How latest tech & SOPs are keeping Times Network’s news ops buoyant amid COVID surge

Heralded as #NewsWarriors as the COVID-19 pandemic raged through the country in 2020, news reporters and news networks kept their operations running in very tough and unprecedented circumstances. Several frontline reporters got the COVID-19 infection in the line of duty. There were several reports on the heavy mental and emotional toll that the pandemic was causing among the news personnel – with what they saw out in the field, as well as job and salary cuts.

News organisations were quick to introduce and ensure strict adherence to all COVID-19 protocols, transition to Work From Home mode and provide their field staff with all the safety gear.

After a few months when the number of COVID-19 cases drastically reduced in India, unfortunately the country is now in the midst of a second COVID wave, which is turning out to be more severe that last year. Once again, news organisations have gone into safety-above-all-else mode and introduced strict SOPs for all their staff.

In conversation with Adgully, S Srivathsan, EVP & Head – Human Resources, Times Network, speaks about how his organisation is keeping employee safety and well-being as its top priority, as well as the contingency measures for digital business and specially designed system tools adopted that Times Network employees to operate remotely.

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News reporting amid COVID-19 times: How our #NewsWarriors are battling it out

What protocols have you put in place for continuation of newsroom operations amid the second wave of COVID-19 cases in the country?

Employee safety and well-being has been the top priority for us at Times Network. With our preparedness and vigilance, we have successfully and seamlessly transitioned to Work From Home (WFH) for almost all our non-production staff, including our editorial staff. Contingency measures for digital business and specially designed system tools, allow all us to operate remotely and we have established connect through secure VPN services to our production centres to sustain news flow.

Latest technology, hitherto unexplored for LIVE news television, has been implemented to allow a LIVE news production work to happen from remote locations like homes. We have standby crews as backups, safety gears and equipment have been given to all personnel and all safety protocols are followed to ensure our employees safety, as we deliver uninterrupted news to our viewers.

How are you ensuring safety of reporters in the field? What are the challenges of news gathering faced from the states under lockdown/ curfew?

Health and safety of our team members is of paramount importance. In addition to providing all required safety equipment and educating our correspondents and video journalists on the best practices to be followed, we have significantly reduced the workforce and minimised their interaction on field so that we can bring authentic news in the shortest possible time to our viewers.

How are you utilising the learnings from last year to face the second wave of COVID-19?

When the pandemic broke out last year, it was a new and evolving scenario for everyone as its impact on lives, businesses was not immediately known. However, we were quick to comprehend its consequences and were one of the first to implement WFH and introduced innovative solutions to ensure business continuity. We are proud to say that despite the adversity, we were able to ensure effective and optimum employee productivity and an undisrupted broadcast service to our viewers.

COVID-19 is a complex and evolving scenario, and this time the impact is more intense and severe. Our learnings from last year have ably prepared us to tackle the situation. During the onset of the current wave, we acted quickly to address the situation through necessary safety arrangements for our employees. We have introduced Times Network Employee Assistance program, for which we have partnered with leading hospitals and multiple healthcare providers across metros to ensure that, if and when needed, medical attention and facilities would be available to our employees. We have empanelled 24x7 doctor-on-call facility to guide our employees on medical facilities, including medicines, tests and hospitalisation services. We continue to encourage car pools to avert exposure to the risk through public transport.

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