News Broadcasting
Tribune: Blackstone may join Fox in purchase race
MUMBAI: Fox and a New York firm, possibly Blackstone, are planning to form a joint venture to buy Tribune which owns or operates 42 stations, with Fox contributing its 28 owned-and-operated stations and Blackstone providing cash.
The potential multi-billion-dollar deal would make Fox US’s largest single broadcast station owner.
Meanwhile, Fox News Channel on Monday said that co-president Bill Shine has left the company, the latest high-level departure at a network troubled with charges of discrimination that already claimed founding CEO Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly.
Fox and Blackstone are together hoping to beat a rival offer from Sinclair Broadcasting, the largest owner of TV stations in the US. Baltimore-based Sinclair, which owns 173 stations, has stations in midsize and small markets.
Sinclair was also in the running for Tribune, which could give the former significantly more leverage in talks with Fox.
Under current rules, however, the national TV audience that any single owner can access with its stations is capped at 39 per cent. Since President Trump elevated Pai to lead FCC, the commission has changed rules and made public statements announcing that it intends to scale back limits placed on station ownership. If Sinclair or Fox purchased Tribune, they would go past the current FCC limits.
Another current FCC regulation that could obstruct Sinclair or Fox purchase of Tribune is the local ownership rule which disallows any owner from running more than two stations in most markets.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
