If you felt the ZEE Group wasn’t already nationalistic enough, then you’re in for a treat. The network just announced a new “nationalist news channel” yesterday. With the motto “States make the nation”, the latest channel, ZEE Hindustan, aims to bring news to its viewers from “Kashmir to Kanyakumari”. Essentially, the channel is a mere rebranding of the erstwhile India 24×7 and is available on the same channel numbers on all direct to home services. It claims to shift away from the routine Lutyen’s Delhi reporting and bring news from every nook and corner of the country. 

The channel has various shows slotted to be broadcast which would reflect the channel’s vision. It has a daily show called Rajdhani se Rajdhani tak at 7 pm that would bring news from various cities and gram panchayats and not just metropolitan cities. There is also a 11 pm show called ‘CM’s Corner’ aims to assess a Chief Minister’s performance on a daily basis instead of producing an annual report, like other channels do. 

“In the present scenario, where news channels from all the languages are busy discussing the national capital priorities, there will be one channel which will discuss the state’s news affairs which can influence the centre,” Jagdeesh Chandra, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Regional Channels said in a press statement. “Zee Hindustan will become voice of the nation. No TRP games. For this channel, every gram panchayat will be a TRP centre. We promise the country sacchhi khabar and acchhi khabar,” he said at the launch of the channel yesterday.

According to an article on DNA, the channel was launched on a significant day for the group. 

With all the English news channels already pulling out of the TRP race, it is refreshing to see a news channel declaring itself out of the race right at the start. What remains to be seen is whether the channel lives up to the promise it has made to its viewers.