Broadcasting, which has re-started publishing
of Bengali daily ‘Ekdin’ from 29 June after
acquiring the publishing rights from old
owners, now aims to foray into the television
media business. The company plans to launch a
Bengali satellite News channel soon. While the
name of the News channel hasn’t yet been
revealed, it is likely to include the word
‘Ekdin’.
“We have applied for the uplinking and
downlinking licence already. Though it would
be a Bengali channel, we have set aside 10
minute slots each for Hindi and English news
bulletins, keeping in mind the non-Bengali TV
viewers settled in Kolkata and other states,”
said Ekdin editor in chief Rhitobrata
Bhattacharya to indiantelevision.com .
According to industry sources, the company
may take equipments and teleports on lease, at
least initially. Narsingha Broadcasting had
recently acquired the rights from Siliguri-based
Darpan Press to re-start the Bengali daily,
which had wound up the broadsheet, leaving
close to 120 employees including journalists
and technical staff jobless on 15 January, this
year.
Founded by veteran journalist Suman
Chattopadhyay, who was also the first editor of
‘Ekdin’, the newspaper was sold off to the
Chakra Group after Chattopadhyay joined Eyi
Shomoy, The Times Group’s Bengali daily. The
Chakra Group later sold ‘Ekdin’ to Darpan,
which has owned the daily since 1 October,
2013. Without citing any valid reasons to
employees, Darpan shut down the publication.
When Darpan Press chief executive officer and
director Sandip Choudhary was contacted he
confirmed that the rights had been sold to
Narsingha Broadcasting which had re-launched
the newspaper.
Bhattacharya informed that ‘Ekdin’ would have
Kolkata and Durgapur editions and the new
management would try to attain a circulation
of around one lakh, if not more in the initial
months. “We are working to bring out a special
supplement on cinema, literary and historical
aspects to give something extra to readers
apart from hard news,” he revealed.