News Broadcasting
NewsX launches ‘Decode India with MJ Akbar’
MUMBAI: NewsX, India’s New News leader has launched a unique show ‘Decode India with MJ Akbar’. The show will be the first of its kind where the guest will lead the questions and discussions. The show will see MJ Akbar taking up current issues of national significance and demystifying them for the viewer with an investigative and informative show that is backed by the expertise, knowledge and journalistic experience of the host.
The weekly show will be aired on NewsX on Sundays at 10:00 am and 10:00 pm. Each episode will feature an illustrious, well experienced and high profile guest along with Akbar who plays the role of a well-informed viewer. The guest will question, argue, give his opinion and probe MJ Akbar on the topic. The inaugural episode of the 30 minute weekly show featured Indian lawyer and politician Ram Jethmalani who discussed if there should be a referendum in Kashmir on the Indian Army.
MJ Akbar, a top notch journalist and author, comes with an experience of more than 40 years. Currently the Editorial Director of The Sunday Guardian newspaper, Akbar is the Founder Editor of The Asian Age and The Telegraph newspapers. Besides being the Editorial Director of India Today magazine and The Deccan Chronicle newspaper in the past, he has written several non fictional best sellers in own rights.
About NewsX
NewsX is India’s New English News Leader. With ‘News Not Noise’ as its positioning, the channel’s editorial philosophy is to present news in an un-biased, non-partisan manner, with an emphasis on facts, not opinions. NewsX brings to viewers hard core news and stays away from hysteria and sensationalism. The channel’s constant endeavor to engage viewers, not enrage them has been the hallmark of the emergence of NewsX in recent times as India’s # 1 English news channel. As per TAM ratings, NewsX emerged as the # 1 choice of the young, aspiring and the urbane in 2013. The leadership story continues with NewsX emerging as the # 1 English news channel with a whopping market share of 34 percent across six metros as per the latest TAM week 2’14 ratings in the 25-44 age group.
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.
