More than 30 Indian television channels will broadcast a two-minute movie The Voices of India on 18 July at 6 pm and 9 pm. Its main aim is to show commonality with the fatalities of the serial train blasts that hit Mumbai last week.
It is for the first time that the television channels like DD, Star, Zee, ETV, Janmat, TV 18 network, NDTV, Sony, Times and MTV will gather to air the film.
The Voices of India encapsulates thoughts articulated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after visiting the bomb blast victims. Sachin Tendulkar, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Fardeen Khan, Anil Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Preity Zinta, Karan Johar and Nana Patekar also feature in the film. Considered as an operation for India, it is the citizen’s response to the radical attack on Mumbai.
Channel 7 is coming with a new logo, new programming and new graphics from June 5. TV 18 Group has, for the time being, put on the backburner its plans to change the brand name of Channel 7, the new channel in its kitty, owing to certain technical reasons, but will move ahead with the relaunch of the channel on June 5, 2006.
The channel will change its baseline to ‘Khabar Har Kimat Par’ from the present ‘Zindagi Live’, in line with the ‘Whatever it Takes’ baseline of CNN-IBN, the English offering from the group. Sardesai said, “I will host shows infrequently, when I feel strappingly about it, like the Aamir Khan interview. I expect to do it at least once in a month. But at a later stage, I may host a special programme.”
Ashutosh the Managing Editor of Channel 7 said that “Our Focus will be on hard news as we deel sharpness in news has vanished from Hindi news channels. Our precedence will be to preserve the stability in Channel 7 with a unique brand positioning. The greatest advantage with Channel 7 is its association with Dainik Jagran, which is rooted at the grassroots level. We have great synergy with Jagran and we will only strengthen the bond. Our association with the TV18 Group, which already has three offerings, will only work towards our advantage.”