News Broadcasting
Smriti Z Iraani appointed as BJP youth wing VP
MUMBAI: Here’s the latest on Bharatiya Janta Party’s newest ‘glam’ entrant – television’s favourite bahu and anchor Smriti Z Iraani. The lady’s performance during the assembly election campaign by the BJP last month has met with approval from the party’s mandarins. Her appointment as as the vice-president of the Maharashtra unit of the Yuva Morcha – the youth wing – was announced yesterday with the tenure being three years.
Iraani had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party as party worker late last year. Speaking to indiantelevision.com Iraani explained, “Ever since I joined the party, I had a dream of motivating the youth of our country. I strongly feel that the problems of this country can be solved only through the young generation.”
“My task will comprise of inspiring the young force of BJP and assigning them tasks at basic level,” she offered. When asked to elaborate further, she offered, “You keep hearing about senior citizens being murdered. My first plan would be to encourage youth to be keep a watch on the seniors, be on a look out if they need help. Next would be to establish a support system for the girls, so that they know where to turn to in times of need.”
Iraani said that this post was offered to her by the delegates of the party and the process was fairly simple as it is a position within the party.
When asked about her political ambitions, she said, “I definitely see myself in active politics for a long time. “I feel we all must do something for our country in whatever way we can. If I have got an opportunity, then why not?
She added: “The BJP is a wonderful party to be in. Despite good results in the assembly election, we are still working. It’s not that we work to garner media spotlight when only the elections draw near. My new appointment is a case in point. “
When queried if she would be able to continue her acting career she offered that she has an understanding with the production houses she is working with. “They know that I am a hard core professional and I won’t neglect my duties,” she said.
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.
