News Broadcasting
Zee counting on ideators to get it back on track
Zee Telefilms, which has seen its position in the channel stakes further eroded in recent times and is currently wallowing in the No. 3 position, is pumping in some fresh ideas to get it back on course.
Zee has announced the appointment of Vinta Nanda as director – ideation of the Zee Network. She started working on the job yesterday.
Subhash Chandra, Sandeep Goyal and company are no doubt hoping that Vinta Nanda can turn the fortunes of the broadcasting major around. The network desperately needs new innovative strategies as well as out of the box thinking to get over the fiasco of last year when the big bang launch of 24 shows on 27 August fell on its face.
At indiantelevision.com’s scriptwriters workshop Qalam 2001 held last month, Vinta Nanda spoke of the degeneration of content in television soaps and programmes. According to her social commitment need not necessarily mean making documentaries, but being sensitive to viewers’ tastes and thinking about the impact of their writing on people who tune in.
At Zee, she along with her team of 5-6 ‘ideators’ will work to develop new concepts, formats and on experimentation with new thought processes on Zee’s channels. Amrish Sethi, ex-creative director of MTV, will join Vinta’s team later this month.
She had these remarks to make about the new post: “This is a great opportunity for me. It is also a very wide canvas. My brief is to think different, break the mould and create products that will catch the pulse of the viewer, build genres and fiction that entertain as well as engage emotionally. I am happy to be joining Zee!”
Her resume includes writing as well as directing ‘Tara’ a tele-serial of the early 90’s. She has over two dozen tele-serials, tens of documentaries and six telefilms to her credit over the last 15 years. In the past she has written serials for both Zee and its rival Star like Sansaar, Rishtey, Star Bestseller, X-Zone. She has also concerned herself with making documentaries and short films on social issues like maternal and child health, drinking water, environmental and gender bias for UNICEF, UNFPA, VHAI, and BBC.
Currently she is the president of Project Smita Society, an NGO started by her to utilise the power of television and films in India to bring about social change in areas like maternal and child healthcare. She is also a Director of Tracinema, a leading software producer for television.
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.
