Mumbai: In a piece of good news for the employees at Living Media India Ltd (LMIL), founder and chairman Aroon Purie has announced the organisation’s decision to reverse the salary cuts imposed last year amid the pandemic.
Apart from the over and above the Ex-Gratia Award given recently, the salary reductions for all the staff will be reversed, effective 1 September 2021, informed Purie in a letter written to the entire staff.
Purie said the reduction of salaries in June 2020, was the “most painful decision” that he had to make in the 46 years he has worked in India Today, which is published by LMIL. “As you know, even before the pandemic, the magazine industry was under severe stress. With the economy contracting, advertising, our primary source of revenue, virtually collapsed, plus distribution was impacted due to corona lockdowns. The only way to survive was to reduce costs,” he wrote.
Purie also thanked his employees for working through the crisis undeterred, and ensuring that the magazine did not miss a single issue, and maintain the quality at the same time.
“You have shown courage, resourcefulness, forbearance and ingenuity. While we are nowhere near pre-COVID levels, or expect to be there in the foreseeable future, we must move on and adjust to a new reality. I have faith in our strong brands, content, our team’s belief in the magazine and our will to succeed,” he wrote.
Purie highlighted that despite the churn in the media landscape, magazine stories have a profound and lasting impact. “Advertisers see that too. I hope more will. The good times will return. They have to. We will all then progress and prosper with our magazines,” he added.
New Delhi: After naming Udayan Mukherjee as its global business editor, the India Today Group on Wednesday announced two more big-ticket appointments as part of its larger plan to bolster its coverage of business news in the post-pandemic economic order.
The network has named prominent magazine editor, Sourav Majumdar, as the new editor of the Business Today Magazine, and Siddharth Zarabi, former editor of Bloomberg TV, as the managing editor of Business Today TV.
In a career spanning three decades, Majumdar has worked with several leading media outlets with leadership experience across platforms. He was initially associated with brands like The Financial Express and Business Standard in various capacities. In his most recent role, he was editor of the Indian editions of Fortune and Forbes. Prior to that, Majumdar was editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur.
“It’s genuinely exciting to join an organisation that I believe is the Gold Standard of Journalism –the India Today Group,” he said of his new role at the ITG. “I look forward to being part of Business Today, as it makes a deep and dramatic transformation into a digital-first, multimedia offering with the magazine as a center-piece. India, and indeed the world, is witnessing dramatic change and we hope to bring compelling stories of this change to the readers of today.”
Zarabi is a prominent prime-time business anchor, who has led newsrooms in marquee print and television media outlets, including Bloomberg TV India as its editor till recently.
Noted for his stellar track record in covering Indian financial markets, macro-economy, regulatory and administrative architecture, he possesses first-hand experience of economic policy formulation in India since 1997, said the network in a statement.
“I am delighted to be part of the India Today family. I look forward to being part of the Group’s latest foray as it expands and enlarges its business content offerings across television, print, and digital platforms to offer meaningful content as India navigates the post-pandemic economic era,” Zarabi said.
Speaking on the appointments, the India Today Group vice-chairperson Kallie Purie said, “Every once in a while, the business arena goes through an irreversible change. In the midst of this disruptive flutter, the real journalists and real ideas reshape the world. We are happy to be on the leading edge of this transformational journey with the most credible journalists, an enviable legacy and a truly Omni platform multimedia BUSINESS TODAY Experience”
New Delhi: The India Today Group is set to bolster its coverage of business news with a new show hosted by noted journalist Udayan Mukherjee. Mukherjee returns to the newsroom after a long hiatus. His comeback comes at a time when the world explores new ways of doing business in the post-pandemic economic order, said the company on Monday.
“Udayan brings with him a sharp insight into the future of business. As we grapple with the normal, new normal and abnormal we need his talent and a much-needed global perspective on helping us cope with the post-pandemic economy,” said India Today Group vice-chairperson, Kalli Purie. “His grasp of financial markets, innovation-driven businesses, fintechs, and micro- and macro-economic trends will cater to the growing appetite among the young generation of professionals, entrepreneurs, and startups for a clearer understanding of the new order of things. The India Today Group is delighted to have him on board as the host of our new Business Today show.”
The India Today Group would also be leveraging Mukherjee’s considerable experience to enhance its business offerings across print, television, and digital platforms.
“I am delighted to be part of the India Today family. Having always admired the extensive and enormous reach of brands such as India Today, Business Today and TV Today, I am really looking forward to the opportunity of reaching out to their audiences and engaging with them,” said Mukherjee. “The whole world of business has been turned on its head. Business is not going to be the same again after the pandemic. And everybody — from business leaders to policy-makers — has to look at the world through a very different lens. It would be a great opportunity to engage with the business world once again but from a different perspective, through a different lens.”
