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Local news channels set up All India News Broadcasters Association

The association is headed by heads/owners of small and medium news channels. M S Walia (of Azad News) is its chairman.

While National Broadcasters Association exists for the welfare of news channels in India, a number of Indian regional/local news channels have gone ahead to join hands with the government and various agencies to set up their own body.

Christened All India News Broadcasters Association, the organisation is a unified platform for ensuring ethical journalism and to look at a collective solutions for ridding the industry of the various problems that continue to plague it without a workable solution in sight, the body said in a press communiqué.

The association, comprising heads/owners of small and medium news channels, has appointed an interim committee of office bearers in a meeting held in Delhi. Fresh elections will be held within six months to ensure the formation of a permanent committee.

As of now, the chairman of the association is M S Walia (Azad News); Anil Gaba (Total TV) takes charge as vice-chairman. Tejinder Pal Singh (Patiala based Channel 2) has been appointed as general secretary of AINBA, while SK Gupta (TV100) is the treasurer of the body. The joint secretaries are Prakash Sharma (Jabalpur's SMBC Insight Channel) and Amit Agarwal (Raipur's Channel TSN).

The other members of the governing body are ID Garg (Gurgaon's Khabrein Abhi Tak), Pushpendra Singh Baghel (Khabar Bharti, Noida), Vikram Newaar (Tazaa TV, Kolkata), A K Sama (Fast News, Rohtak) and Naresh Mehta (Khoj India, Gurgaon).

According to the association, this is the first such association or representative body of regional news players in the country, which will work towards creating a level playing field in the country at par with the national news channels.

"Apart from focusing on the problems of the industry, the association will work towards ensuring clean and ethical journalism, and work towards curbing paid news and ensuring guidelines for self-regulation. The association will also work towards creating a platform for news syndication and exchange amongst member organisations, collective marketing and distribution," the press release read.

All India News Broadcasters association will also act as a unified body working in conjunction with the government and representing the views, issues and concerns of the broadcasting industry, and play an exemplary role in finding workable solutions.

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