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Introduction:
Aaj Tak, a Hindi news channel run by the TV Today Network, is one of the oldest news channels in India. According to the Broadcast Audience Research Council, Aaj Tak is one of the most-watched media channels in terms of viewership. Even on Youtube, it has the highest number of subscribers - over 47 million.
History & Growth:
Unlike today, where it stands as a top-notch independent news channel, Aaj Tak was established as a news show on the country’s public service broadcaster - Doordarshan. It was first broadcasted in 1995 on DD Metro. Back then, it was broadcasted as a news program, merely for 10 to 20 minutes. As an independent channel, Aaj Tak came into existence in 1999. As a complete Hindi news channel, Aaj Tak became the first one to be broadcasted for twenty-four hours. Its leading anchor was Surendra Pratap Singh. One of the first print journalists to successfully graduate to television, Surendra went on to become a prominent face in the industry. He edited the Hindi daily Navbharat Times and the weekly Ravivar. With his 24*7 news bulletin, Surendra Pratap Singh expanded the horizons of television journalism, using the then-unique approach of the common man’s eye view style. Unfortunately, he passed away at the young age of 49, before Aaj Tak became independent.
In 1999, the government decided not to renew its contract with Doordarshan, and thus Aaj Tak turned into a full-fledged news channel; owned by the TV Today Network. TV Today network is originally a part of the Living Media Group or the India Today Group in Delhi.
Aaj Tak’s all-time tagline “Yeh thi news aaj tak, intezaar kijiye kal tak” became quite famous. Moreover, Aaj Tak was also the first Indian news channel to use an Outside
Broadcasting Van or the OB van. It is like a mobile studio with cameras, vision control, sound mixing, and everything else needed for television production inside one vehicle. Such technological up-gradation was brought in by Aaj Tak.
From the very beginning, Aaj Tak managed to build a huge reach of over 52 lakh households. Over time, this number grew to 3 crores. According to the TV Today’s Report, Aaj Tak has touched a maximum of 160.93 million in terms of viewership by 2020. On December 14, 2018, Aaj Tak launched India’s first high-definition Hindi news channel i.e. Aaj Tak HD.
Staff:
Mr. Aroon Purie is the Chairperson of the India Today Group and a third major stakeholder in Living Media India Pvt. Ltd. He is Editor-in-chief of the Group and the Chairman of Living Media India Pvt. Ltd. In addition to these, he also serves as the Chairman and Whole Time Director of TV Today Network – a Living Media India subsidiary that owns and operates television channels like India Today, Aaj Tak, Tez, and Delhi Aaj Tak.
Rajdeep Sardesai is the consulting editor and anchor of India Today Television. An Indian journalist, news anchor, and author, Sardesai previously served as the Editor-In-Chief of Global Broadcast News, including CNN-IBN, IBN7, and IBN Lokmat till 2014.
Anjana Om Kashyap is the Senior Executive Editor of Aaj Tak. She marked her journalistic career by joining Doordarshan before moving to Zee News. Next, she joined News 24 but moved to Aaj Tak in 2012. She is very well known for her engaging debate shows and reporting.
Shweta Singh is the Senior Executive Editor of Special Programming at Aaj Tak. An Indian journalist and news presenter, she started her journey through print media, like The Times of India Patna edition and Hindustan Times Patna edition. Later she switched to the electronic medium working in Zee News, followed by Sahara. In 2002, Shweta Singh moved to Aaj Tak and is known for her expertise in covering sports beat.
Other famous journalists of Aaj Tak:
Rohit Sardana is named among the greatest journalists in the country. After working in Zee News, he switched to Aaj Tak in 2017 and became a senior anchor. He was very well appreciated for his debate show Dangal on Aaj Tak. He has been awarded the prestigious Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Award for Hindi Journalism in 2018. Unfortunately, in April 2021, Rohit Sardana passed away after being tested positive for Covid-19.
Other leading anchors and journalists in Aaj Tak include Chitra Tripathi, Sayeed Ansari, Meenakshi Kandwal, Vikrant Gupta, Sanjeev Chauhan, and Neha Batham.
Most popular programs running on Aaj Tak:
Khabardar - It is a 30-minute program where the host presents an in-depth analysis of the day’s top news stories and also analyses the political, economic, social, sports and entertainment aspects of the day.
5 Minute 25 Khabar - It is a quick narration of all the top stories in 5 minutes. The host collects and presents the top 25 news stories in the political, social development, and economic aspects from all over the world.
Nonstop 100 - Nonstop 100 is a brief 20-minutes presentation of 100 news updates and developments relating to society, business, economics, sports, and culture.
Shatak Aajtak - A 15-minute program where the host provides an insight into the trending topics and stories of the day.
Viral Test - A 10-minute discussion on current affairs and trending stories, reflecting light on its various aspects.
Dangal - One of the most high-rated programs of the channel, Dangal features the host interacting with a panel of experts with contradicting opinions to talk about various political, social, or economic aspects prevailing in the country.
Halla Bol - A leading program that involves the viewers to engage. It is an hour-long telecast, where the host sheds light on some of the major issues of concern in the nation and the viewers are also given the opportunity to ask questions to their representatives.
Shankhnaad - An half an hour program where the host not only talks about the prevailing issues but also presents an in-depth analysis of the lesser-known facts about the situation.
References
(n.d.). Indian Journalism Review.
(n.d.). Aaj Tak
Aaj Tak. (n.d.). Reporters Without Borders
Compiled and edited by
Tanya Pratap
Batch of 2023
B.A. (Hons.) Journalism
Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi
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