North East gets its second private TV channel

Guwahati, Jan 20 (UNI) Television viewers in the Northeastern region will now get their second private channel for the region as ''News Live'', a bilingual television channel, will officially go on air from tomorrow.

''We have already done the test run for the past one and half month and the formal inauguration will take place tomorrow,'' Editor in Chief of the channel, Otanu Bhuyan said at a news conference here today.

''News Live'' would be the country's first automated satellite news channel with six online bureaus from across Assam and New Delhi.

''This is a 24-hour news channel covering events from across the world, with emphasis on Assam and the NE,'' Managing Editor Syed Zarir Hussain said, adding that it would be the first channel in the region with the state-of-the art technology and having five online bureaus.

The region already has the NETV as its first private television channel.

''Our team is a blend of experienced and young professionals, working towards giving a new dimension to broadcast journalism in the region. Our forte will be the way we treat stories based on relevance, besides objectivity being our other salient features,'' Mr Hussain said.

The channel management was hopeful of achieving to break even in the first year itself and claimed that advertisement support in the test run itself was overwhelming.

Meanwhile, towards the middle of this year, another new player ''Channel East'' is expected to go on air.

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