Date-wise News

As part of CNN’s international newsgathering expansion and content ownership strategy, the network has announced the opening of its third editorial operation in Mumbai as well as the appointment of Mallika Kapur, currently a London-based reporter, as the network’s Mumbai-based international correspondent effective immediately. The expansion of operations in Mumbai will support the current CNN bureau in Delhi and its operations in Chennai to develop the network’s coverage in India. Kapur will join the network’s existing two correspondents in India – Sara Sidner in Delhi and Liz Neisloss in Chennai. Kapur had joined CNN in 2001 as an assistant producer. The new position in Mumbai is part of the multi-million dollar investment that CNN announced last year, which has already seen the hiring of an additional 50 staff.

exchange4media Staff Oct 10, 2008 9:51 AM

Axel Hilgers has been appointed as Director, South Asia for Lufthansa. Hilgers will be taking over from Werner Heesen, who has completed over 37 years with Lufthansa, of which 13 were spent in growing it to its current position as the leading European airline in India. Hilgers has started working closely with Heesen from October 1 and will be taking on his new role from December 1, as Heesen retires this year. In his new assignment, Hilgers will be responsible for overseeing Lufthansa’s passenger sales and marketing activities in South Asia, covering Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. He had joined Lufthansa in 1986 at the check-in desk and has been associated with Lufthansa for about 22 years.

exchange4media Staff Oct 10, 2008 9:50 AM

Aricent, a technology and outsourcing company, has named former Wipro hand Sudip Nandy as CEO. Nandy will also be appointed on the Board of Directors upon his arrival in October. He replaces Ash Bhardwaj, who quit as CEO to pursue other interests. Aricent is owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, Sequoia Capital (KKR). At Wipro, Nandy was President of the Technology Media and Telecom Business Unit, overseeing more than 18,000 people and a revenue run rate of $1.3 billion per annum. He had also held positions as Chief Executive of the Telecom and Product Engineering Solutions Business Unit and Chief Strategy Officer at Wipro.

exchange4media Staff Oct 10, 2008 9:49 AM

Following the official credence from the Indian Dental Association (IDA), Wrigley’s Orbit Sugarfree gum, which has been positioned on the oral care platform, has embarked on a multimedia campaign involving print, mobile and Internet. The campaign has been conceptualised by DDB Mudra Delhi.

exchange4media Staff Oct 10, 2008 8:36 AM

Cricketnirvana.com has claimed a growth of 25 per cent month-on-month. The cricket-centric portal is also close to achieving the breakeven projected since its launch six months ago. The portal is also geared up for this cricket season with its full coverage, including live streaming and video on demand.

Robin Thomas Oct 10, 2008 8:35 AM

Earth Communications Office India Association has extended the last date for receiving entries for its fourth annual nationwide Environment TV spot contest to November 15, 2008. The contest is open to all individuals – from advertising agencies to students. The theme of the contest this year is ‘Clean Energy… Green Energy’.

exchange4media Mumbai Bureau Oct 10, 2008 8:34 AM

Well-known newspaper editor, columnist, television anchor and food guru Vir Sanghvi will be presenting a new series on the distinctive Asian lifestyles on Discovery Travel & Living. The series, expected to air in 2009, will host a freewheeling journey across Asia bringing viewers stories that highlight pan Asian cuisine, drinks and destinations.

exchange4media Staff Oct 10, 2008 8:33 AM

The festival season in India proves to be a win-win occasion for consumers and companies alike. For consumers it is a time to pick from an array of attractive offers, while for companies it rings in the cash registers. Despite the economic downturn this year, there has been no let down in buyers. exchange4media takes forward the consumer durables festival marketing story.

exchange4media Staff Oct 10, 2008 8:32 AM

impact Roundtable on Indian language newspapers put the focus on language dailies in India, often referred to as ‘vernacular media’. While Part 1 addressed the mindset block faced by language newspapers, Part 2 examines the perceptions of media owners and media planners and how to emerge above the numbers game. The Roundtable was organised by impact, a weekly from exchange4media Group.

exchange4media Staff Oct 10, 2008 8:31 AM

Television viewers can look forward to several new offerings on Hindi general entertainment channels. Reality shows, fiction-based shows, family soaps and festival-specific shows – there is something to cater to every taste. Several of the new shows are slated to premiere on October 13, 2008.

Tasneem Limbdiwala Oct 10, 2008 8:30 AM

Out-of-Home Media India Pvt Ltd (OOH Media) and The Nielsen Company have come together for OOH Metrics, the first ever large scale research on digital OOH TV media in India. This is the largest and only study conducted in the OOH TV domain in India spanning six key markets of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad.

exchange4media Staff Oct 10, 2008 8:29 AM

OMD and AOL’s Platform-A have joined hands to execute a study on the special demographics of online moms. The study, called ‘Living La Vida Rapida: Today’s Parents Living a Double Life at Double Time’, explores the lifestyle and media preferences of online moms. India is an intrinsic part of this study.

exchange4media Mumbai Bureau Oct 10, 2008 8:28 AM

The recent restructuring at Mindshare India has seen the organisation make three senior level appointments as Partner, Client Leaders. Chanchal Chakrabarti takes over as Partner, Client Leader for Team PepsiCo. He would also be looking after the non-Unilever business in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Ajit Gurnani is Partner, Client Leader for Team Aditya Birla Group. Another recent appointment is of Ravi Rao as Partner, Client Leader for Team Unilever, South Asia.

Noor Fathima Warsia Oct 10, 2008 8:27 AM

The Hindi general entertainment genre has been witnessing a lot of action in 2008. However, despite the entry of at least four new channels in the space, the overall genre has not shown corresponding growth. Fragmentation has increased, and so has the cost of production. Media observers see this as a concern in context to the overall pricing of the channels in this genre and say that at this rate, Hindi GECs would become cost ineffective.

Noor Fathima Warsia Oct 10, 2008 8:26 AM

Don’t forget television also hikes its rates. In our industry, every time there is an increase in production cost, the entire burden shifts to the advertiser. We don’t pass on any burden to the reader. It is unfair to push the entire burden on the advertiser, who is waking up to the fact and asking ‘why should we be the whole subsidiser to your cost?’ and that’s a bit of a problem.

exchange4media Staff Oct 10, 2008 12:00 AM