News Broadcasting
Zee’s religious channel Jagran launches 14 Jan
NEW DELHI: As reported by indiantelevision.com earlier, Zee Telefilms is launching its religious channel, Jagran, tomorrow. In the Hindu calendar, the day is celebrated as Makar Sankranti, a day which heralds the arrival of autumn.
According to an official statement from Zee, Jagran will be the first religious channel in the country that attempts to entertain the audience with mythological movies, serials, alternate living and alternate healing programs, interactive astro solutions, spiritual content etc.
At the same time religious discourses of various religious gurus will also be aired on the channel during prime.
The statement quoting channel head Anil Anand said, “Jagran will give an overall experience that extends the currently restricted ‘prime time’ viewer-ship of religious channels from early morning hours, to nearly any time of the day.”
He further added, “We aim to broaden the market within this genre from only the 55+ age group to anyone who is 35+. This can be achieved by a slight inclination towards spiritualism as compared to any particular religion.”
The brand name Jagran is an off take from one of the most successful early morning program on Zee TV, called “Jagran.” This program has been on air for nearly five years now.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
