Channel NewsAsia embarks on expansion plan

SINGAPORE: Channel NewsAsia is all set for a major relaunch on January 21 with an ambitious plan to increase content by 30 per cent and woo new audiences both in Singapore and abroad.

It will debut a new look and give audiences an uninterrupted flow of news and current affairs throughout the day.

The relaunch will start from 6am with a brand new line up of programmes.

Channel NewsAsia’s chief editor Lian Pek explained: "As we go live around the clock, we are going to be increasing content by more than a third. Effectively, this comes from our top of the hour news belt called News Pulse. Now that starts from midnight to 6am Singapore—Hong Kong time, so that is going to be tracking developments in the US and Europe."

New bureaus in India and IndoChina amplify the channel’s coverage of the region.

Business news content will more than double with some of that broadcasting out of our brand new satellite studio in the Marina Bay Financial Centre in downtown Singapore.

And there will be a new primetime business show to boot.

Teymoor Nabili, who is the presenter of the new show, Business Central, said: "We are putting business front and centre at primetime every night. Business Central is going to take a slightly different approach, and focus on in—depth interviews, and issues, from a big picture perspective."

Viewers can also expect a fresh new look. Hours are spent calibrating the nuts and bolts, from how bright the lights should be down to the exact position where a presenter has to sit or stand.

Mohd Farid Johari, assistant vice president of production services at Channel NewsAsia explained the channel’s new look.

He said: "Everything was motivated around the idea of the logo, you know, the triangle or the slash. And whether it is the graphics, animation or set design, we do it in such a way that the branding is stronger."

But it is more than just a branding exercise.

As the news business becomes increasingly competitive, the relaunch underlines the station’s commitment to helping viewers Understand Asia — the channel’s raison d’etre and new tagline.

"Ultimately, we are the channel that understands Asia, and we want our viewers to benefit from that understanding. We also want to share this understanding with people in the West, because we are setting our sights on increasing distribution there," said Lian Pek.

She added: "Asia is certainly one of the rare, bright spots in the world today, in terms of the global economy. People want to know how Asia thinks, how Asia ticks, and how Asia does business."

— CNA/fa