News Broadcasting
US lawmakers defy White House, block new FCC media rules
WASHINGTON: The US House and Senate negotiators defied a White House veto threat on 19 November and agreed to a provision that would prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from loosening rules on ownership of multiple media outlets.
The lawmakers fashioning a huge end-of-session spending bill also decided to provide $13 million that poor students in Washington, D.C., could use to pay for private schooling. The money represents a victory for President Bush, creating the first federally financed school voucher program after years of trying by Republicans.
Without a specific vote on the subject — and virtually no discussion — negotiators included a provision barring the Federal Communications Commission from letting companies own stations watched by 45 percent of viewers. That means the current limit of 35 percent would remain in effect.
The decision is a setback for the US president, who strongly endorsed the rule change. The plan would have allowed a company to own television stations that could reach almost half the viewing public in the nation.
Once bargainers finish writing the bill, it will have to be approved by the House and Senate and receive Bush’s signature. The White House has said it would recommend President Bush veto a spending bill that includes rolling back the new FCC rule. However, few analysts and lawmakers expect him to reject a measure that funds several government agencies solely because of the FCC issue.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, a supporter of retaining the current limits, said he expected “a verbal spanking” from the White House but not a veto.
In recent days, Stevens and other GOP lawmakers had expressed doubt that the White House would veto the massive spending bill — expected to exceed $280 billion, one-eighth of the entire federal budget — over the media ownership issue.
Viacom Inc., which runs the CBS and UPN television networks, and News Corp., operator of Fox network, already own local stations that reach about 40 percent of the national television audience.
However, the two media conglomerates are not expected to have to sell stations because the legislation affects only future transactions that would put a network above 35 percent.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
