News Broadcasting
92.7 Big FM’s RJ Balaji honoured with CNN News18 IOTY award by Arun Jaitley
MUMBAI: 92.7 BIG FM Chennai’s most loved celebrity radio jockey RJ Balaji who has received immense recognition for his show ‘Take It Easy’ and for his exceptional contribution towards humanitarian causes has added yet another feather to his cap. RJ Balaji received the prestigious award from honourable finance minister Arun Jaitley at the 10 edition of CNN News 18 Indian of the Year Award, for the spirit of selfless volunteerism that the people of Chennai displayed during the marauding floods of December 2015. It is a matter of great pride for Chennai as RJ Balaji has been felicitated with the award that represents the people of Chennai.
Speaking on the prestigious win, RJ Balaji said, “Nobody imagines for a disaster like this to occur. For the first time, an RJ and an actor teamed up and brought the spirit of the city alive. I am humbled at receiving the Indian of the Year Award. However, this award does not belong to me. It belongs to the lakhs of volunteers who extended their support to the social movement. It belongs to and represents the people of Chennai. The catastrophic Chennai floods were an awakening for not only the people of Chennai; but for the nation too. The Chennai floods were the worst disaster in 100 years and also the best thing that happened to us in decades. We all were wearing a mask being made out of caste, creed, religion, race, money and authority, but all those mask were washed away by the rain and we understood that we are all just humans after all and all that matters is to remain one. It brought out the true spirit and volunteerism of the people in Chennai to help each other at the time of need. It was for this reason that the city was able to bounce back in a week.”
CNN News 18 Indian of the Year; a property of Indian media house CNN-News18 is an annual award which recognizes contribution of individuals in their respective fields of politics, sports, business, entertainment, public service and global Indian. RJ Balaji has been bestowed upon by the ‘People of Chennai’ award under the ‘Public Service Category’. This award represents the spirit and determination of the citizens of Chennai exhibited during the devastating Chennai floods and how they stood united to manage the catastrophe.
RJ Balaji demonstrated extraordinary prowess of being a responsible RJ and a citizen when he went out on ground zero to manage the herculean task of providing relief to flood ridden Chennai. He went out of his way to provide assistance and live updates on 92.7 BIG FM’s ‘Take It Easy’ show, and later considering the gravity of situation took matters in his own hands. RJ Balaji, the brain behind ‘Chennai Micro Fund Trust’ along with actor Siddharth and singer Chinmayi, started #ChennaiMicro on twitter. With this began the largest flood relief operation on social media.
Commenting on RJ Balaji’s efforts a spokesperson from 92.7 BIG FM said, “We are very proud of RJ Balaji, who led a huge and difficult task of managing an outreach to an entire city during the devastating times of the Chennai Floods. Having been bestowed upon by the ‘CNN News 18 Indian of the Year Award’, is an exceptional honor for the city of Chennai. It is also a moment of pride for us as a radio network, being a powerful medium to reach out to the people in times of need as well as to have contributed our support to RJ Balaji and the cause in the best way possible.”
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
