Tag: Ritu Dhawan

Paritosh Joshi quits India TV

MUMBAI: Paritosh Joshi has decided to step down as the CEO of India TV. he joined India TV on 2 November 2015.

Ritu Dhawan, managing Director said “Paritosh joined us in November, 2015 and while we hoped that this would be a long association, it has clearly proven taxing for him as he continues to commute between two metros. He has now chosen to return to his family in Mumbai. It was a pleasure having him on board and we wish him well with his future endeavours.”

Paritosh Joshi said it was indeed a pleasure working with brand India TV and,” though, we could not continue for longer duration due to my personal obligations, I wish Brand India TV many more land marks to achieve.”

August 4, 2016
India TV ropes in Paritosh Joshi as CEO

MUMBAI: India TV has appointed Paritosh Joshi as its new CEO. Joshi has been a ‘strategist’ for the news channel since 2012 and was tasked with optimising and leading the revenue function of the company’s existing businesses and also develop business for its forthcoming ventures.

Joshi’s last assignment was as Star CJ Network CEO.

At India TV, the CEO post was until now held by India TV managing director Ritu Dhawan, who was given the additional portfolio in 2009 post a restructuring exercise.

Dhawan said, “Paritosh has been part of India TV family for well over three years. Its is a pleasure to welcome him home.”

Joshi added,”I have been privileged to work alongside the terrific team here for several years and when Ritu asked me to take up this responsibility, it seemed like a natural next step.”

Joshi joined Star TV in August 2005 as president, advertising sales and distribution. In 2009, he was made CEO of Star CJ Network India, which was a joint venture of Star Television and South Korea’s CJ O Shopping. He quit Star CJ Network in April 2012 and has since been working on a number of industry initiatives including the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India.

Apart from being a strategist at India TV, Joshi was also strategic advisor to the Shailesh Kapoor helmed Ormax Media.

Joshi, who was until recently Media Research Users Council (MRUC) chairman of the Technical Committee, now serves as mentor for the council.

November 2, 2015
India TV ups Sudipto Chowdhuri as executive president- sales

MUMBAI: After completion of two successful fiscals, India TV has promoted Sudipto Chowdhuri as executive president–sales.

It may be recalled that India TV underwent a complete brand make-over a couple of years ago including brand identity, packaging, content and presentation.

Chowdhuri’s inclusion to lead the sales function at India TV coincided with its pre-transition preparations. As part of a larger organisational objective, the immediate challenges he has faced are those of price hike and bringing top-of-the-line brands on board.

Chowdhuri said, “I would like to specially thank our MD and CEO Ritu Dhawan not only for the appreciation and recognition but also for placing trust and giving me a free hand to handle the sales in a fiercely competitive scenario.”

Chowdhuri started his career in advertising with Tata Yellow Pages in Delhi. He was sent to Kolkata to start Tata Yellow pages branch operations along with couple of senior colleagues. After a long stint in Tata Yellow Pages, he moved south with India Today group as deputy manager advertising (IMPACT) and was handling all editions of India Today language editions. He then moved to Zee Network as senior manager – ad sales and was handling entire network sales based out of Hyderabad for Andhra Pradesh market.

Promoted as associate vice president – sales he moved to Chennai to handle TN & AP markets. He then moved to Star News as head of TN & AP. Later he moved to Mumbai with Star News to handle bigger markets and responsibilities. After a relatively long stint with Star News and before joining India TV in January 2013, he got his first national responsibility with TV 9 Group (TV9 Kannada and News 9 English news channel).

April 27, 2015
Subhash Chandra knew I had a winning concept: Rajat Sharma

“In the 21 years of this show, nobody has been forced to reply, Rajat knows the art of extracting a reply through his sweet questioning. Another big quality of Rajat is that he uses his tongue sparingly in his show, but he uses his heart to the fullest. A clever mind works behind this,” is how Prime Minister Narendera Modi described the man who has been for 21 years making the icons of the country answerable.

Rajat Sharma’s journey with ‘Aap ki Adalat’ began with Zee TV in 1994 and from then there has been no stopping. The talk show has seen politicians, sportspersons, celebrities and others pour out their heart as well answer some of the trickiest questions.

