ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the journey of the Hindi news channel Aaj Tak. The beginnings of the channel are traced back to the days when TV Today operated as an independent production house that catered to Doordarshan. Later, in 2000, the network launched its 24×7 Hindi news channel Aaj Tak. The chapter also traces the Hindi news channel sector that witnessed massive growth and intense competition in the post-2000 phase. This historical overview helps getting acquainted with the foundational logic of the Aaj Tak brand of journalism. Anchoring itself on this historical trajectory, it then probes into the techniques and processes that underlie the production of the current affairs shows aired on Aaj Tak. This is weaved together with a discussion on issues like ownership, editorial policy, relationship with government, influence of social media that together influence the Aaj Tak brand of journalism. All these aspects together help in understanding how media networks are influenced by internal (ownership of the institution, its editorial policies, the organizational structuring, work ethics, revenue model) and external factors (social media, market, state policies, media regulations) that frame their discourse(s).
