Star Ananda officially launches on June 6
Media Content & Communications Services India (MCCS), a 74:26 per cent joint venture between ABP TV and Star Group that manages the Star News channel, has decided to officially launch its 24-hour Bengali news channel ‘Star Ananda’on June 6, 2005.
Media Content & Communications Services India (MCCS), a 74:26 per cent joint venture between ABP TV and Star Group that manages the Star News channel, has decided to officially launch its 24-hour Bengali news channel ‘Star Ananda’on June 6, 2005. The dry run for the channel with original programming begins from June 1.
As reported by exchange4media on May 2, the creative agency for the channel is Bates Kolkata, which is also the agency for Ananda Bazar Patrika, the ABP group’s flagship Bengali daily.
According to Shouvik Mishra, Creative Director at Bates Kolkata, “The entire launch campaign has been conceived as a series of teasers that ends with the launch of the much awaited channel.”
While sources at Bates Kolkata are not any more forthcoming on the subject, it is not difficult to make out that the first of these has already hit Kolkata, with the line ‘a ha ki Ananda’ that takes-off on a famous refrain from Satyajit Roy’s legendary film ‘Gupi Gayen Bagha Bayen.’
Interestingly, the visual in the teaser is that of a ‘dhaki’(drummer) playing the traditional ‘dhak’ (drum) that is an intrinsic part of festivities in Bengal. At another level, the drum historically also enjoys a symbolic association with announcements.
While Suman Chattopadhay, till recently the editor of Ananda Bazar Patrika will be the Executive Editor of Star Ananda, it is believed that the channel is poaching heavily from ETV Bangla and TARA News.
Star-ABP combine gears up to launch Bengali news channel 'Star Ananda'
