News Broadcasting
CNN-IBN, IBN 7 launch Taare Zameen Par contest
MUMBAI: CNN-IBN, IBN 7, IBNLive.com and Buzz18.com have launched Taare Zameen Par contest to promote the Aamir Khan’s directorial debut.
The contest will hunt for seven special children, who will get a chance to perform for Aamir Khan. The contest will conclude with a special half-hour show on 20 December.
During the show, Aamir Khan will walk through a school, where the show is shot. He will talk about his own childhood days, favourite teachers and favourite moments as a student. In the school auditorium the seven chosen finalists will perform.
CNN-IBN and IBN 7 editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai said, “Every child is unique in his/her own right. The idea behind the contest is to celebrate childhood and all the quirks that come with it. I am sure eager participation by parents wanting to showcase what makes their child special, will make this initiative a huge success. ”
Said IBN 7 managing editor Ashutosh, “While most contests for children invite entries from exceptionally intelligent or talented candidates, our Taare Zameen Par contest stands apart. This is because it celebrates each child for his/her special ability, no matter how banal or unusual. In addition, the opportunity to meet a mega star like Aamir Khan will add to the attraction of the initiative. “
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.