Amidst the celebrations, indiantelevision.com’s Meghna Sharma in a freewheel chat with Sharma spoke about what keeps him ticking, his favourite interview and much more.

Excerpts…

21 years is a long time, what do you have to say about the journey? What keeps you ticking?

It still feels that the journey has just begun; all my memories with the show are still very fresh. The type of guests we have hosted on ‘Aap Ki Adalat,’ their replies, the viewers’ response, the in-studio audiences, the ambience that makes me feel at home every time I step into the Adalat Studio, the affection showered upon me, probably the never-ending love of my viewers…all makes me feel really blessed and probably gives me the strength to keep going.

When did you come up with the idea of starting ‘Aap ki Adalat’? Any glitches faced while launching the show?

The idea came up in a casual conversation with Zee TV owner Subhash Chandra on a flight from Delhi to Mumbai, 21 years ago. Without much thinking I told Subhash Chandra how the interviews should be done for TV. I told him about putting politicians in the dock and making them accountable to public. After we landed I forgot about the conversation. Subhash Chandra, however, was quick to realise that I had come up with a winning concept.

Your most memorable interview so far and why?

Like I said, all of my interviews have been really special and still very fresh in my memory, however if you tell me to pick one, I would pick the one with the then PM candidate, Narendra Modi. The reason for my pick is not only did the show created a huge ripple in the broadcast media Industry, when almost India’s 85 per cent news audiences watched the show’s first telecast with competition reduced to negligible numbers but also because of spontaneity and ease with which Mr. Modi responded even to the trickiest questions…given the fact that he had a really bad throat after addressing six-odd election rallies during the hectic campaign spree. We weren’t expecting more than 15 minutes of shoot. We ended up shooting him for over two hours and the result was breathtaking.

Whom/what do you attribute this success to? How do you still maintain the charm of the show?

Talking of success, I am very sure that it wouldn’t have been the way it is now if the director of my show, who also is my wife, Ritu Dhawan wouldn’t have been around. She is the one who has been standing like a rock behind my success…taking care of everything, from my looks to the positioning of the show, she is everywhere.

I have always believed in doing my job right and just focus on that. We have been able to create the right mix of depth, detailing and research mixed with the right amount of humour, we have ensured to keep the show relevant to the changing preferences of the audiences over the last two decades, probably that’s what you are referring to as charm.

After 21 years, will we see any changes in the format?

Change is inevitable, however more than planning any such change we would rather keep ourselves adaptive to what our audiences would prefer.

From President to PM to celebs, everyone attended the celebrations. What do you have to say about the support?

One word, I am overwhelmed. Feeling deeply humbled. While just focusing on my work, I never expected the amount of affection and respect showered upon me by all including country’s topmost icons. I am more than grateful to all and most to my viewers who have backed me all through as their advocate while I tried to amplify their voice with who mattered.

December 6, 2014
Aap Ki Adalat @ 21, India TV announces a celebration like never before

MUMBAI: From the power corridors of Delhi to the glamorous Mumbai, there is a most definite flutter over the news of a mega event being hosted by India TV to celebrate the 21 glorious years India’s longest running Television show Aap Ki Adalat with Rajat Sharma.

To commemorate the legendary milestone for the show, a cult in its own, India TV is organizing a never before and dazzling event on 2nd December. Country’s topmost leaders including the President & the Prime Minister, most celebrated Bollywood Stars including the three Khans, most celebrated Sports Icons including top Cricketers, Country’s top Business leaders, top Spiritual Gurus and Country’s Apex Bureaucrats & Administrators for the first time come together under one roof.

In the Indian electronic media industry, the names Rajat Sharma and Aap Ki Adalat have been synonymous since 1993, when the first show was telecast. The show in its lifetime has broken all possible records in the history of Indian news television, and still continues to dominate the rating charts.

Ritu Dhawan, MD & CEO, India TV said, “Words would be redundant if we try to sum-up the glorious journey of Aap Ki Adalat, equally redundant would be an attempt to word the glory of the celebration plan.” “I am sure that every bit will be loved by both who will be present for the ceremony & those who will get to watch this on their TV sets.” She added.

