News Broadcasting
Third season of Fox’s ’24’ will see major changes
CALIFORNIA: Making the audience suspend their disbelief to a greater degree is one of the main challenges that the action series 24 is facing. The third season of the show recently commenced on Fox. In India the first season recently completed its run on AXN.
Fox is h oping that 24 will generate the much needed momentum for the network struggling with poor ratings for The X-Files and Ally McBeal. In India both of them air on Star World.
As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com each episode represents an hour of a day. Therefore the action is taking place in real time. The new season picks up three years after the second season. The main character counter terrorist agent Jack Bauer played by Golden Globe winner Kiefer Sutherland is said to be more reckless, bitter and cynical. While he was able to stop an assassination attempt on presidential candidate David Palmer his wife was killed in the last episode of the second season. This naturally leaves Jack racked with guilt.
As far as the show’s format is concerned what was different was that the premiere episode which aired a couple of days ago in the US was commercial-free. This was achieved through a sponsorship deal with an automaker.
However reports indicate that some industry observers have felt that the move was counter productive. After all the end of each section of 24 leaves one with a feeling of breathless anticipation. No breaks made it feel less exciting as the brief wait was not there. Yet again the plot revolves around a threat against the White House. For the emotional quotient Jack is given a new love played by Sarah Wynter.
The audiences ability to suspend disbelief will be tested. Last season it was fine that Jack left his family’s safety to other counter terrorism agents while he took care of business. He could not have known that his wife would be killed. Now though it is strange to say the least that he entrusts his daughters safety to the Counter Terrorism Unit yet again.
The producers Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran were quoted in reports saying, “President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) is back – although not as you remember him. So, too, is Kim (Elisha Cuthbert). However at 21, she is older and wiser. We have also added a new series regular, Chase Edmunds (James Badge Dale), a young partner for Jack who we think will be a terrific addition to the cast.”
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
