News Broadcasting
Dasmunsi weighs in to NewsX fracas
NEW DELHI: Reiterating that the government would not interfere in the internal affairs or administraton of any media house or television channel, information and broadcasting minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi today appealed to all media channels that contractual obligations relating to employees on contract shoud be honoured and valued.
In a statement after a meeting with a delegation of senior and eminent electronic media journalists and news editors of the NewsX channel, he said, “Whenever any media personnel is engaged on some contract, their contractual terms should be valued and honoured including the financial clauses.”
Meanwhile, he referred the matter to the concerned desk of the finance ministry to ascertain the facts through their investigation wing relating to the source of channel funding as he said that he was “not competent to react” to the issue.
The employees explained about the injustice and what they described as “the shocking treatment” being meted out to them by the security staff and other persons who were later sacked.
The minister refused to interfere keeping in view the independence and autonomy of the media. But he opined that the manner in which the eminent editors have been treated and the rights of media personnel reportedly infringed upon is really a matter of great concern for free and fair journalism in the country.
He said if the contractual obligatons are not honoured, the “hire-and-fire mechanism shall not provide honour and confidence to the engaged media personnel in the country, wherever they may be.”
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the executive director Avirook Sen, it has been stated that a 24-year old producer named Kailash Menon had been summoned to the basement of the NewsX headquarters and intimidated into signing a prepared resignation letter. No grounds for removal were offered, the statement says.
Sen says when he confronted the four people who intimidated the producer into signing a false statement, he was called to the basement and threatened by four persons from the HR department with criminal action if he did not resign.
They also said that if he refused to resign they could issue a termination letter. He claims that he was manhandled by security guards while this letter was being prepared. They sought to forcibly take his laptop and also took the keys of his car from the driver, while preventing other staff entering his chamber.
“I am challenging my dismissal legally. But what is most shocking is how INX treats senior journalists. Yesterday’s incident is unprecedented in the history of Indian journalism,” he said in the statement.
However, INX Media dubs the circumstances pertaining to Sen’s termination as “rumours in the media circles.”
An official statement said, “We would like to state that the company was forced to summarily terminate Sen’s services because he was found to be utilizing his office laptop to access pornographic content on the internet. This is violative of company policy besides being illegal as per the law of the land. Consequently, Sen’s employment agreement was terminated.”
News Broadcasting
GenNext takes charge as Network18 reshuffles leadership
With Avinash Kaul bowing out, Network18 hands reins to younger leaders, streamlines operations, and pushes data-driven growth across TV, digital and regional markets
MUMBAI: Network18 is redrawing its leadership map just as a long-time lieutenant bows out. Avinash Kaul, a central figure in the broadcaster’s rise since 2014, is leaving after 12 years to pursue “professional and personal goals”, triggering a broad-based reshuffle that puts a younger cohort directly under the top brass.
Kaul joined at a pivotal moment during the company’s transition and went on to scale the television business, combining strategic nous with data-led decision-making and a sharp read of the news landscape. “Avinash has been an integral part of the Network18 story,” the company said, thanking him for his leadership of the broadcast business and wishing him the best for the future.
In his wake, Network18 is betting on what it calls a “young and restless” leadership bench. “The team has taken charge and proved its mettle in quite adverse circumstances,” the note said, adding that “GenNext has seamlessly stepped in as we continue to outperform our peers.”
Operationally, the structure is being flattened. Smriti Mehra, S Shivakumar and Mitul Sangani will work directly with the top leadership, as they did in the fourth quarter. Ganesh Iyer and Abhinay Chauhan continue in their existing roles, while younger executives are being handed wider mandates across social, digital, connected TV and linear.
The reporting lines are being tightened to drive revenue and product momentum. Prabhat Chatterjee, business head–Forbes, and Arun Thapar, president–content and communication for AETN-18, will report to Smriti Mehra, alongside Mallika Nath Handa, who will lead special projects spanning new shows and non-linear properties. Jayesh Gokalgandhi, CFO for AETN-18, will report to Ramesh Damani.
Mitul Sangani will oversee expansion in Hindi and regional markets, with Sidharth Newatia, CRO–ILC, focusing on reach and revenue growth, particularly in tier-II and III markets. Pankaj Soni, head of marketing–ILC, will also report to Sangani while working functionally with Ganesh Iyer.
The group is also consolidating its branded content play. Moneycontrol’s branded content business will be folded into News18 Studio, with Don Zarrar moving to work with Shivakumar while continuing to lead existing studio and Focus teams.
International and platform growth are being bundled together. Pranav Bakshi takes on additional charge of the international business alongside connected TV and social platforms, with Naveen Mathur, who leads revenue management for the international unit, reporting to him. Bakshi continues to report to Puneet Singhvi.
On the technology and operations side, Rajesh Sharma, head of broadcast technology and IT; Rahul Singh, head of events and technical operations; and Bhupender Bhardwaj, head of IT security, will now report to Singhvi. Darshil Parekh, head of sales strategy, planning and operations, will work directly with Ramesh Damani and the top leadership, with Stanley Cyril, who manages digital sales operations, reporting to him.
Data is being pushed to the centre of decision-making. Jitamitra Mohanty, who leads research and analytics, will now work with Santosh Menon to turn audience data into “actionable insights that drive content strategy, product innovation and sustainable viewership growth”.
The message is clear: fewer layers, faster calls, sharper bets. With Kaul’s exit closing one chapter, Network18 is handing the wheel to a younger crew and doubling down on scale across screens. The race, it signals, will be run at full tilt.
