Hassan Cheruppa

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH – India’s first ever media city will facilitate a major media hub with high tech connectivity among international media organizations and world class media academies, according to its main promoters.



Addressing a press conference at InterContinental Hotel here on Sunday, they said that Insight Media City will be a leading destination for students from the Middle East, especially from Saudi Arabia, who wish to become qualified professionals in the visual and print media as well as in film industry.



The press conference was attended by Gokulam Gopalan, chairman of Gokulam Group of Companies, Mohammed Alungal, chairman and managing director of Al-Abeer Group of Companies, R. Sreekandan Nair, managing director of Insight Media City, and eminent Saudi journalist Khaled Almaeena.



The $88 million global media venture, whose investors include several top Indian expatriate entrepreneurs, will be implemented in three phases.



Two television channels and an international media school will be launched in the first phase of the city, which will have 14 ventures, when it will go on full stream.



The high tech city will be the first facility in India in which media students can take advantage of state-of-the-art studios of news and entertainment channels for practical training within their campus.



The high definition entertainment channel, Flowers, and a news and current affairs channel will be the city’s first ventures and they will go on air in February and April respectively, they said.



“The new channels will be provide a new visual fiesta with a wide variety of programs without any compromise on values and social commitment.



The channels will strive to create massive public awareness against corruption and immorality,” said Gopalan, who is the chairman of Flowers.



Alungal, who is the chairman of the news channel, said the new channels do not represent any particular community or organizations but the entire society, with a special focus on expatriates. “We are committed to uphold the country’s rich traditions and values, and promote harmonious relations and peaceful co-existence in India’s 1.25 billion strong pluralist society,” he said.



The international media school, the highlight of the city, will be operational in September 2015, said Nair.



The media school, led by the global entrepreneur in education services Dr. Vidhya Vinod, CEO & executive director of Study World Education Holding Ltd, will be a center of excellence for media studies in the digital world with highly advanced practical training and internship in television channels.



“In the first phase, we have an ambitious plan to train 1,000 students to become highly qualified and competent professionals,” he said.



Almaeena described the city as a unique project that will help raise the standard of the media industry.



“It is fabulous to bring in media experts from universities and academies with global acclaim to the new city.



Students from Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region can take advantage of this world class facility,” he said.



Muhammad Emran, public relations manager of Al-Abeer Medical Group, also attended the press meet.