CANNES: The Star network's Star News channel is among four nominees shortlisted for the 9th Annual International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) Award.

The other ICDB Nominees are: TV Cultura from Brazil, Channels Television from Nigeria and Canal Capital from Columbia.

The nominees were announced recently by The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, President, Fred Cohen at the ongoing MIPCOM, an official release says. It further adds that the winner will be announced at the 30th International Emmy Awards Gala held in New York on 25 November 2002.

On the International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB), which falls in December, children take on the role of reporters, presenters and producers of programs that express their own dreams and concerns.

The broadcaster whose programming best captures the spirit of the International Children's Day of Broadcasting will be presented by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and UNICEF at the annual International Emmy Awards Gala, states the release.This year's Award will honour the 2001 December broadcaster.

Dr Prannoy Roy's NDTV, which is the content provider for Star News, marked ICDB with several programmes throughout the day on the second Sunday of December 2001. It is the programmes that were telecast then that have been entered for the International Emmys. This is the first time an Indian Broadcasting Nominee has made it to the top four.

"Broadcasters can help to give children a voice through programming that involves genuine child participation - in other words programmes by and with children, rather than just for them. This is the basis of ICDB," UNICEF's Chief of Internet and Broadcasting Denise Searle was quoted as saying in the release.

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, a division of NATAS, was chartered in 1969 and is the largest organization of global broadcasters, with representatives from over 50 countries on its Board. It was created to honor excellence in television programming outside the United States by awarding the International Emmy Award.