Non-performance reason for Deepak Shourie's departure from Zee TV?

(posted on 16 November, 10:00 am)

Despite official denials from Zee TV, the news is that Zee TV's romance with one of its CEOs Deepak Shourie has ended. Shourie, according to company sources, has been asked to go by the top brass when he failed to agree to management consulting firm, A.T.Kearney's recommendation that the news television division be merged with the entertainment television division.

Sources indicate that Shourie had chosen the path of individualism over consensus which is the policy being pushed by the executive committee lead by Zee Telefilms chairman and largest shareholder Subhash Chandra. Things came to a head a couple of days ago when Shourie refused to kow tow to the Kearney recommendation.

Additionally, Zee TV sources indicate that Shourie failed to deliver on Zee TV's publishing venture with titles such as Zee Premiere, TV World failing to pick up circulation or get any direction even as they continued to bleed. Shourie also headed the foray by Zee TV into FM Radio which has got the group into a tight spot with government. Law minister Arun Jaitley had been severe on Zee TV's decision not to honour its commitment to pay up the remainder of the amount for the radio licences it had bid for.

Chandra had warned in a business magazine a while ago that he is going to brook no incompetency within his senior management. Heads would roll, was the warning issued then. The current decision to let Shourie go is in an indicator that he means business. And he is extremely keen on getting the Zee Telefilms scrip back to the stellar heights that it had once achieved.

One wonders whether the Shourie decision will have a back lash on Zee TV especially considering the fact that Arun Shourie, Deepak's brother, is a minister currently. But sources indicate that Chandra is not fearful of that either.






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