Mumbai: Network18’s Global Broadcast News (GBN) and the Lokmat Group present IBN-Lokmat, a 24-hour Marathi News and Current Affairs Channel. The legacy of both media powerhouses will give IBN-Lokmat a sense of immense credibility as well as access to a vast audience base.
Going on air from 6 April, IBN-Lokmat will be a channel for the Progressive Marathi. The channel is being led by Nikhil Wagle as the Editor and IBN Network Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai.
Through its content, programming, state-of-the-art broadcast centre, extensive infrastructure and international production quality, IBN-Lokmat will embark on the principle of delivering news with the spirit of Chala, Jag Jinkuya! (literally meaning Let’s conquer the World). With reporters in every district of Maharashtra, and access to national and global networks, IBN Lokmat promises to become a bridge between Maharashtra and the wider world.
"The channel will talk in contemporary Marathi, be inclusive in its approach, will not mince words when it comes to taking up an issue and shall be highly interactive and informative. Over a period of time, the channel will become the most dependable source of information in Marathi across Media. The channel will focus on Maharashtra and not only on Mumbai," said IBN-Lokmat editor Nikhil Wagle.
Sardesai said, "IBN-Lokmat will be tailored on the lines of CNN-IBN and IBN7 and hence the spotlight will continue to stay rooted on the journalistic spirit of ‘Whatever it Takes’. With editorial integration between GBN and Lokmat, we hope to become the voice of Maharashtra and the channel’s content will not only reflect the mood of the viewers, but will also successfully influence popular opinion".
The programming will be informative with a holistic mix of news from across genres including local, regional, national, international, sports, movies, theatre, fashion, etc. and will cater to a myriad of audiences across the Marathi speaking belt. A list of some of IBN-Lokmat’s show can be found in the annexure attached.
Lokmat Group chairman Vijay Darda said, "The joint-venture will blend together Lokmat’s reach and understanding of the Marathi mind and GBN’s world class standards to create a credible Marathi news channel. I am confident that this relationship will further expand and strengthen this endeavor that is IBN-Lokmat."
