News in the making

Rajdeep Sardesai's gaze is transfixed on a wall with four screens beaming news channels Aaj Tak, NDTV, CNN and, of course, his own two-week-old CNN IBN.

As the stories roll, Sardesai, it seems, is looking to the future "" his own, and his channel's. "The day my channel functions without me in the office, I'll feel successful," says Sardesai, adding: "That day isn't too far away."

But how much more news can Indian viewers possibly digest? "I just wanted to create a space for myself, I was keen to do my own thing," justifies Sardesai, who began the process of launching CNN IBN sometime in May 2005.

"After several sleepless nights and some moments of self doubt", the channel was launched in December 2005. His initial reaction was relief, but looking at him interacting with reporters, sounding them out on breaking stories in CNN IBN's swanky, bustling studio in Noida, one wonders whether the feeling even lasted.

"I wanted to combine the robustness of Hindi news channels with the stability and stature of the English channels," says Sardesai.

His channel's USP, he says, is "News, a four letter word that audiences so desperately want. I want to create a space with a varied basket of news without any tabloid route being taken to win over TRPs."

Without Indian television's now famous sting operations, we venture to ask. "Since we don't live in a very transparent society, sting operations in genuine public interest are no harm. They fall flat," he reasons, "because most channels miss the bigger, the real story."

He explains that CNN IBN's expose on the two MPs involved in the passport scandal could not have been done any other way. Similarly, the expose on the aviation industry and its sorry state grabbed eyeballs.

"[Reporter] Karma Paljor worked on the story for nearly six weeks. We asked him to redo some portions; that took 10 more days. Only after we were absolutely confident did we broadcast the story," says Sardesai. "We take time to do stories because we don't talk down to viewers"

How are others reacting to the competition? Rohit Bansal of India TV says, "We're no one to judge the channel," but Partho Dasgupta, VP and business head, Times Now, is more forthcoming: "The channel looks good. Ultimately viewers judge the channel, but we are happy to see the category growing with good competition."

Others are less sure of the channel's success in the long run. Says a source, "While Hindi news channels offer alternatives, the same cannot be said for English news channels. That's why CNN IBN is a breather. The only drawback is that it relies solely on Rajdeep's charisma."

Sardesai thinks otherwise: "We have a strong team of 350 enthusiastic professionals." Then, he says, there's the citizen-journalist initiative he's pioneered, inviting people to be part of the news gathering exercise.

Already, Sahara Airlines was forced to give away tickets after a passenger reported on CNN IBN the atrocities faced by passengers trapped inside a Sahara aircraft for endless hours without even a cup of tea.

"Such initiatives allow us to reach out to every English-speaking Indian," he explains, "even in smaller towns and villages where English is still an aspirational language."

Creating wealth?

What's on your wish list?
I want to go home, play tennis and cricket with my son, spend time with my daughter, and finally, settle down with Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat.

Your aim and mission for CNN IBN?
I want to be irrelevant to the channel.

Er, what?
Yes, in a year from now I want to be completely irrelevant to the channel and see it functioning without depending on me. I want to be watching the World Cup in West Indies next year. That's my aim and I'm well on my way to achieving it.

The channel does look fresh...
You're only saying it because it is a new channel. We need to work harder.

You were a journalist earlier; now you're the driving force behind a full-fledged television news channel. Are you happy with the transition?

I'd like to reiterate that I'm not the sole driving force behind CNN IBN. Our channel has been a team vision with Samir Manchanda, Raghav Bahl and everyone else in the backroom operations, working hard for over 16 hours every day to make this channel a success. As far as the transition is concerned, I don't want to complain, but sometimes I miss reporting and having those long, leisurely lunches with my sources.

At the same time, I really don't have the energy that young journalists have today.

What is the feedback on CNN IBN?
The biggest compliment was from a Hindi journalist who said, 'Aap toh Hindi news channels kee tarah aggressive ho gaye ho (You have become aggressive like the Hindi news channels).' That meant a lot.

Journalists with CNN IBN, we hear, are already crorepatis.
Who told you that? I would like to create wealth for my colleagues because CNN IBN is a journalist driven channel. Maybe even announce an IPO just like TV 18 and NDTV.

Speaking of NDTV...
It is a benchmark of excellence in Indian journalism. I owe a lot to NDTV and honestly, my competition is only with myself. We're only trying to get as good as we can be.