News Broadcasting
News18 India Launches Two New Shows- Paanch Ka Prashn & Desh Ko Jawab Do
New Delhi: With an aim to bring forth diverse formats and differentiated content for the viewers, News18 India has launched two new shows – Paanch ka Prashn and Desh ko Jawab Do. Anchored by award-winning journalist, Deputy Managing Editor, Sumit Awasthi, the shows will aim to strengthen channel’s formidable daily primetime line-up and further build the weekend programming, respectively.
Paanch ka Prashn (Monday to Friday at 5 PM), a news bulletin show kicks off the evening primetime on the channel. The show covers top five stories of the day with an emphasis on major news across the country. Through the show, Sumit not only explores various aspects of the stories but also raise one big question & take opinion of relevant parties on the question.
Desh ko Jawab Do (Starting 25th August, Every Saturday at 5 PM) will be a weekend debate show anchored by Sumit Awasthi. The show will witness a face-off between two biggest newsmakers, essentially two ideologies, on the top issues of the week. With candid debates along with Sumit’s inimitable style of highlighting news without any prejudice, the show will aim to disrupt the standard weekend programming on the news television.
The new shows are conceptualized to provide a fresh approach to news telling along with enhanced packaging for greater audience engagement. Sumit Awasthi, one of the most popular names in Hindi journalism, will lead the programming of both the shows. With close to two decades of experience, Sumit has an in-depth knowledge and understanding of social demography which helps him bring out all the nuances of the key issues.
Talking about the new shows, Prabal Pratap Singh, Managing Editor, News18 India said, “At News18 India, we have always believed in raising relevant issues with constructive journalism. The new shows are a reflection of our philosophy. Our objective is to provide unbiased news while still highlighting the issues. Sumit, today, is one of the most credible opinion builders in television news. With his passion for journalism and balanced approach, we are confident of achieving this objective.”
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.
