Local cable TV channel joins India’s television movement

Our Correspondent KOHIMA, APRIL 13 With a mission to reach out to the people of north-eastern India and beyond through music, missions, the Gospel, and discourses about social issues, a new digitized local cable TV channel has been launched. The Nagaland Cornerstone Television (NCTV) under Highland Dawn Media was dedicated at High School in Kohima town. The channel was dedicated by Rev Dr Zelhou Keyho, general secretary of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council. Addressing the formal event, Rev Dr Zelhou Keyho called the present era exciting, and one in which things continue to constantly change and which will continue to be so. He said that both the church and the “secular” world ‘need to bring positive change to the society.’ Appreciating Highland Dawn Media with its core-programmes based on sound moral, Christian values and principles since its inception a decade ago, Rev Keyho asserted that it was time to ‘project ourselves differently (the positive aspects) to the outside world.’ Much negativity about the state of Nagaland has been projected in the media at both local and national levels, he said. The church leader also expressed expectation that NCTV would demonstrate ‘true professionalism’ in delivering its services to the people. He prayed that God would bless this ministry mightily. Sensing the need for quality local television content, and a good platform for self-expression, mental, moral and spiritual uplift for the volatile and vast youth population of northeast India, Highland dawn Media was established with its programmes based on sound moral, Christian values. Highland Dawn Media Highland Dawn Media is a Christian media production house. It produces attractive multimedia and TV programs with wholesome values. It aspires to ‘inform, equip, share positive truths, and communicate conviction.’ Its TV programs are seen weekly and telecasts within and outside the northeast India region. HDM has produced multi-media content from radio and TV programs to internet video webstreams. They include documentaries, features, shows, music videos and live event coverage. The group has also shot and edited footages for other TV channels such as Doordarshan, Northeast, NETV, ZEE TV, ZEE studio-music, NE Hifi, New Delhi Television-NDTV, Far East TV-FETV and Crossroads in Canada. Current projects of the group include a weekly program on Doordarshan, Kohima’s Local Television Channel, and a weekly screen magazine that highlights current events, and Christian music from Nagaland. Besides, Nagaland Christian Radio (NCR) is currently an online radio channel that provides music from Nagaland and beyond, along with local programs, sermons, and live event coverage, and the Naga Folk Films. The content envisages showcasing, highlighting, promoting, preserving and archiving Naga ethnic cultures, and music and art forms worldwide through the website. The group expressed passion and a calling for media ministry and training youth in the media, thereby help churches with audio, video, and PowerPoint content by way of training, consulting and equipment needs. Other services of Highland Dawn Media includes script-writing, content research and development, fully equipped television and audio recording studios, video and audio advert production, post video production, media dubbing and digitization, voice over and voice dubbing services, audio mastering, media design for video and print, website design and coding, and ongoing site maintenance services, live event coverage, live projection to projectors/TVs/LED jumbo-screen, live video and audio internet broadcasting. Further, the programs of the group, produced solely in English, had been viewed with positive feedback from viewers from the north-eastern states of India. Till 2010, ‘Channel Youth’ on NETV [North East TV] was the only regular Naga media presence among majority of Indian TV programs and films. The channel joins India’s huge television industry. Television in India is a huge industry with thousands of programmes in myriad languages. The small screen has produced numerous celebrities, of whom, a few attain national fame, and go on to become members of the two houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. More than half of all Indian households own a television. As of 2012, the country has a collection of over 823 channels of which 184 are pay channels. (Source: Wikipedia) Highland Dawn Media telecasting • From 2004 till 2010, HDM produced weekly TV programs seen across northeast India on NETV & NE hifi. • From 2009 till 2012, HDM produced weekly TV programs on an American channel called FETV uplinked from Cyprus and seen across 125 countries across the world. • From 2007 till date 2015, HDM continues to produce weekly TV programs 6 pm alternate Fridays, on Doordarshan Kohima seen across the State of Nagaland.