Mukherjee started his career before the turn of the millennium, just as the Indian television scene was beginning to take off. As a lead anchor on CNBC and later its managing editor, he played a pioneering role in creating the cult of stock markets in particular and business coverage in general in broadcasting.
Mukherjee was honoured with the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award for Journalist of the Year in 2012, following which he stepped down from his active daily role at the helm of the channel. Since then, he remained a much-followed commentator on business affairs and a columnist for national newspapers. He even authored three works of fiction.
NEW DELHI: India Today Group has elevated Rahul Kanwal to the role of executive director of its business magazine, Business Today.
The new business responsibility is in addition to his current role as news director of news channels Aaj Tak and India Today. Apart from leading news gathering operations for the India Today network, Kanwal hosts India Today’s flagship prime-time broadcast, Newstrack. He carries an experience of 20 years in broadcast media.
The magazine recently went a content refresh to align with the increasing demand of digital news and focus on ‘digital first’ approach.
MUMBAI: Kerala is the most literate state in the country, and as a result, news consumption among Keralites is also on the higher side. At the turn of the millenium, television news channels gained massive popularity in the state, and now, it boasts of ten exclusive news channels – Asianet News, Manorama News, Mathrubhumi News, 24 News, Kairali News, News 18, Janam TV, Reporter TV, Jai Hind, and Media One.
News channels competing heavily in Kerala
As the state legislative assembly elections in Kerala are going to be conducted on 6 April, news channels in the state are going toe-to-toe to affirm their dominance in the industry. All news outlets in the state have been vigorously covering election news since the announcement of the polling date, and this trend will last until 2 May when the results will be declared.
When it comes to viewership on television, Asianet, being the early bird in the industry, has clear dominance. The channel conducted a pre-poll survey in association with C-Fore. Asianet's pre-poll survey telecast was anchored by Asianet News editor-in-chief MG Radhakrishnan, and anchors Vinu V John and Sindhu Suryakumar.
"C-Fore and Asianet have been conducting pre-poll surveys since 2009. We have conducted surveys for five elections in these 11 years. The surveys were conducted in a very professional manner, and most of our predictions in the past have turned true except having some minor changes when it comes to seat counts," said MG Radhakrishnan while anchoring the survey.
The survey conducted by Asianet suggested that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by CPI(M) will win 82 to 91 of the 140 assembly constituencies in Kerala in the April election; the United Democratic Front (UDF) will bag 46 to 54 seats, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will end up with three to seven seats.
Apart from the survey, Asianet News' satirical program Gum also succeeded in impressing audiences during this poll season.
Celebrated journalist Venu hosted Mathrubhumi's pre-poll survey that was carried out in association with C-Voter. Findings of the Mathrubhumi's survey also hinted at LDF dominating the 2021 elections.
Analysis, debates, and public polls
Although Manorama News also conducted a pre-poll survey, it was Manorama's program Vottu Kavala that garnered positive responses from viewers. Vottu Kavala was basically a journey through 140 constituencies in Kerala which allowed the general public to participate in the show. Manorama News' Counter Point anchored by Shani was another segment that helped the channel to stay on top among Malayalam news channels.
Due to their Left Democratic Front leaning, Kairali News did not succeed in garnering viewers apart from their niche audiences. However, one program on the channel that impressed everyone was Votography hosted by senior journalist John Brittas, and firebrand writer Renji Panicker. Votography analysed the political scenarios in all 140 constituencies.
24 News conducted a mega pre-poll survey hosted by Arun, one of the most popular news anchors in Malayalam. With the implementation of advanced technology in news telecasting, 24 News is slowly emerging as one of the frontrunners among Kerala-based news channels. The channel also has a strong social media presence, and its viewers on YouTube live streaming is much ahead of Asianet News, Manorama News, and Mathrubhumi News.
Nikesh Kumar's Walk with Candidate was one of the top election programs aired on Reporter TV. Out of the several episodes aired, it was Walk with Superstar Suresh Gopi that garnered the maximum number of viewers for the channel. During the program, the BJP candidate lashed out at Nikesh Kumar, and videos of the incident went viral on online spaces.
Apart from regional Malayalam channels, popular national news channels in the state including India Today, Times Now, NDTV, and Republic TV will be also covering Kerala legislative assembly elections religiously. As the BARC data is not available, it is still unclear which channel will fare well in the upcoming Kerala polls coverage. However, regional language channels are expected to win big when it comes to a share of the viewership pie.
Keralites will cast their votes on 6 April, and the state will wait until 2 May to know the results of the legislative assembly elections. During this 26-day span, news channels will most likely try to keep their momentum going by conducting post-poll opinion surveys. Apart from this, news debates during prime time are also expected to draw viewers in the coming days.
