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Constantly
keep refurbishing formats as well as shows. That is the
philosophy Narendra Morar, commissioning editor, BBC World,
believes works today. And fitting well into this strategy
is the latest India-specific programme launching on the
channel - Dateline India.
Dateline India launches Friday, 5 April and will
be hosted by columnist Tavleen Singh. The weekly show fits
into the same slot earlier occupied by Question Time
India and will air every Friday at 10 pm.
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The
programme is weighted towards political issues and
the format is that every week three journalists will
be invited to debate and discuss the issues that have
dominated the week.
"Dateline
India presents the viewer with topical, perceptive
and sometimes controversial opinions and analysis
on national issues," says Morar. "This new India-specific
programme affirms BBC World's faith in the power,
depth and understanding of Indian journalistic talent
and makes the most of this to give viewers a better
appreciation of current affairs and how it affects
their lives."
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Narendra
Morar
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While Dateline India will invite the top journalists
in the country to participate, it will also serve as a platform
to showcase journalistic talent that is normally outside
the pale of most such shows, says Morar. It appears that
he is hoping that Dateline India will offer more
by way of opinionated debate than "the same old faces".
Giving an example of how the formats of BBC shows are being
tweaked, Morar referred to the current India Business Report
series. Earlier it was a show produced in the magazine format
while the current 13-episode series is issue based. Once
this series completes its run, a series around on key personalities
in Indian business will be run, Morar revealed.
Most of the series that will henceforth be aired will have
13-episode runs, Morar says.
These are the shows that go on air post-April:
Dateline India with Tavleen Singh hosting; Wheels
(new series) with Niret Alva & Natasha Margo hosting and
Face to Face (new series) where Karan Thapar continues
as the interviewer.
That is not all, coming in June is a new series called Great
Moments in Cricket. Morar is also on the lookout for a new
reality series to replace Commando! which is nearing the
end of its run.
Referring to Commando! and Hospital which
preceded it, Morar said while they were received well, it
was a gamble on the part of BBC to go ahead with them. He
saw that as a major problem in India where channels were
unwilling to take risks. "There is not enough emphasis on
original ideas. Programmers are taking the path of least
resistance," Morar said.
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