News Broadcasting
ABP News Lets Fly The Flag Salutes Bravehearts with Singham
MUMBAI: ABP News Lets Fly The Flag initiative, started in 2012 has reached a new pinnacle this year. Other than the celebration of 68th Independence Day and the musical performance by an ace artist Irfan, the initiative this year was partnered with Singham Returns to recognize the act of bravery by a common man.
“Let’s fly the flag is one of the most successful initiatives that have been undertaken at ABP News Network. Though its journey is short but the success is immense-from being just an on air initiative in 2012, it has become an on ground + on air property. This initiative is very intrinsic to the ABP News Network as it is a reflection of all that we believe in-connecting with our viewers. We have celebrated the bravery of common people using this initiative as the platform. And we would continue to do so in the future.” shared Ashok Venkatramani, CEO, ABP Network
In 15 days of campaign on ABP News, viewers were asked to send entries of their act of bravery and winners were selected using a stringent process. A total of 10 winners were awarded by the entire cast of Singham Returns – Ajay Devgan, Rohit Sheety, and Kareena Kapoor in a ceremonial ground event at Amity University, Noida. The winners of the award were:
• Promila Katiyar for saving her 5yr old grand daughter from a thief
• Shalini Tomar for saving her daughter from kidnappers
• Veeru and Ramandeep for saving 2 girls from goons in Delhi
• Beni Prashad of 80yrs for educating under privileged children selflessly
• Ankita Arora for fighting with 4 snatchers and getting them arrested
• Naveen Gulia for fighting against beggar maffia
• Sanjay Kumar of CISF for saving life of a person who fell in river in Kullu
• Renu Singh for fighting with snatchers and getting them arrested
• Maleika Singh Tak for saving herself from kidnappers in Jaipur
The award was followed by enthralling performance of Mohd. Irfan of Banjara song fame. While the award function was happening, Ajay Devgan was very moved and shared “I am inspired to see these real life Singhams. They are the real heroes”. More than 600 people attended the on-ground programme. The show was telecasted on 15th Aug, 8pm onwards on ABP News.
Lets Fly The Flag was presented by Black Cobra Plywood, Powered by Raj Shree Pan Masala, Co-Powered by Jharkhand Sakrar, Associate Sponsor M-Tech Mobiles, Venue Partner Amity University.
News Broadcasting
Senior media executive Madhu Soman exits Zee Media
Former Reuters and Bloomberg leader says he leaves with “no regrets” after brief stint at WION and Zee Business
NOIDA: Madhu Soman, a veteran of global newsrooms and media sales floors, has stepped away from Zee Media Corporation after a short stint steering business strategy for WION and Zee Business.
In a reflective LinkedIn note marking his departure, Soman said his time within the network’s corridors was always likely to be brief. “Some chapters close faster than expected,” he wrote, signalling the end of a nearly two-year spell in which he oversaw both editorial partnerships and commercial strategy.
Soman joined Zee Media in 2022 after more than a decade abroad with Reuters and Bloomberg, returning to India to take on the role of chief business officer for WION and Zee Business. His mandate was ambitious: bridge the newsroom and the revenue desk while expanding digital and broadcast reach.
During the stint, Zee Business reached break-even for the first time since its launch in 2005, while WION refreshed programming and strengthened its digital footprint across platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
But Soman suggested the cultural fit proved uneasy. Describing himself as a “cultural misfit”, he hinted at deeper tensions between editorial instincts shaped in global newsrooms and the realities of India’s television news ecosystem.
Before joining Zee, Soman spent more than seven years at Bloomberg in Hong Kong as head of broadcast sales for Asia-Pacific, expanding the company’s news syndication business across several markets. Earlier, he held senior editorial roles at Reuters, overseeing online strategy in India and managing Reuters Video Services from London.
His career began in television and wire reporting, including a stint with ANI during the 1999 Kargil conflict, before moving into digital publishing as India’s internet media landscape took shape.
Now, after nearly three decades in broadcast and digital media, Soman is leaving Delhi NCR and returning to his hometown, Trivandrum.
Exhausted, he admits. But unbowed. And with one quiet line that sums up the journey: he didn’t sell his soul — because some things, after all, are not for sale.
