NEW DELHI: Change, the Zee news group head Laxmi Goel, feels is the only truth and a sure shot way to climb up the popularity ladder. So, Zee News would undergo another change in the on-air look and feel as also add some new programming in the New Year.
 

"We last changed the look of the news channel almost six months back, which has brought in good results. It's now time again to go in for another change that would be introduced from early next year," Goel, one of the younger brothers of Zee Telefilms CMD Subhash Chandra, told indiantelevision.com.

According to Goel, the work on the on-air look is being done in-house and, in all probability, except the logo of Zee News almost everything would undergo a change, including the colours that had been used to enliven the earlier dull and dreary sets.

In line with the change, Zee News also proposes to introduce some new programming in 2004 to keep up with the viewers' demands. Though Goel was not forthcoming with the new line-up, company sources indicated that health and education related programmes are being fine-tuned on the drawing board.

In recent times, several news channels, including CNBC TV 18, have introduced programming that cannot be strictly classified as hard news. For example, the executive golf programming on the CNBC TV 18 on the weekends or the health tips handed out by NDTV and Aaj Tak.

Alka Saxena, editor of Zee News and a recipient of the Indian Telly Award's Best Programming Head of the Year award last month added that the programming changes are being brought about to cater to the demands and needs of the people.

"We continuously monitor the feedback from our viewers and the new programmes lined up, apart from the changes brought about in the existing on-air shows, are part of that exercise," she said, adding that recently a study commissioned by them to study various viewing trends are also part of the input that have gone into designing new fare for Zee News.