Bhavesh Chhipa
News channels are the channels by which journalists disseminate news and information to their users. News channels are mainly a part of e-media or electronic media. Radio and television are the primary devices to share and receive news through news channels. Today, there are uncountable news channels in the world being broadcasted by radio and television. There is a long history of news channels. The broadcasting of the first news bulletin in the world was done on 14 November 1922. And from 2LO radio station, this broadcasting was done.
In the United Kingdom, 2LO was the second radio station to broadcast regularly (the first was 2MT which was making regular entertainment broadcastings only). From the seventh floor of Marconi House in London’s Strand, directly across from Somerset House, it began broadcasting on May 11, 1922, for one hour each day. From 14 November 1922 to 31 December 1926, the ownership of 2LO was in the hands of British Broadcasting Company Ltd. The British Broadcasting Corporation became an owner of 2LO on 1 January 1927 and bifurcated 2LO into BBC Regional and National programs on 9 March 1930.
The first news bulletin the world, 2LO, started broadcasting using these words:
“This is London calling – 2LO calling. Here is the first general news bulletin, copyright by Reuters, Press Association, Exchange Telegraph, and Central News.”
– 2LO on the starting day of the first news bulletin of the world
This news bulletin was doing well. But something wrong was about to happen. Newspaper proprietors successfully lobbied the government to forbid the BBC from broadcasting news before 7:00 pm and to mandate that it use wire service content rather than independent reporting to prevent competition. Over time, the BBC was granted permission to edit the copy, and in 1934 it established its news division. However, until World War II, it could not broadcast news before 6 PM.
Along with news, Gaumont British and Movietone cinema newsreels were carried on the TV service starting in 1936. The BBC began creating its Television Newsreel program in January 1948, which was an exact match.On April 23, 1950, a weekly Children’s Newsreel was launched to 350,000 viewers. With a still image of Big Ben, the network started simulcasting its radio news on television in 1946. On July 5, 1954, televised bulletins were first transmitted from rented studios within London’s Alexandra Palace.
The 1953 coronation of Elizabeth II sparked a surge in interest in live television and events. Up to 27 million people viewed the broadcast in the UK, passing the 12 million radio listeners for the first time. Twenty-one cameras in central London provided the live feed for Alexandra Palace, which broadcast it to other UK transmitters ready to go for the event.
Although visually distinct from its radio counterpart, television news remained firmly under the grip of radio news in the 1950s. Correspondents provided reports for both outlets, and the first televised bulletin was presented by Richard Baker on July 5, 1954, and narrated off-screen as still images were displayed. The standard television newsreel with a recorded narration from John Snagge came next (and on other occasions by Andrew Timothy).
Three weeks before ITN’s debut on September 21, 1955, on-screen newsreaders Kenneth Kendall, Robert Dougall, and Richard Baker were presented. Kendall was the first to appear in vision.Nancy Wigginton, a British broadcaster, was the first woman worldwide to read the national news on BBC television.
All these programs on BBC News were for a few hours only and were not available 24*7. Then, on 1 June 1980, at 5 pm. Eastern time, Cable News Network (CNN) went live and became the world’s first 24 hours news channel. Ted Turner gave a brief introduction before David Walker and Lois Hart, a husband and a wife duo, anchored the channel’s debut newscast. Most of CNN’s first 200 personnel were hired by Burt Reinhardt, the channel’s executive vice president. And Bernard Shaw, the network’s first news anchor, was one amongst them.
History of Radio News Bulletins in India:
The history of news broadcasting in India predates All India Radio significantly. On July 23, 1927, the Indian Broadcasting Company, a for-profit corporation, broadcast the first news bulletin in the nation from the Bombay Station. Another Bengali bulletin was launched from the Calcutta Station one month later, on August 26, 1927. Until 1935, Bombay broadcast two bulletins, one in Bengali and the other in Hindustani, and Calcutta broadcast one. The Indian Government of India took direct responsibility for broadcasting after the Indian Broadcasting Company was liquidated in March 1930. It was given the name Indian State Broadcasting Service. On June 8, 1936, All India Radio became its new name.
The first news bulletin from the Delhi Station appeared on the air on January 19, 1936, concurrent with the beginning of its transmission. This marked the genuine breakthrough in news broadcasting that occurred after January 1936. Along with news updates in both Hindustani and English, lectures on current events were launched from the station in both languages.
On August 1, 1937, the Central News Organization was founded. In September, Mr. Charles Barnes assumed leadership as the first News Editor and attained the title of First Director of News. The start of the Second World War in 1939 boosted the Organization’s growth. To keep track of broadcasts from outside, the Monitoring Service was established in 1939.In 1943, the Director of News established the External Broadcast Unit. The Central News Organization was in charge of news bulletins for the External Services and various Indian languages by 1945. Following Independence, AIR’s newscasts increased in both quantity and quality. Regional and national news bulletins received more attention.
Early in the 1950s, regional news bulletins were launched. These initial newscasts started airing in April 1953 from the stations in Nagpur and Lucknow. Regional News Units were established in Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta in 1954–1955.
History of Television News Bulletins in India:
Doordarshan (DD) was launched on September 15, 1959, with a small public service broadcasting trial. And this trial became a service in 1965 when Doordarshan started radio signals to reach television sets in living rooms in and around the nation’s capital, New Delhi. The first broadcast of the first news bulletin of the country was done on 15 September 1965 by Doordarshan. Pratima Puri (Vidya Rawat)read a five-minute news bulletin that day and became the first newsreader of Doordarshan and the nation.
In 1988, New Delhi Television Ltd. (NDTV), a brainchild of its chairman, Prannoy Roy, and his wife and managing director, Radhika Roy, created the news and current affairs program for Doordarshan. With the program’s success, NDTV solidified its reputation as a private news provider. Later, it became the exclusive news content creator and producer for Star News. Star news started broadcasting on 18 February 1998 and became India’s first 24-hour news channel.
The brand agreement that allowed media Content & Communications Services India Pvt Ltd (MCCS) to operate as “Star News” was to be terminated, according to an announcement made on 16 April 2012 by ABP Group and Star India. As a result, Star India would stop providing news to concentration entertainment. Additionally, the business transferred its minority interest in MCCS to ABP Group, rebranding the ABP News channel. The renaming of Star Ananda in Bengali and Star Majha in Marathi, both regional news channels run by MCCS, as ABP Ananda and ABP Majha, respectively, was another example of the transition.
India has 392 news channels, with regional language stations and private businesses dominating the market. Regional news channels have headquarters in their respective regions, while most national news channels have bases in the National Capital Region (NCR). Only a few news channels have centers in Mumbai or some other states.
News channels have remarkable contributions to journalism by providing news and information to all people worldwide from 14 November 1922 to the present. It has also helped to create a global village. News channels are also helping to inform and educate the people.
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