"The foundation idea of this channel is innovation and the dire need to be different. As a step in that direction, we decided to go along with the name Channel 7," Jagran TV director Siddhartha Gupta said in a statement issued
today.

Channel 7 will be a free-to-air 24-hour news channel in Hindi and is getting ready for a launch in March 2005. This new 24-hour Hindi news channel is expected to be on air by mid-March.

Officials claim that Channel 7 aims to reach out to viewers through a rich array of innovative, non-fiction, participative, informative and entertaining programmes. The emphasis will be to "interpret news as it impacts audiences" presented in a format, which is both novel and contemporary in its approach and treatment.

Equipped with a strong technical and editorial team under the leadership of former NDTV and Sahara man Arup Ghosh as director-news, the channel's present manpower strength is over 300 personnel.

Yesterday, a Press Trust of India (PTI) report had quoted Jagran Prakashan Ltd managing editor Mahendra Mohan Gupta as saying that the group plans to make Rs 400-500 million from advertising sales in the first year of operation.

Positioned as a "News Plus" channel, Channel 7 will cover positive aspect of news from India. The look and feel is being designed by Bruce Dunlop & Associates from Australia, while its news-room and sets are being designed by Bollywood's Nitin Desai, the report said, quoting Gupta.

The company, which has invested about Rs 600 million in the TV venture, hopes to offload about 20 per cent of its stake through an IPO route. "We are considering all avenues. There are talks going on with both domestic as well as foreign investors. IPO route is also one of options we have," the PTI report had quoted Gupta saying.