News Broadcasting
Fremantle US making a fashion based reality show for Oxygen
MUMBAI: US channel Oxygen dedicated to women has commissioned Fremantle Media to make a fashion based reality show The Janice Dickinson Project (Working Title).
The reality series follows Janice Dickinson (Americas Next Top Model) as she makes the transformation from model to mogul by starting her own Hollywood modeling agency. The series is scheduled to debut next year.
The 10-episode series from Krasnow Productions and FremantleMedia North America offers viewers an intimate view into Dickinsons life as she tackles the gruelling work of starting her own business and teaching a new generation of aspiring models the business from the ground up.
Viewers watch as Dickinson juggles motherhood, champions her new models, and tries to run a profitable agency, all while dealing with skepticism from the industry she helped to define. The show goes beyond Dickinsons runway persona to show a woman on the verge of a new phase in her career and determined to redefine American beauty.
Oxygen president programming Debby Beece says, We love Janice because shes the quintessential Oxygen personality. Shes outrageous, in command and bigger than life. She’s a real person with dimension to her character. In this series we see a warm side of her with heart. We also see that shes a true expert in her field. Shes starting a new business with all its challenges, while trying to be a good mom and guide new models through a tough business. Its a balancing act for her and its fascinating to watch her as she goes through it.
Seeking an untraditional and unique look, Dickinson auditions over 500 aspiring models. Drawing on her years of experience in the industry, Dickinson mentors candidates on look, style and composure, even taking their photos personally. Finally, she narrows the search to five models who become the first to be signed by her agency.
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.
