News Broadcasting
IBC to offer its new show, ‘VIP Passport’ at Mipcom
MUMBAI: Taking viewers behind the velvet ropes and into the first-class life of a jet-setter, International Broadcast Communications (IBC) is bringing LUX Entertainment’s VIP Passport to Mipcom’s global marketplace.
VIP Passport will take viewers into the exotic lifestyle of five American jet-setters as they party at the hottest nightclubs, dine at the most exclusive restaurants, shop at the trendiest boutiques and party at the finest locales around the world.
The 13-episode weekly series serves up extravagant settings, with intriguing plotlines—sure to leave viewers craving more.
“The world is obsessed with the lives of today’s socialites,” says Founder and president of IBC Jon Helmrich.
“VIP Passport allows viewers to virtually experience a fantasy lifestyle. It takes you into a world full of the hottest parties, the finest champaigne and the world’s most exotic cars. I am confident that this visually stunning show will be a hit at this year’s market.”
Destinations for the series include Paris, Milan, Monaco, Rome, Belize, Singapore, Tokyo, Las Vegas, New York, Miami and Los Angeles among others.
The new weekly one-hour program has been cleared on the FOX Television station group in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and is on track to be cleared in 85% of US television households by 30 October 2006, when the first-run series debuts in broadcast syndication.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
