” will have a radius will be limited to about 5 km.
Regarding the controversial Conditional Access System (CAS), The Times of India quoted Swaraj as saying: “We are keeping our options open. It has been passed by the Lok Sabha but not in the Rajya Sabha since the Parliament was stalled. Let’s see what we can do about it.”
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.
