News Broadcasting
BBC celebrates 25 years of playing ‘Watchdog’ in the UK
MUMBAI: It has been 25 years since the BBC kicked off a programming initiative that allowed the British consumer to voice their grievances about products and services from big names like British Telecom. Now its consumer oriented show Watchdog which airs on BBC Four in the UK will celebrate its 25th birthday tomorrow 11 January. Over the years Watchdog has been behind many changes in safety measures and standards in consumer goods and services, extensive recalls of unsafe goods and has also been responsible for the redesign of many household products in the UK.
Watchdog kicked off in 1980 as a weekly slot on BBC One’s teatime news magazine Nationwide. However it was only in 1985 that Watchdog became a programme in its own right, presented by Nick Ross. It provides UK consumers with a platform. One example of a product being improved as a result of the show is holes being put in pen tops. This way if children swallow them they are less likely to choke.
Bunk beds, irons, kettles, microwaves, toasters and oven doors were also made safer as a result of reports on the show. It was also a Watchdog campaign that led to electrical appliances being sold with fitted plugs.
Today, the show – presented by Nicky Campbell and Julia Bradbury – is contacted by up to 5,000 viewers a week. The full Watchdog story is uncovered in tomorrow’s anniversary programme. Recently the TV channel Auctionworld went off air following a series of Watchdog investigations.
British Telecom has had the misfortune to feature as many as 45 times in the show’s history. British Gas has featured 27 times. A memorable early story featured furniture store MFI who were advertising a kitchen for the price of ?600. However, that price only included the units and not any of the appliances shown in the ad. When Hugh Scully turned up with ?600 asking to buy the kitchen, he and the camera crew were forcibly ejected from the store.
One of Watchdog’s biggest stories was in 1993. Customers spending more than ?100 on Hoover products were promised two free return flights. Most viewers didn’t get them, so a researcher went undercover with the company processing applications. She was told it was deliberate policy to stop people taking their flights. The free flights fiasco is reckoned to have cost Hoover around ?40 million.
Anne Robinson who also hosted the game show The Weakest Link presented Watchdog for eight years between 1993 and 2001. Anne loved to take on big high street names, believing passionately that when people had worked hard for their money they deserved a fair deal. For instance when viewers sent in sackloads of clothes damaged in a particular type of washing machine, Anne hung up a Washing Line of Shame every week in the studio until the problem was sorted out.
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.
