The news for your locality
SAJNI V. SAHADEVAN
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At 8 p.m., ACV telecasts 40 editions of the news simultaneously from 40 centres.
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The next time you tune into ACV to watch `Nagara Vaarthakal' (`Thalasthaana Vaarthakal,' in the capital city), remember, this is news meant especially for you and your locality. Viewers in Attingal or Adoor will be watching an entirely different set of news pertaining to their region. At 8 p.m. every night ACV dons the role of a newspaper with 40 editions telecast simultaneously from 40 centres stretching from Palakkad to Thiruvananthapuram.
"People in Kerala are naturally inquisitive about happenings around them, rather than about what goes on at the national or international level. At 8 p.m., ACV interrupts its regular line-up of programmes to telecast `Nagara Vaarthakal' (City News)," says S. Rajeev, executive vice-president, ACV Channels.
Something different
"This is where we thought we had something different to offer our viewers unlike other satellite channels. We are aiming at a value-based service such as this, which is likely to be a first for any cable network or television channel," he says.
Rajesh G. Pillai, editor, ACV News and Current Affairs, explains, "We concentrate on development journalism. It is not about aggressive reporting of news with a view to sensationalise or scandalise."
To prove the point he recalls a story they aired in a particular edition of the Thiruvananthapuram segment, "while there was a hue and cry about Chikungunya in Kerala, we received information about the spread of Elephantiasis in an area. Immediately after the telecast, we notified the health authorities who looked into the matter and took necessary steps to contain the disease. We did a follow-up on their immediate response as well."
`Janaspandanam'
It was during the elections that the relevance of such programmes was brought home to the people. The channel produced `Janaspandanam,' a programme where councillors are invited to come forward and interact with people of their wards and hear their grievances.
"It was well-received by our viewers. By doing such a programme we were able to reflect the mood of the people," he says.
"While most channels reach people only at the peripheral level, we have succeeded in penetrating the inner regions and airing problems that otherwise remain unnoticed," says M.K.Vivekanandan Nair, media relations manager, ACV. "As a visual media, we are more consistent with the local news," adds Rajeev. Airing 40 editions, all at the same time by 40 different newscasters and crew is another challenge by itself. "As an independent operation in each area this is a major vacuum that we have filled," he says.
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