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Tag: B V Rao

  • Mehrotra Kapoor takes the editor’s chair in fine health

    Mehrotra Kapoor takes the editor’s chair in fine health

    MUMBAI: The newsroom is getting a health check and Sonal Mehrotra Kapoor is writing the prescription. India Today Group has roped in the award-winning journalist as senior editor and anchor to helm the launch of what it calls India’s first-of-its-kind omni-platform brand dedicated to health and wellness. The initiative, rooted in the credo “to inform, not influence,” aims to bring science-backed, trustworthy content to a nation in the middle of what experts call a “health revolution.”

    With over 17 years in the media trenches, Sonal has built a reputation for hard-hitting, human-centred storytelling across some of India’s biggest newsrooms from 11 years as associate editor and anchor at NDTV, to over three years as editor at Moneycontrol.com. Now, she brings that editorial muscle to a sector she’s deeply invested in, armed not just with a journalist’s instincts but also a Harvard certification in nutrition.

    Reporting to B V Rao and working closely with Supriya Prasad, Sonal will spearhead content that blends digital innovation, credible journalism, and wellness expertise. It’s a brief that mirrors her own personal passions from cooking up wholesome meals and dancing to recharge, to hands-on parenting all while keeping a sharp eye on making complex health topics accessible and engaging.

    India Today is betting big on the booming health and wellness space, and with Sonal at the helm, the platform promises to be as fact-rich as it is relatable proving that good health and good journalism aren’t mutually exclusive.

     

  • TV9 Network reviews its company policy to extend association with group editor B V Rao

    TV9 Network reviews its company policy to extend association with group editor B V Rao

    Mumbai: TV9 Network is reviewing its company policy to extend its association with its group editor B V Rao. Rao’s contract with the news broadcasting network expires in July.

    “We are reviewing our post-retirement employment engagement policies and are in discussion with Rao on the nature of his continuing association with the group,” said the company’s statement.

    Rao is a veteran journalist with over 35 years of experience. Rao joined TV9 Network in December 2019. Earlier, he was associated with Network18 Group as editor of Firstpost.com. During his career, he has been associated with The Times Group, The Indian Express, Zee News and India Today Group, among others.

    Rao began his career in 1989 at Mid-Day, Delhi. Afterwards, he joined Indian Express as news editor in 1991. He joined Free Press Journal in 1994 where he served as executive editor. Rao has also worked as a news and communication director at Reliance.

    The company also announced that TV9 editor – convergence and strategy Deep Upadhyay will take charge of Hindi (TV9Hindi.com) and English (News9Live.com) websites, as TV9 editor – Hindi Shailesh Chaturvedi moves on.

    Earlier, Upadhyay was associated with News24 where he had served as the managing editor. During his long career, he has worked with prominent media companies like India TV, Zee News and Dainik Bhaskar.

  • Sandeep Unnithan appointed as editor of News9 Plus

    Sandeep Unnithan appointed as editor of News9 Plus

    Mumbai: TV9 Network has announced the appointment of former India Today managing editor Sandeep Unnithan as the editor of News9 Plus, the recently announced video magazine OTT service by the network. 

    In this role, Unnithan will be responsible for all day-to-day news and editorial reportage at News9 Plus, for rich perspectives, narratives, and debates in a video on demand format, said the media company in a statement. “He will report to TV9 Network CEO Barun Das and TV9 Network group editor B V Rao,” it added. 

    Unnithanr bings with him a wealth of editorial experience with in-depth reporting on defence and strategic affairs. He is the author of “Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11” and the co-author of “Operation X” – a non-fiction book on India’s covert Naval operations during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

    “With Sandeep on board, his rich experience in writing and editing long form stories will play out on the richness of our editorial content,” said Barun Das CEO TV9 Network. “Sandeep will add gravitas, diversity and immersive storytelling that the English news audience deserves. We are confident that quality content will attract quality subscribers. At News9 Plus, we are going to make content a ‘want’ and not just a ‘need’. You would ‘want’ to keep coming back.”

    “This seems like the idea of the decade – where my past experience of long form reportage and storytelling for an evolved audience converge in a future-ready OTT avatar. News9 Plus is the future and I’m excited to help shape it,” said Sandeep Unnithan.

    “News9 Plus needs an editor who understands the pulse of the English-speaking audience – what we define as the GenFlix,” said TV9 Network group editor BV Rao. “The content that GenFlix would like to watch and eventually pay for will define News9 Plus as a differentiated news product. Sandeep and his team will drive that content differentiation for GenFlix.”

    TV9 Network has made another key hire for News9 Plus in Sandhya Ravishankar, award winning journalist from the south, who specializes in investigation. She won the Ramnath Goenka award in 2018 for her seven year-long reportage on beach sand mining.

    Aditya, who has earlier worked with CNN News 18, Times Now and Republic TV, will man the intersection of internal security, terrorism and diplomacy at News9 Plus. 

    News9 Plus will launch at the end of March 2022 on Web, Android and iOS marketplaces. Integrations on connected TVs and smart devices will follow soon thereafter, said the statement.

  • NBA sets up News Broadcasting Standards Authority to redress disputes

    NBA sets up News Broadcasting Standards Authority to redress disputes

    NEW DELHI: In its effort to self-regulate, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has formed the ‘News Broadcasting Standards (Disputes Redressal) Authority’ to enforce NBA’s code of ethics and broadcasting standards.

    The authority will become operational from 2 October.

    Says NBA president and TV Today Network CEO G Krishnan, “Self-regulation is the only and the best way of keeping a check on the content shown by news television channels. We have drafted one of the best self-regulation mechanisms. The government should not intervene in the business of press as it is against the fundamental right of the constitution which grants freedom of speech.”

    Former chief justice and former NHRC chairperson Justice J S Verma will head a nine-member authority which comprises historian Ramachandra Guha, former Nasscom chief Kiran Karnik, JNU doyen Dipankar Gupta and economist and ex-under secretary general of UN, Nitin Desai, as the four members from non-news television background. The panel’s editor-members are: India TV managing editor Vinod Kapri, Zee News group editor B V Rao, Star News managing editor Milind Khandekar and Times Now editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami.

    When asked whether the mechanism is restricted to only English and Hindi news channels, Krishnan said, “The self-regulation mechanism is applicable to all the members of NBA and new members are also welcome to join us.”

    As per the self-regulation mechanism, if any broadcaster, television journalist or news agency is found guilty of showing inappropriate content, the authority can warn, admonish, censure, express disapproval against or impose a fine upon the broadcaster, television journalist or news agency.

    The authority can even recommend to the concerned authority for suspension, revocation of licence, accreditation of a broadcaster, television journalist or news agency.

    “The broadcaster, television journalist or news agency is found showing content which is inappropriate will be asked to pay a fine of Rs 0.1 million. And then further action will be taken if the situation persists,” said Krishnan.

    The summary of every enquiry would be available on NBA’s website, through press release and in the annual report of NBA which will be published in various newspapers.