MUMBAI: The 31st AGM of Reliance Industries (RIL) held in the city today --- the first after the Ambani brothers split --- saw younger sibling Anil Ambani and an NDTV reporter in an altercation.

The incident happened post the AGM - where for the first time Anil Ambani was there as an RIL shareholder and not promoter.
  
As Ambani strode out, he was followed by television reporters vying for a sound bite. Something NDTV business editor Shivnath Thukral said as he thrust his microphone towards Ambani seems to have raised Ambani?s hackles. He was seen flinging the NDTV microphone aside and in the process Thukral almost lost his footing.

And later in the day, a press conference called by Ambani to announce the formation of two new companies, Global Fuel Management Services and Reliance Communication Ventures Ltd, under the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Enterprises (ADAE) umbrella, had a conspicuous absentee - Thukral.

A senior NDTV source claims that the reason the channel?s senior business journalist was absent was because ADAE head of corporate communications Jimmy Mogul had called up Thukral and informed him that NDTV was not invited for the press conference. And the reason for the ban? According to the NDTV source, it was Thukral?s poser to Ambani, "Anil Bhai what made you decide to come to the AGM?" that had so angered the ADAE chairman.

A Reliance official, however, said the media was overplaying the incident. "If one does not want to speak to the press, then that is his choice. Also Anil was in an extremely vulnerable and emotional frame of mind, so his reaction is understandable," he said.

Meanwhile, NDTV aired footage today stating Anil Ambani had manhandled the media. Interestingly though, despite the ban, NDTV Profit still aired the happenings of Anil Ambani?s media briefing. Queried about this, the NDTV source said, "We carry news, irrespective of the ban and the news came on Bloomberg. We are just doing our duty to inform viewers. It is indeed a sad day for journalism if one decides whom to call or not call on the basis of the questions journalists pose. If that was the case, all that journos have to do is sit back and wait for press releases."

MUMBAI: US media firm Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) and Alliance Atlantis Communications (AAC) have announced a partnership that will bring Martha, MSLO?s new syndicated television show to AAC?s Life Network in Canada.
 
Martha will broadcast air daily on the Canadian network from 12 September. In addition, the agreement provides for MSLO?s new 13 part original home improvement series to air on HGTV Canada in 2006, and MSLO?s popular new cooking show Everyday Food to launch on Food Network Canada later this year.

MSLO president and CEO Susan Lyne says, "We are very pleased that Martha and Everyday Food will be available to Canadian viewers later this year. Our relationship with Alliance Atlantis gives us the opportunity to expand distribution of our signature ?how-to? programming to new markets and audiences."

As had ben reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com Martha is a co-production beween MSLO and reality TV guru Mark Burnett and it will air in more than 96 per cent of the US television landscape. The hour-long show will be taped live with a studio audience and programming format that allows audience members and special guests to participate and interact with Martha Stewart.
 
Viewers will learn new ways to enhance their lives as audience members and even celebrity guests help Martha unveil great ideas and new projects -- from cooking and entertaining, to decorating and home renovating, and more. The segments will be engaging, illuminating and fun, appealing to a broad audience of viewers.

With no permanent replacement for outgoing Prasar Bharati acting CEO R.R. Shah being located even as his term expires, the Indian government has decided to continue with him for the next six months or until his replacement was found. There was speculation within television circles that Shah‘s days were numbered as the government had put vice-president Krishna Kant in charge of a hunt for the chairman of the Prasar Bharati and the CEO and other board members.

Shah‘s term came to an end on 31 December but with the extension being given to him, he can breathe easy for the next six months. He holds the rank of special secretary in the information and broadcasting ministry.

Shah‘s term will now close in mid-2001 which will coincide with Discovery India‘s managing director Kiran Karnik deadline from the company. Despite a denial from I&B minister Sushma Swaraj on Karnik‘s candidature one may still see him at the helm of affairs of the Prasar Bharati.

The India Today group‘s TV Today flagged off its 24 hour Hindi news channel Aaj Tak on 31 December.The channel was launched by Law, Justice and Company Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley at a late night function. The Group has already invested Rs 600 million in the channel on state-of-the-art equipment and 18 bureaus across the country out of a total investment of Rs 800 million. The channel proposes to target the vast 14-15 million Hindi-watching Indian cable TV homes.

TV Today had a contract with DD till March 2001 to continue supplying it with its daily news and current affairs show Aaj Tak. The group however decided to withdraw from the DD platform much earlier.

In its new avatar Aaj Tak will extend its particular brand of news coverage to thematic programmes on issues such as health, lifestyle, bollywood, and information technology.