Podcast | Ep 77 - Zakka Jacob, Managing Editor, CNN-News18: Upholding a great news legacy

In this, the 77th episode of our award-winning MVP -The Master’s Voice Podcast, we bring you a chat with a young pioneer from  News broadcasting and now, of course, digital too - Zakka Jacob, Managing Editor of one of India’s best English News channels, CNN-News18. Zakka speaks with Pavan R Chawla, show host and Founder-Editor of Mediabrief. Com.   

This well known, respected  television news journalist with close to 20 years experience in anchoring and covering some  defining news stories during the last decade, speaks of his sense of  duty and total commitment to upholding the great legacy of  two respected brands, CNN and the  News18 network, and  what shines through is the combination of  humility and confidence with which he approaches his privilege as Managing Editor of CNN-News18.

Zakka -- responsible for the editorial strategy of the channel and is geared up to redefine the genre with new ideas, formats and programs -- shares how he views the two main parts of news broadcasting and presentation across the opinions/debates time from 6 pm to end of prime time, and the remaining 13 to 14 hours of hard-core news, presented per the best global standards of proper, professional  news presentation.

Zakka leads by example, and the best practices of news presentation percolate the  debates-and-opinion slots too; little wonder, then, that this young man with a baby face and a razor-sharp mind enriched with wide and deep news experience across India and Mainland China and  laced with restraint and an apparent quest to bring out  the grain from the chaff, has earned the moniker of ‘Thinking Man’s anchor – something he is obviously devoted to as a mission of  his News life. 

He is circumspect, and not given or partial to splitting  eardrums in debates, letting his thoughts and approach drive conversations towards the truth. 

This important quality has helped Zakka ensure every kind of view or opinion is given full space, and he tells me  there isn’t a single  political party that has ever boycotted or refused to appear on CNN-News18 on grounds of the channel being   being parochial or partisan. 

Zakka tells me how CNN-News18  continues to foster its reputed editorial quality and the  grooming of young journalists. 

Zakka also shares his views on industry issues like the BARC Ratings, Landing Pages – inckuding a simple guide to Landing pages, why they come at a premium, and why these perfectly  legitimate tools of channel discovery and sampling are a great way to boost greater awareness. 

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