News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 To Launch Two New Shows: The Nation@5 and 18 (Degree) South
New Delhi: As the nation moves closer to the General Elections, CNN-News18 will be launching two new shows –The Nation@5 and 18 (Degree)South18 (Degree)South. Leveraging News18 Network’s extensive network of seasoned journalists, the shows are aimed at building an all-inclusive discourse on news television.
The Nation@5will kick off Primetime 2.0 from the CNN-News18 newsroomon weekdays at 5PM and will be anchored by Anand Narasimhan. A fast-paced news driven show, it will bring top stories of the day for the viewers backed by reporter inputs and views from voices that reflect all the opinions around the story. Crisp debates with limited guests, the show will incorporate leading social media conversations, news wraps, etc. for greater viewer interactivity. The show will air from 7th January, 2019.
Deriving its name from Southern India’s geographical start, 18 (Degrees) South, The showwill focus on major news from the southern states of the country. Recognising the underrepresentation of this region in the mainstream news, the show will not only bring forth biggest stories from south but also contextualize national stories for a southern audience. The show will be anchored by CNN-News18’s Editor – Output, Zakka Jacob and will air at 4PM on weekdays. Being from Southern India, Zakka will bring a fresh approach to news telling in his inimitable style. The show will go live from 14th January, 2019.
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.
