ALKA SAXENA, Editor and Head of Programming, Zee News Channel
Zee News is primarily content-driven. We show, without giving it any angle or slant, news as it happens. It is news first, views later.
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Published: Feb 16, 2004 12:00 AM | 6 min read
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Zee News is primarily content-driven. We show, without giving it any angle or slant, news as it happens. It is news first, views later.Widely acclaimed by viewers and critics for her interviewing skills during live panel discussions, whether analyzing elections or deliberating on burning issues, Alka Saxena, now Editor and Head of Programming, Zee News Channel, is also one of the founding members of Aaj Tak.
Having begun her journalistic career in 1985 with ‘Ravivar’ (Ananda Bazar Patrika), Alka set high standards with her investigative reporting and objectivity from day one. Post-Gulf War I, she shifted to television news. At Zee News, Alka took up issues close to the viewers and made content the king. In recognition of her effort, she has been awarded ‘Programming Head Of The Year’ (2003), ‘Hindi Academy Sahitykaar Samman’ for journalism’, and more recently, under her guidance, Zee News was awarded the finalist certificate for the International Television Programming & Promotions Awards 2004. In a candid chat with Jasmeen Dugal at the Zee News Studio in Noida, Alka dispels the negative perception that Zee News is a take-off on Aaj Tak, explains why focused programmes are emerging as a trend, and more… Q. On the term “news” per se “News” is something that people want to know, and they have a right to know. It is something that empowers the common man, educates and informs him, and helps him in his own life.
Q. On ‘focused programmes’ emerging as a new trend Focused reading or viewing comes with development. Not everybody has time to sit through the entire bulletin for a sports/business update, and this is where focused programmes come into play. It is a new phenomenon. And it transcends across all media. In print media too, earlier we only had, say the sports section and the business section in newspapers. This evolved to one page on media; now we have a supplement solely on health or property.
Q. On the unique editorial proposition of Zee News Content! Zee News is primarily content-driven. We show, without giving it any angle or slant, news as it happens. It is ‘news first, views later’. There is no agenda or preaching, our channel is driven by reporting, by content, and is not colored by our personal opinion.
Q. On viewers’ reaction to ‘news you can use’ These are two different genres – editorials and advertorials.
Advertorials, which you are referring to, happen more in print media, especially in newspapers. I think it’s a little dangerous because viewers are relying on you, they trust you for that. And they need to be told if a ‘message’ or PR piece is being telecast. They should be told that it is an advertorial, which will help them decide if they want to view it at all. If you present it as content, you are cheating your viewers. It will eventually lead to a huge loss of credibility, which is very essential to a print organization or a television channel. I personally feel that losing the quality of an editorial for an advertorial is too high a price to pay.
As far as ‘news you can use’ is concerned, there is nothing wrong with it. For example, our health segment will not just announce an outbreak of a particular disease, it will inform the viewers of the symptoms, cure, etc. It will dispense news the viewers need to know, news that will help them in some way. And it will enrich the viewers in some way – when our health segment did a story on dengue fever, we brought to light little-known facts, such as, the mosquitoes which transmit dengue fever are active only at dusk, which is the time people should take precautions – and we received an overwhelming response.
Q. On the factors on which news follow-ups depend Follow-ups depend primarily on the news. Zee News is the only channel that has a programme dedicated entirely to follow-ups. Titled ‘Zee Follow-Up,’ the programme aims at giving the viewers a full perspective of news and takes stories to their logical conclusion.
In news, what is hot today is forgotten tomorrow. Zee picks up the loose strands of hundreds of stories that once made headlines but somewhere down the line lost their steam. The programme revisits those people and places that had once been all too familiar. Each episode picks up the loose end of a story that once made headlines, re-visits those people and places, and traces their destiny after the camera lens turned away from them.
In the first episode, ‘Zee Follow-Up’ revisited Mandi Dabwali where on December 23, 1995, a fire at a school left 442 children injured. Hundreds of others were injured or mentally traumatized. The Narasimha Rao government, at that time, had made several promises for their treatment. But what really has been the fate of those children? The programme answers these questions and many more. Recently, we highlighted the Tandoor murder case after the court ruling.
Q. On Zee News’s new look The new look is based on extensive research and audience feedback, and Zee News will now be presented with new state-of-the-art graphics, complemented by a new package of colours and music. The new look is viewer-friendly and sets the right tone for showcasing reality or 'Haqeeqat Jaisi, Khabar Vaisi’ – which is the hallmark of Zee News.
Q. On the negative perception that Zee News is a take-off on Aaj Tak Zee news is the first private channel in India.Being the Pioneer in the field it is the first one to give a right mix of news and programming. The programmes like ‘Special Correspondent’ and ‘The Inside Story’ have completed a successful run of 170 episode, which is record for any current affairs programme. The Inside Story has recently got international recognition as one of the five best investigative programmes. Again we have ‘Pehal’, which brings out those people in the lime light who may not be resourceful or page 3 socialites but infusing light into other people's life. ‘Zee follow up’ is also a unique concept. We have recently launched a programme ‘Kuchh Kar Dikhana Hai’ which is about employment related information given in an interesting manner. No other channel have programmes on these lines. ‘Crime File, Encounter’ and ‘Cinema A to Z’ are giving very good content in the respective fields.
Q. On news channels being anchor-driven We cannot speak much on this phenomenon at the moment because the six-seven leading news channels today were all launched about a year ago. And the anchors are all moving around and changing channels in their bid to settle down with the best of the lot. So the face you see on Aaj Tak today may be on Zee News tomorrow or the anchor on NDTV might be seen on Aaj Tak next month, leaving viewers confused.
