BAG 2 lauch a News, Ent & Radio Channels

News channel for youth

Chaya Unnikrishnan This year, the youth has been high on the list of broadcasters. A couple of entertainment channels targetted exclusively at youngsters have already come on air. The latest in the broadcast scene is a news channel, News 24 launched by BAG Films and Media. Anurradha Prasad, Managing Director, talks about her channel and its shows What prompted you to launch a news channel aimed at the youth? The youth comprises 54 per cent of India's population. They have a different mindset. The way they would react to a story is different. Our channel is targetted at the young adult who aspires to be something, has a high level of awareness and is mature in his thinking. Will the channel carry only news that caters to them? No, the tagline is khabron ka daur, yeh hai News 24. Our emphasis is on the fact that news is back. Anything and everything that is news will be covered on the channel. Something that has been sidelined by the existing Hindi news channels. The discerning viewer has gone away from these channels because they are showing all sorts of things under the name of 'news'. This has been happening since the last one-and-a-half years. I do understand that it is the race for TRPs that's led to this state of affairs but since we are not yet in the race we will bring back news and show it as it is. Will you elaborate on that? Just tune into any of the news channel and you will know what I mean. Truth and reality as shown on most TV news channels are someone else's perceptions; we will allow people to develop their own opinions and decisions on the basis of the facts we present. Haven't you also contributed to these channels with Sansani and Polkhol? Sansani was a crime-based show presented in a different way. It's probably the name that gives it a different perspective but you cannot question the credibility of the news. We have never compromised on journalistic ethics, even in Polkhol. Are you saying you won't have shows that will cover entertainment like other channels do? We will cover anything that is news, even entertainment. However, there won't be entertainment-oriented shows.

So, how will you be drawing the young crowd to your channel?
We will have shows dedicated to campus, career options and opportunities. Our anchors are young but experienced and will bring in a lot of energy, enthusiasm and vibrancy. Our studio is State-Of-The-Art. It is completly tapeless, the library is digitised, everything is high-end technology. The global company, Broadcast Design International, Inc., which has developed set environment solutions for major international news networks, has designed it. The sets have been created with 16:9 and High-Definition TV in mind.
The innovative features, some of them unique to India, include comprehensive multi-performance sets, integration of new video technologies, more vivid, illuminated backgrounds, with layering and many more unique presentation venues where the anchors and specialty reporters are "unfettered" from the anchor desk.
News 24 will in the near future be engaging streaming news live on its dedicated internet website. News 24 will be available across all television delivery platforms, including cable TV, DTH, IPTV, mobile TV and web streaming.

Who is on your editorial board?
The core editorial team comprises Ajit Anjum - Managing Editor, (who has created milestones in programming with shows like Sansani and PolKhol) Supriya Prasad as Director (formerly with Aaj Tak), Rahul Mahajan as Executive Editor and Vibhakar as Executive Editor - Assignment. The anchors include Kartikeya Sharma, Anjana Kashyap, Shweta Singh, Sayeed Ansari and Aparna Kala. Kartikeya Sharma is the Chief Political Correspondent and will take the centerstage on the prime- time show, which will cover gripping political developments in the country. The 9.00 pm bulletin will be anchored by Anjana Kashyap with a virtual screen backdrop. The 10 pm show shot at the top-of-the-line studios of the channel in Noida will feature the refreshing duo of Shweta Singh and Sayeed Ansari providing incisive insights into daily events. Aparna Kala will anchor the morning shows.

Are you also planning any entertainment channels?
We have a 360 degrees approach to our diversification plan. We have already launched a radio station, Radio Dhamaal, and after the news channel, we are launching a non-fiction entertainment channel E24, that will also comprise lifestyle. It will be launched towards the end of January 2008.

http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=18374

all the best to BAG for their new ventures.

Bag has done a wonderful job with Kumkum serial 👏 ...I m sure their forthcoming ventures will also b worth watching 😛

thanx.best of luck bag.may u succedd more and get what u want to achieve. news24 is nice news channel.i have seen it.

hi

thanks for this

all the best to Bagfilms

norzar