News Broadcasting
Zee Sangam drops TEN format; to be national news channel
MUMBAI: The Zee group has a reputation for reinventing itself from time to time.
The latest is Zee Media Corporation’s flagship news channel, Zee News, is all set to get a cousin in the newly-rebranded Zee Sangam, which will be a national channel 16 April onwards. Before this, Zee Sangam was called Zee UP/Uttarakhand.
The new-look Zee Sangam will air 40 per cent news from Uttar Pradesh with the remaining news from the rest of the nation including regional stories.
When contacted, Zee Media CEO Alok Agrawal confirmed that the channel has decided to drop the Terrestrial Entertainment Network (TEN) format that it had wanted to give to Sangam and has now embarked on making it a national channel.
The differentiating factor between Zee News and Zee Sangam is that while the flagship channel will focus on news from the globe, Sangam will be regional-focused with a national perspective. Since the channel is known in Uttar Pradesh, the focus will be on stories from UP. Operating out of Noida, Vasindra Mishra will be the editor and Vinod Das the business head of the channel.
Currently, the network is lining up the various programmes and beefing up on manpower as well as distribution. The channel will be available on all leading cable TV and direct to home (DTH) platforms in Mumbai and Delhi and other parts of the country.
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.