In the last two decades, this top show that has enviably featured almost all top names of their times till date. During the celebration most of the personalities who featured in Aap Ki Adalat in its journey are expected to grace this mega event, making it the biggest & brightest such gathering of contemporary times.

India’s Premier GEC Star Plus has also decided to be part of the celebrations and the event will be simulcast on both the channels – India TV and Star Plus on a 7th December at 10 PM. Cineyug, one of India’s premier event management companies will be managing the evening.

November 26, 2014
India TV’s Salaam India Awards 2014 left the attendees dazzled

MUMBAI: India TV honored the Bravehearts of the nation through the second edition of “Salaam India Awards” with even greater passion and perseverance.

The awards were presented in a dazzling ceremony in New Delhi on Sunday, September 21^st. The ceremony that was attended by who’s who of the nation was presided over as Chief Guest by Sh. Rajnath Singh, Honorable Union Home Minister. The ceremony also glittered through a powerful battery of dignitaries present that included personalities like Sh. Ravishankar Prasad, Sh. Salaman Khurshid, Gen. (Retd.) V.K. Singh, Sh. Kalraj Mishra, Shri Janardan Dwivedi, Maulana Mahmood Madani, Sh. Ram Gopal Yadav, Sh. Amar Singh, Dr. Kiran Bedi, Col. (Retd.) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Liqour Baron Mr. Kishore Chhabria, noted galzal Singer Gulam Ali, Manoj Tiwari and Dr. Naresh Trehan to name a few.

It was a perfect blend of courage, emotions, selflessness and glory, brought alive on the stage. Fitting the ceremony were the touching performances by Ability Unlimited, a dance troupe comprising differently-abled dancers & by Sand Artist, Nitish Bharti who took those present at the ceremony to a completely different level.

The selection of the final 14 Braveheats was done by a high-powered Jury that comprised, India TV Chaiman & Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Rajat Sharma, Former IPS, Dr. Kiran Bedi, General (Retd.) Deepak Kapoor, Former Army Chief and Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, Ace Olympian & MP. The Jury was chaired by India’s former CEC, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi.

Addressing the august gathering, Chief Guest, Sh. Rajnath Singh highlighted, “Salaam India Awards is a great “point of reference” initiative by India TV. Our society that is fast transforming, needs many more similar initiatives. This will surely motivate all of us to rise above of our selfish motives for the larger societal good.”

India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Rajat Sharma, while congratulating the winners, observed, “These bravehearts are the real heroes. It’s an honor for all of us present here to be able to honor such heroics.”

“It’s inspiring for us all and such opportunity will go a long way in further stimulating us all as a nation to keep the humanity going.” He added.



Ritu Dhawan, MD & CEO, India TV, said, “We on behalf of India TV promise that we will be working on more such initiatives & further our humble attempt as a responsible news channel to not only honor the extraordinaire but also motivate the society at large.”

This year’s initiative was presented by Officer’s Choice packaged drinking water in association with Amrapali Group. Dainik Bhaskar & Pioneer Publicity were the media Partners. The event was executed by Showtime events.

Salaam India awards as an initiative was started by India TV in 2013 with an intention to honor those common people who have displayed exemplary sense of courage, valor & selflessness to safeguard others while not caring for their own lives.

Winners’ List for Salaam India Awards 2014

Bravery Awards

1.       Payal Senani

2.       Late Nitin Yeolekar (posthumous)

Gallantry Awards

1.       Gunjan Sharma

2.       Late Aryan Raj Shukla (posthumous)

3.       Rosy Ara

Jyoti Singh Awards

1.       Fatima Khatun

2.       Sakshi Vidhyarthi

Special Awards

1.       Inspector Gaurav Godbole

2.       Constable Sunil Kumar T.P.

3.       Late Sepoy Vikram (posthumous)

4.       Nathu Singh Uttam Adhikari (QA)

5.       Late Lt Cdr Manoranjan kumar (posthumous)

6.       Aadesh Kumar Sea I CD III

7.       Riffat Abdullah

September 23, 2014
India TV announces the Second Edition of Salaam India Awards

MUMBAI: ‘Salaam India Awards 2014’, second edition of the unique honors, constituted by India TV last year, is back to felicitate the exceptional acts of bravery exemplified by the common citizens of India.

