News is business

Siddharth Gupta, director of Dainik Jagran Group's Hindi news channel, Channel 7, is excited about his channel having broken the news on the helicopter crash near Saharanpur on March 31.

"We were the first one to go on air to be followed by Zee News," he claims. Gupta may be especially kicked since the channel is slated for an official launch on April 2.

Talking to  Business Standard about his programming strategy he says that "speed besides content will establish Channel 7 as a premium Hindi news channel."

Though it is the eighth news channel in the Hindi language segment, Jagran TV (JTV) hopes to capture market share on the basis of its extensive coverage and analysis.

"In print there's a brand loyalty to one or two newspaper. In the electronic media, there's no single channel loyalty. So, even if there are 7 to 8 channels, with the right content, we will be the viewers' and advertisers' preferred choice," claims Gupta.

Referring to the programmes for the first month, Gupta says that there will be several branded shows on the channel, including 'Swadesh' which is news is about the big news in small towns.

The channel's prime time 8 pm show 'News Room' will showcase the day's news stories presented by lead anchors.

Channel 7 will also showcase the big-city glamour and lifestyle in 'Metro Zindagi'and the crime scene in 'Giraftaar.' No, sting operations are not Channel 7's brand of journalism, says Gupta though there will be enough reality TV stuff for the viewers.

The news, Gupta claims, will be aired in the shortest time possible, with the help of 25 state-of-the-art high-tech editing machines from the American company Leitch.

With an investment of Rs 70 crore, he expects profits to start flowing in from year two of operations. Prominent brands like Nokia, Hyundai, Red Tape and Air Tel are already advertising on the channel.