Asianet News went Non-stop Break freeLive without commercials for 5 days
Trivandrum: Days and nights when entire Kerala was drowned in a devastating deluge. Wild cries rising from the depths of raging waters. It was also the time when a media institution rose beyond its designated role to become a savior to hundreds of people struggling to save their dear lives against a marauding flood.
News desks became 24 hour-Help Desks:
As always Asianet News took the lead to keep the public informed about the unprecedented disaster asquickly and as comprehensively as possible without a break for three days continuously. Simultaneously, Asianet News’s News desks had also morphed in no time to become 24 hour-HelpDesks.
The wails that showered along with the incessant rains, the screams that rose in the cold, dark night, the fervent pleas that came through the blowing winds. All of them soon transformed and reached the news-cum-help desks as SOS phone calls, SMSs, WhatsApp messages etc, that were processed and Geo coordinates of the people stranded were located and handed over to the rescue teams.
SOS alert to Airlift:
Along with processing and airing at break-neck speed the reports flooding in from the state’s every nookand corner, Asianet News’s news-cum-help desks continuously attended distress calls, soothed them,imparted them confidence, conveyed their plight to the rescue teams on time and became instrumental.
to save many lives. It was an SOS message that went from the news desk that had alerted the IndianNavy rescue team to airlift a woman in labor trapped in flood to safety. Within hours, Sajitha Jabil gavebirth to a child at the Navy hospital in Kochi. It was literally transformation of a moment of near-deathand despair to life and hope.
Since it was an SMS based platform, the problems of telephone lines busy due to traffic congestion was completely ruled out.
Ad Break free Non Stop Live:
Asianet News created history in another manner too during this moment of deep distress.Holding aloft the highest ideals of responsible journalism, Asianet News, in order to keep the peopleabreast of the unprecedented disaster without break, did away with all commercial advertisements –a channel’s financial lifeline- continuously for 120 hours. It’s a matter of contentment that after AsianetNews had showed the way, other Malayalam channels too followed our example.
The entire fleet of Asianet News staff along with 120 aspirants from iLearn IAS Academy coordinated the efforts under the supervision of senior leaders who made themselves available for all those days. Put together they have addressed more than 50,000 SOS calls and helped to rescue more than 1.48 Lac people.
The trend also reflected in the viewership rating charts of BARC data in week 33, wherein Asianet News stood ahead of many GECs and became second most viewed channel in Kerala with 512 GRPs (CS Male AB22+ U+R).