Following the ‘nationwide call for nominations’, the 2014 edition of the coveted honors is officially underway post the Jury deliberated to decide upon the distinguishing Bravehearts last weekend.

This year’s Award Jury includes India TV Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Rajat Sharma, Former India CEC, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, Former Army Chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor, Ace Shooter Col. (Retd.) Rajyavardhan S. Rathore and Former IPS Dr. Kiran Bedi.

In line with the guiding principle for the awards, the chosen honourees are those who are not intrinsically fearless but who could selflessly win over their fears to safeguard someone else’s interest while risking or even sacrificing their own lives, in the hour of need.

Announcing the second edition of the honors, India TV MD & CEO, Ritu Dhawan said, “We are glad that we are again getting a chance to felicitate our real heroes, who simply inspire us all by their actions demonstrating selflessness & fearlessness, also the most important traits of a news source.”

“As a leader in the Hindi news genre, it is certainly a matter of both pleasure & contentment for us to felicitate those who are not only our role models but also who bring the positive balance to humanity, our society & nation” she added.

The chosen bravehearts will be honored in a glittering ceremony on Sunday, 21^st September at Hotel Taj, New Delhi. Salaam India Awards will be conferred across four categories including Bravery Awards, Gallantry Awards, Jyoti Singh Awards and Special Awards.

Officer’s Choice has once again decided join hands with India TV as the presenting sponsor of the initiative along with Amrapali Group as the associate sponsor. Dainik Bhaskar & Pioneer Publicity are the media partners for the initiative. Showtime Events, one of India’s premier event management companies will be managing the event.

To know more about the Awards, please visit: www.indiatvnews.com/salaamindia

September 9, 2014
QW Naqvi quits as India TV editorial director

MUMBAI: Just six months after he took office with India TV as the editorial director after a year long sabbatical, well known journalist Qamar Waheed Naqvi has resigned from the company.

Through an official statement, India TV confirmed that he had indeed taken the decision to leave the channel. Said India TV MD and CEO Ritu Dhawan, “We have accepted his resignation and asked Naqvi to serve his notice period.”

“We are surprised at the reasons being attributed to it in the social media. Any such reasons are baseless, and we condemn the effort being made to use it for political gains,” said Dhawan.

Sharma said, “There is a continuous attempt by some people to defame electronic media which has been officially condemned by broadcasters. We in the news media have covered several elections in the past and will cover many more, we cannot allow our industry to become a tool in the hands of interested parties during elections.”

Naqvi joined India TV in October last year prior to which he was a known name at Aaj Tak.

April 14, 2014
India TV eyes 35 per cent revenue increase in this election year

MUMBAI: With the Election Commission having announced the election schedule, the unfolding political drama has certainly picked up momentum. News channels were already in the fray but will now devote even more air time to election programming in the coming weeks.

On its part, India TV – which recently underwent a makeover to be hailed as a more serious news channel – will start its election programming today, using this as an opportunity to showcase its change in focus. “The commitment was to set new benchmarks in the news presentation. We have already taken leaps in that direction and elections are a direct opportunity for us to showcase the differentiation,” says India TV MD and CEO Ritu Dhawan.

The channel will kick-off its full-fledged version of electioneering next week under the title, ‘Faisla Kursi Ka’. A special election series called Aap Ki Adalat mein Faisla Kursi Ka will feature as part of India TV’s most popular show Aap Ki Adalat with India TV chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma. The regular series will continue alongside.

The channel’s flagship show Aaj Ki Baat Rajat Sharma Ke Saath has already tilted towards elections while newer shows like Yeh Public Sab Janti Hai, Delhi-Darbar, Sitare Zameen Par and Vansh are in the pipeline. “With a firm belief that content which is unlike our competition, not only have we made substantial investment for the same but we have also ensured that our content does not suffer from predictability,” says Dhawan.

Actor Om Puri will host Vansh while the other shows will be anchored by celebrities including Dalip Tahil, Piyush Mishra and Meghna Malik.

According to Dhawan, the aam aadmi’s desire for a change in governance has resulted in a nearly 17 per cent increase in viewership in the news genre, with India TV experiencing an almost 20 per cent increase.

