People
ZEEL appoints Pradeep Hejmadi as Business Head of Zee TV
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) today announced the appointment of Pradeep Hejmadi as business head – Zee TV. Pradeep will be responsible for the overall functioning of Zee TV and will report in to Bharat Ranga, chief content and creative officer (CCCO), Zee Entertainment Enterprises.
Speaking on the appointment, Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises said, “We would like to welcome Pradeep into the ZEE family. With multi-dimensional understanding of the Indian media industry, he has spear-headed and successfully launched, innovative and first-in-class profit-bearing initiatives in the Indian media marketplace. We are confident that his industry knowledge and consumer insight will be invaluable in driving Zee TV’s further growth and innovation.”
Bharat Ranga, chief content and creative officer (CCCO), Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited said, “Pradeep brings with him an immense experience that will help us drive our Vision 2020 goals. We welcome him on-board and we are confident that his presence will add value to the channel and the organisation.”
Pradeep Hejmadi commented on his joining, saying, “ZEE’s flagship channel Zee TV has a rich and successful history behind it and I am looking forward to being a part of its future. With the incredible talent, original content and dynamic team that the channel has at hand, I am sure that we will be able to break new barriers and conquer even greater heights.”
Pradeep has over 18 years of experience in the Indian media industry spanning Media Sales, Media Planning and Buying, Consumer Research, Business Planning and Product Development. Prior to joining ZEE, he was the Senior Vice President – Strategy Group & Marketing at TAM Media Research Pvt. Ltd. where he was responsible for anticipating needs and focusing resources towards ensuring TAM that builds on its Intellectual Properties and drives the value upwards for consumer insights data and services. He pioneered the Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) Service in India and launched a Sports Sponsorship Evaluation & Consulting division – TAM Sports, thus consistently delivering revenue growth year-on-year, through development and delivery of new and innovative products/services.
He formerly served as director – business and operations, Nickelodeon India at MTV Networks India and as director – research at Turner International India. He was also associated with organisations such as Discovery Communications India, J. Walter Thompson and The Times Of India. Pradeep is a Science Graduate from Mumbai University and is extremely passionate about playing Badminton and running marathons.
Pradeep Hejmadi’s appointment is with effect from 1 July, 2014.
People
Senior exec Madhu Soman reflects on stepping away from Indian TV news
Sometimes the toughest story in a newsroom is the one about the newsroom itself.
MUMBAI: For Madhu Soman, a media executive whose career spans more than two decades at global news organisations including Reuters and Bloomberg, the decision to step away from India’s television news industry followed conversations with several leading networks.
Soman returned to India in 2022 to take up a senior leadership role in television news.
He transitioned to the business side of the industry in 2014, joining Bloomberg in Hong Kong to lead broadcast sales, news syndication and strategic partnerships across Asia-Pacific. He held the role for nearly eight years before returning to India.
“WION and Zee Business were the reason I chose to return to India after long years with Reuters and Bloomberg, transitioning from telling stories to selling them,” Soman said.
“The landing strip back home was always narrow, but it was one I was happy to take.”
The stint at Zee Media Corporation Ltd., however, proved shorter than expected.
“It didn’t take very long to realise that my runway within Zee (Media) was going to be rather short,” Soman said.
“Let’s just say I was a cultural misfit.”
Even so, he says the experience had its rewards, including exceptional colleagues and a few good friends.
After stepping away from the organisation, Soman was in discussions about potential roles.
“I spent the better part of the last two years in conversations with a few leading networks, long enough to realise the difference between being unemployed and being unemployable.”
Some of the feedback, he says, was unusually candid.
“Two of them informally told me I’m perhaps one of the best media executives in the television news business. But someone like me fronting a television news network would be considered a business risk,” Soman said in conversation with IndianTelevision.com.
For Soman, the implication was clear.
“A news network fronted by someone whose instincts were formed in journalism rooted in independence, accuracy and editorial distance from power was unlikely to find much favour with the powers that be.”
Beyond the personal dimension of his decision, Soman says the experience reflects broader pressures shaping the news industry today.
“Journalism’s job is simple: ask hard questions and hold power accountable. Keep it honest,” he said.
Quoting former Washington Post editor Marty Baron, he added: “We’re not at war with the government. We’re at work.”
“That principle applies to anyone in a position of influence, whether in government, business, sport or entertainment.”
At the same time, he says the industry faces growing pressures.
“Authoritarian regimes that resist scrutiny, along with rapid technological change including AI, are reshaping and often undermining journalism’s traditional business model.”
“There’s also a growing credibility deficit, as the race for eyeballs rewards whoever delivers the news first rather than whoever confirms it best.”
Having worked on both the editorial and commercial sides of the industry, Soman says he is acutely aware of the economic realities media organisations face.
“Running a media organisation today means being a pragmatic P&L owner. The challenge is to keep investing in strong journalism while making the economics work at a time when a growing share of the industry’s revenue is increasingly being captured by technology platforms.”
“If we drop the ball on accuracy and trust, we do a grave disservice to the democracy we’re meant to serve.”
His experience straddling both content and commerce has shaped his view of how the industry must evolve.
“Good journalism and good business strategy are not opposites,” he said.
“The best media businesses are built when editorial integrity, audience trust and sustainable economics reinforce each other.”
“And ultimately, none of it works without strong teams. Leadership in media is as much about building people and institutions as it is about building products.”
Soman is now preparing to return to his hometown of Trivandrum, barely four years after returning to India.
“Delhi NCR has a way of testing your patience, your stamina and occasionally your sanity,” he says. “But it also leaves you with stories that will last a lifetime.”
“So as I pack up and head home to Trivandrum, I do so with no complaints and no regrets.”
“I didn’t sell my soul. Some things, after all, aren’t for sale.”
Soman’s reflections underscore the tensions between editorial independence, commercial realities and political pressures shaping television news today. His experience offers a window into the challenges facing media leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry. For him, the decision marks a moment to step back after decades spent across global newsrooms and media businesses.