NEW DELHI: Known for its most accurate predictions, the India Today Group’s exit-poll mechanism has made its way to the Harvard Business School curriculum.
The India Today-Axis-My-India post-poll surveys have given the most definitive predictions in about 95 per cent of all the elections that took place in the country between 2013 and 2020.
Now, the same research and multi-layered mechanism has become the first ever case study built by the Ivy League business school.
The case study, now part of the HBS’ classroom course on elections, highlights the complexity associated with successfully predicting elections in the world’s largest democracy, with all its diversity, varied geographies, shared international borders, sprawling rural populations and 23 different languages.
The case study, written by professor Ananth Raman, senior associate Ann Winslow and research associate Kairavi Dey, discusses the process that goes behind forecasting elections in India and the methods the channel uses to analyse data along with the research firm to reach accurate forecasts – from selection of field surveyors, hiring and training, data-collection technology, quality auditing, data analysis to final forecasting.
India Today Group is delighted to be associated with Axis-My-India and this global recognition. The association goes strong for years and the results are a testimony to the most focused research and proven methodology.
UPS Foundation professor of business logistics chair, OPM, HBS Professor Ananth Raman stated that predicting elections accurately in an extremely complex country like India is indeed challenging.
The case study, which illustrates numerous operational details, including those associated with training surveyors and moving them across different locations based on their linguistic and socio-economic identities to get a feel of the electorate’s pulse, will inspire students at the Harvard Business School to create their own entrepreneurial journey, he noted.
Professor Raman also mentioned that while they have seen numerous examples of experienced organisations struggling to predict election outcomes in the recent past, this case illustrates how a robust mechanism devised a process to predict outcomes most accurately.
What sets it apart from all the other competitive surveys is its reach across the length and breadth of the country (700+ districts), an average survey size of over five lakh people for national surveys, GPS-enabled tablets to maintain geographical sanctity, as well as computer-aided questionnaires backed by social intelligence to garner maximum data veracity.
NEW DELHI: India Today group CFO Dinesh Bhatia has been summoned by the enforcement directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with the alleged TRP scam. Media reports state that he is expected to appear before the investigative agency on Monday.
India Today’s name had reportedly appeared in the initial FIR filed by Hansa Research in the case, which was brought to light by the Mumbai police in October last year. However, Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh had later stated that no evidence came up against the channel in further investigation.
Mumbai police has thus far arrested 15 people in connection with the case, including the owners of the Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema channels, the distribution head of Republic TV and several former relationship managers of Hansa Research Group, hired by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). Former BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta is currently in police custody for his alleged involvement in the rigging of ratings, his bail plea having been denied by the court.
The ED had earlier registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR), the equivalent of FIRs filed by the police, investigating money laundering allegations in the case.
NEW DELHI: While 2020 was marked by many highs and lows for the Indian news industry, some newspersons’ star only rose.Here’s the second part of the year-end series on people’s movements in the Indian news industry,focusing on top-rank promotions within the organisations and those who took on additional charges.
India Today
Dinesh Bhatia was elevated to CEO of India Today Group. He was earlier the group CFO.
Mail Today deputy editor Darpan Singh was named the executive editor for Indiatoday.in. The announcement came after India Today announced the closureofMail Today’s print edition.
Rahul Shaw was promoted to the post of CEO – TV and radio, Salil Kumar to CEO – digital, KR Arora to COO – distribution and international, and Yatendra Tyagi was made TVTN CFO. Manoj Sharma took on the new responsibilityof CEO – magazines, LMI.
India TV
In its decision “to rethink, rework, and retool” its business strategies, India TV announced promotions for four of its key persons looking after business revenue, corporate affairs, television operations, and growth and monetisation aspects.
Sudipto Chowdhury was elevated to chief revenue officer, Puneet Tandon as chief officer – corporate affairs, Rohit Lal as chief officer – television operations, and Gulab Makhija, in addition to his role of CFO, was given the portfolio of CEO for growth and monetisation.
Mathrubhumi Group
After the demise of late chairman and managing director MP Veerendra Kumar, Mathrubhumi Board elected PV Chandran as chairman and MV Shreyams Kumar as managing director. PV Chandran also continues to function as the whole-time director and managing editor.
PV Chandran
PV Gangadharan, erstwhile director, was appointed as the whole-time director and Mayura MS was tapped as a whole-time additional director of the company.
Mathrubhumi also announced the elevation of Naveen Sreenivasan as head media solutions TRD (television, radio, anddigital).