With Hero Motorcorp as presenting sponsor, Shakti Pumps as powered-by sponsor, and many more advertisers and sponsors the likes of Tata Motors, Birla Cement, Ranbaxy, Rupa Hosiery and Emami already on board the channel during election time, India TV is expecting 20 to 35 per cent of additional revenues in this election year, as compared to the earlier non-election one.

“In total, we expect 20 to 35 per cent of additional revenues on a fairly high year-on-year base of a non-election year. That also qualifies as we have made reasonable investments in the content part,” says Dhawan. Sources estimate that the channel is looking at making nearly Rs 180 crore this year.

Coming to the what and how, India TV’s news gathering team will pan across the country’s key constituencies on polling days, complemented by a team of experts in the studio.

“It would not be an exaggeration to say that we will most definitely be omnipresent through our wide network of reporters, stringers and other strategic partners. We have made large investments to further strengthen our news gathering,” signs off Dhawan.

March 9, 2014
India TV getting serious about news?

MUMBAI: Frequent allegations of sensationalist journalism notwithstanding, India TV has managed to stay at the top of its game, what with veterans like Rajat Sharma associated with the Hindi news channel.

And now when the channel is in the middle of a refresh to let people know it has become serious about the news business, what better than ‘Brand Sharma’ to lend credibility to the exercise.

As India TV MD and CEO Ritu Dhawan puts it: “Till recently, audiences were more interested in non-political and ‘popular’ content, so we were catering to that. Now with elections and various other news events, the flavour of hard news is back, so we have refreshed our programming completely. Today, the number of news stories on India TV is more than that on any other news channel. With Rajat Sharma leading the pack and Q W Naqvi at the helm of affairs, our viewers can be assured of the most accurate and responsible news reporting, which will further cement our leadership position in the Hindi news genre.”

In fact, the channel’s reliance on Sharma’s popularity emanates from a position of knowledge wherein it actually commissioned research to find out how best it could highlight its repositioning. “One thing that came out very clearly is that ‘Brand Rajat Sharma’ riding on the credibility it brings in, will have a towering effect on ‘Brand India TV’. It further suggested that people may like to see that connect personified both in terms of communication and programming. And so, not only is the editor-in-chief back on prime time news with his daily analysis show, Aaj Ki Baat Rajat Sharma ke saath, he is also the face of the brand campaign,” reveals Dhawan.

Indeed, as part of the revamp, India TV has embarked on an ambitious, six-week-long marketing campaign which leverages Sharma’s popularity with the audience. The first leg of the campaign will run for 21 days across Hindi speaking markets like Mumbai, Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Allahabad and Gorakhpur. Life-size images of Sharma will adorn hoardings and billboards across these cities as well as digital ports at arrival and departure terminals in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.

The banners focus on Sharma’s pensive expression along with the words, ‘You, me and India TV – let’s change the face of the nation’ and have been designed by Saints & Warriors, one of the three creative agencies that were short-listed for the job.

“Three agencies made it to the final short-list for the job, basis what they had presented in response to the brief given. Eventually, Saints & Warriors was chosen for the assignment, basis further discussions with them. Their credentials, clarity of thought, and extended execution sampling helped us clearly decide in their favour,” informs Dhawan.

Working on ad placement on news websites by geographically targeting them to suit audiences is Agency Ecosystem by Amar Ujala, which has a target to reach 35 million impressions through websites like Dainik Bhaskar and Amar Ujala. “We have tried to keep a close leash on expenditures. The first leg of 21 days of the campaign is to the tune of Rs 5.5 crore,” reveals Dhawan.

It is learnt that the revamp is not only to tone down sensational news but also because of the increase in the number of news channels which has led to severe fragmentation of viewership. While India TV was launched at a time when its competitors could be counted on one’s fingers, it now has several competing channels swimming in the same pond. “With so many new and small channels taking up a large percentage of the market, it has become a highly competitive space so the brand refresh was done to mainly maintain our viewership,” a source from India TV tells this website.

Whatever the reasons for the refresh, it’s just two days since the campaign has kicked off and people are getting used to the posters of Sharma in his signature pose with folded hands. What remains to be seen however is to what extent Sharma will help change people’s hitherto perception of India TV.

January 8, 2014