MUMBAI: News channels, during the general elections had gone all out to cover the mega event. With the new BJP government coming to power, it hardly comes as a surprise that during India’s 68th Independence Day, the focus of news channels will be on the newly elected Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi who will be addressing the nation for the first time after assuming power. News channels have also come up with special programmes and bulletins to celebrate the day.
CNN-IBN
In the run up to the Independence day, CNN-IBN had initiated a month long campaign ‘Clean up India’, where the channel appealed to the viewers to identify areas in their cities that are eyesores and unhygienic due to filth and garbage. People from cities like Delhi, Varanasi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Puri, Srinagar and Ahmedabad reached out to the channel and shared their experiences about the lack of civic sense amongst common people and their thoughts on the inadequacies of the waste management system in the country. At 12 pm the show will have its final telecast which will take a close look at what it would take to bring sanitation, waste management and hygiene to rural and urban areas.
NDTV India
The channel will begin its line up at 6 am. Panelists on the channel will be seen discussing what they could expect the focus of Modi’s maiden speech to be. It has also prepared two special shows; one called Lal Kila which will include the important highlights of former Prime Minister’s of India like Morarji Desai, Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. The other show titled Colours Of India will unravel the colourful diversity and unity of India’s people. In the evening, the channel will focus on the highlights of the PM’s speech and the importance given to the different cabinet ministries.
IBN-7
The programming will commence early morning with the live coverage of Modi’s address to the nation from the Red Fort. The long 7 hours of programming will highlight the plight of the holy river Ganga. IBN7’s OB vans will be stationed at various banks of Haridwar, Kanpur, Varanasi and Ganga Sagar in West Bengal. The channel’s reporters will do on-ground reporting from there and will be joined by local activists, environmentalists, priests along with a panel of guests. At 7:30 pm, the last episode of Saving the Ganga series will culminate with a half hour special. From 9 pm onwards, the channel will discuss the PM’s speech and its significance in detail.
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News Express
News Express will be launching a new show Kamal Prajapati Ke Saath Aankhein Kholo India. Kamal Prajapati is a 21 year old visually challenged journalist who through the show will try instilling civic sense among India’s citizens. In five minute specials, he will be visiting the streets of Delhi and questioning citizens who are seen breaking traffic rules while at the same time explaining the importance of maintaining traffic discipline. “For the channel, Independence Day was the best opportunity to come with a show that will help contribute towards the nations,” says News Express executive editor Jacob Mathew. The daily show will see the boy travelling to other cities later on. Besides this, the channel will also be covering the Prime Minister’s Independence Day speech.
NewsX
The channel will be focusing on the PM’s speech and have defense and foreign policy experts along with politicians. Special shows include Patriotic Songs –Flash back Special at 2:30 pm, Campus Connect Independence day Special at 6:30 pm followed by Young MPs Dream for India at 7:30pm
Zee News
Zee News launched a media campaign called ‘My Earth My Duty’, under which a symbolic plantation will be done at office and also at locations like Wagah Border, Lucknow, Udhampur and Delhi. While it will be focusing on the PM’s speech, it will also showcase various programs under the theme ‘Jashn-e-Azadi’ during Independence Day.
