News Broadcasting
Times picks up two news professionals for its business channel
MUMBAI: The news channel hopping game continues. The Times Group has lured another two executives for its soon to be launched business and news channel.
CNBC TV 18 executive producer Preeti Prasad has joined the Times and will be a part of the core team preparing for the much awaited launch of the channel that the industry buzz says will be named Economic Times.
Prasad has been with CNBC TV 18 since 1996. As one of the executive producers with the Times business and news channel, she will be leading production crew in Mumbai.
Additionally, Star News’ Delhi based senior producer Naveen Kapoor has also moved to the Times Group. Kapoor joined Times earlier this week. Kapoor will be based in Delhi looking after news gathering responsibilities for the new channel.
Kapoor has a news agency background, having started his career with ANI-Reuters before moving to Star in December 2002. The Times’ channel, which is likely to be launched in the first half of next year, will be headquartered in Mumbai but have a big hub in the national capital. Kapoor is likely to be looking after news operations from the Delhi hub.
Earlier this month, NDTV’s senior editor (promos) Proshanto Das joined the Group as head of on-air promos. According to sources, Times is likely to recruit more senior production personnel soon.
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.