Network18
Firstpost business head – English news cluster Azim Lalani was elevated as COO – brand solutions and convergence for Network18 digital. He was also given the additional charge of branded content for CNN-News18. Kishore Ajwani was given the post of managing editor from deputy managing editor.
Smriti Mehra was promoted from the post of COO – business news to CEO – business news cluster. She is now responsible for the P&L of this cluster and CNBC digital. Additionally, News18 Languages product function Sudipto Nandy was tapped as News18.com product head – general news.
Karthik Subbaraman was appointed the managing editor for the network’s digital news operations. Prior to this, Subbaraman was the editor overseeing three southern channels, a responsibility he passed on to Vivek Narayan.
Karthik Subbaraman
Preeti Sahni was handed the charge of COO – Forbes India; Siddharth Saini shouldered the responsibility of handling English news, business news and Forbes verticals, as well as international business.
The Hindu Group
Malini Parthasarathy was named the chairperson of the board of directors. She took over the reins from N Ram, who stepped down from the position at the age of 75. Prior to this, Parthasarathy had been the co-chairperson.
Additionally, publisher of The Hindu Group’s various newspapers N Ravi was elected as the chairperson of Kasturi & Sons Ltd.
The New Indian Express
The publisher promoted VP – marketing and digital operations Amitabh Bishnoi to VP for digital properties.
The Quint
The Quint announced the elevation of national revenue head Devika Dayalto the position of its chief revenue officer in September this year.
Times Network
Times Network president – strategy and business head – English entertainment cluster Vivek Shrivastava was given the additional charge of the network’s news business. In addition to Movies Now, Romedy Now, MN+, MNX, the news channels Times Now, ET Now and Mirror Now were added to his portfolio.
Vivek Shrivastava
TV9 Network
TV9 Network strengthened its management team by promoting president Vikram K as COO – south. He will be driving the group’s flagship channels TV9 Telugu and TV9 Kannada. It also announced the appointment of Raktim Das as COO – Studio 9.
Republic Media Network
Group president Bhaskar Das was elevated to chief strategy officer. Group CFO S Sundaram was given additional responsibility as group president. Hersh Bhandari and Priya Mukherjee were also tapped as COOs.
NEW DELHI: Indiantelevision.com concluded the much-coveted News Television Awards in a virtual ceremony today. Conferring the honours was Indiantelevision.com founder and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari. The event was powered by TVU Networks.
Over 120 awards were presented to multiple news media groups and eminent personalities in the industry. News channels were awarded in multiple categories – Programming Awards, Promo – Design – Packaging Award, Sales & Marketing Awards, Special Awards. These included the likes of Zee, Aaj Tak, NDTV, India Today, Wion, TV9 Telugu, ABP News, Odisha TV, ABP Ananda, Zee Rajasthan, News18 Lokmat and others.
A round of personality awards were conferred to anchors, journalists, producers, cameraperson, video editor, and others. Some of the winners in the category include CNBC TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan, India Today & Aaj Tak news director Rahul Kanwal, Aaj Tak’s Rohit Sardana, Zee 24 Kalak’s Janak Sutaria, Wion’s Digvijay Singh Deo, NDTV India's Nidhi Kulpati and others.
The Hall of Fame Award went to India Today vice-chairperson Kalli Purie.
New Delhi: There's management changes aplenty afoot at the Aroon Purie promoted India Today group. Long serving senior executives have been given promotions.
The group's listed company TV Today Network's chief operating officer Rahul Shaw has been elevated as CEO of the TV and radio business. A 10 year veteran of the group, he has held various positions in different verticals that India Today is present in.
Salil Kumar, who has been with the group for over a decade, has also been given a legup by being redesignated as CEO of its digital business. Kumar, who was COO, digital, has been with the organisation for over a decade.
14 year old vet KR Arora has been named as chief operating officer for distribution and international.
Another senior professional, Dinesh Bhatia , who was the group CFO has been named group CEO for the whole group.
Manoj Sharma will be the CEO for LMI. He was last serving as chief operating officer – publishing for India Today Group. He has spent over 10 years at the group.
Yatendra Tyagi will be the chief financial officer for TV Today Network.
India Today vice chairman Kalli Purie announced these changes to the group today. “All will continue to work in close coordination with group roles on legal, compliance, financial, people, and technology matters. I have been on the job regularly with Dinesh, Rahul, Manoj, and Salil during these difficult times and feel that each is highly capable. Various necessary approvals are being initiated towards effecting these changes. Congratulations!," she said in an internal email circulated throughout the organisation. "Over the next several days I will be hosting pop-up Diwali celebrations with small groups. I hope to meet many of you, alas at a distance, so as to ensure that we are able to celebrate together in spite of the restrictions.”
Purie also stated that India Today would be going in for regular appraisals of its employees.