That said, I have been an anchor myself, and feel that if an anchor remains with a particular channel for a long duration, there are bound to be viewers who will build up a loyalty to the channel. And also build up a certain loyalty to the anchor.
Having begun her journalistic career in 1985 with ‘Ravivar’ (Ananda Bazar Patrika), Alka set high standards with her investigative reporting and objectivity from day one. Post-Gulf War I, she shifted to television news. At Zee News, Alka took up issues close to the viewers and made content the king. In recognition of her effort, she has been awarded ‘Programming Head Of The Year’ (2003), ‘Hindi Academy Sahitykaar Samman’ for journalism’, and more recently, under her guidance, Zee News was awarded the finalist certificate for the International Television Programming & Promotions Awards 2004. In a candid chat with Jasmeen Dugal at the Zee News Studio in Noida, Alka dispels the negative perception that Zee News is a take-off on Aaj Tak, explains why focused programmes are emerging as a trend, and more… Q. On the term “news” per se “News” is something that people want to know, and they have a right to know. It is something that empowers the common man, educates and informs him, and helps him in his own life.
Q. On ‘focused programmes’ emerging as a new trend Focused reading or viewing comes with development. Not everybody has time to sit through the entire bulletin for a sports/business update, and this is where focused programmes come into play. It is a new phenomenon. And it transcends across all media. In print media too, earlier we only had, say the sports section and the business section in newspapers. This evolved to one page on media; now we have a supplement solely on health or property.
Q. On the unique editorial proposition of Zee News Content! Zee News is primarily content-driven. We show, without giving it any angle or slant, news as it happens. It is ‘news first, views later’. There is no agenda or preaching, our channel is driven by reporting, by content, and is not colored by our personal opinion.
Q. On viewers’ reaction to ‘news you can use’ These are two different genres – editorials and advertorials.
Advertorials, which you are referring to, happen more in print media, especially in newspapers. I think it’s a little dangerous because viewers are relying on you, they trust you for that. And they need to be told if a ‘message’ or PR piece is being telecast. They should be told that it is an advertorial, which will help them decide if they want to view it at all. If you present it as content, you are cheating your viewers. It will eventually lead to a huge loss of credibility, which is very essential to a print organization or a television channel. I personally feel that losing the quality of an editorial for an advertorial is too high a price to pay.
As far as ‘news you can use’ is concerned, there is nothing wrong with it. For example, our health segment will not just announce an outbreak of a particular disease, it will inform the viewers of the symptoms, cure, etc. It will dispense news the viewers need to know, news that will help them in some way. And it will enrich the viewers in some way – when our health segment did a story on dengue fever, we brought to light little-known facts, such as, the mosquitoes which transmit dengue fever are active only at dusk, which is the time people should take precautions – and we received an overwhelming response.
Q. On the factors on which news follow-ups depend Follow-ups depend primarily on the news. Zee News is the only channel that has a programme dedicated entirely to follow-ups. Titled ‘Zee Follow-Up,’ the programme aims at giving the viewers a full perspective of news and takes stories to their logical conclusion.
In news, what is hot today is forgotten tomorrow. Zee picks up the loose strands of hundreds of stories that once made headlines but somewhere down the line lost their steam. The programme revisits those people and places that had once been all too familiar. Each episode picks up the loose end of a story that once made headlines, re-visits those people and places, and traces their destiny after the camera lens turned away from them.
In the first episode, ‘Zee Follow-Up’ revisited Mandi Dabwali where on December 23, 1995, a fire at a school left 442 children injured. Hundreds of others were injured or mentally traumatized. The Narasimha Rao government, at that time, had made several promises for their treatment. But what really has been the fate of those children? The programme answers these questions and many more. Recently, we highlighted the Tandoor murder case after the court ruling.
Q. On Zee News’s new look The new look is based on extensive research and audience feedback, and Zee News will now be presented with new state-of-the-art graphics, complemented by a new package of colours and music. The new look is viewer-friendly and sets the right tone for showcasing reality or 'Haqeeqat Jaisi, Khabar Vaisi’ – which is the hallmark of Zee News.
Q. On the negative perception that Zee News is a take-off on Aaj Tak Zee news is the first private channel in India.Being the Pioneer in the field it is the first one to give a right mix of news and programming. The programmes like ‘Special Correspondent’ and ‘The Inside Story’ have completed a successful run of 170 episode, which is record for any current affairs programme. The Inside Story has recently got international recognition as one of the five best investigative programmes. Again we have ‘Pehal’, which brings out those people in the lime light who may not be resourceful or page 3 socialites but infusing light into other people's life. ‘Zee follow up’ is also a unique concept. We have recently launched a programme ‘Kuchh Kar Dikhana Hai’ which is about employment related information given in an interesting manner. No other channel have programmes on these lines. ‘Crime File, Encounter’ and ‘Cinema A to Z’ are giving very good content in the respective fields.
Q. On news channels being anchor-driven We cannot speak much on this phenomenon at the moment because the six-seven leading news channels today were all launched about a year ago. And the anchors are all moving around and changing channels in their bid to settle down with the best of the lot. So the face you see on Aaj Tak today may be on Zee News tomorrow or the anchor on NDTV might be seen on Aaj Tak next month, leaving viewers confused.
That said, I have been an anchor myself, and feel that if an anchor remains with a particular channel for a long duration, there are bound to be viewers who will build up a loyalty to the channel. And also build up a certain loyalty to the anchor.
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