News Broadcasting
MIB officially recognises self-regulatory body under NBF
Mumbai: The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has officially recognised the News Broadcasters Federation’s (NBF) self-regulatory body Professional News Broadcasters Standards Authority (PNBSA). NBF claims it is the first and only news broadcasters’ self-regulatory body to get the status.
The PNBSA has been formally registered as a self-regulatory body under the new amendments in the Cable Television Network Act.
“The NBF’s self-regulatory body’s emergence as the sole body to meet all criteria to be granted validation by the Union of India and be the only recognised body regulating the news media sector as on-date once again reiterates the commitment of the largest news broadcasters’ body to the fundamentals of transparency, accountability and strong self-regulation,” said a press statement.
“The PNBSA is set to build a robust system with the highest standards of transparency and accountability,” it added.
“I want to thank all the members of the governing body of the NBF who have worked with me towards making this happen,” said NBF, president, Arnab Goswami. “The media has a pivotal role in strengthening our democracy and taking it to even greater heights. Strengthening the framework of the self-regulation of the media is a big step in that direction. And that’s exactly what the NBF has been working round the clock towards.”
“The NBF prides itself on its democratic structure and roots across the country. Different languages, dynamic formats and varied audiences, but what binds the NBF is our commitment in coming together to strengthen the media pillar of Indian democracy. We look forward to working with the ministry of information and broadcasting to further strengthen self-regulation in our media,” Goswami added.
“We are privileged to be the first officially recognised self-regulatory body to be registered for TV news broadcasters,” said NBF, secretary-general, R. Jai Krishna. “We are grateful to the ministry of information and broadcasting and our members for reposing trust and faith. We ensure that we will take the news broadcasting of the country to great milestones with our democratic structure, excellence in self-regulation, and bringing the truth and reflections to the doorsteps across the country in maximum languages.”
The NBF channels presently include 24News, Alamai Sahara, CVR English, CVR Health, CVR NEWS, DA News Plus, DY365, Gulistan News, IBC24, IND 24, India News Gujarat, India News Haryana, India News Hindi, India News MPCG, India News Punjabi, India News Rajasthan, India News UP, Khabar Fast, MHOne, NEWS9, News First Kannada, News Live, News Nation, NewsX, North East Live, North East News, OTV, Prag News, Puthiyathalaimurai, Republic Bangla, Republic Bharat, Republic TV, Sahara Samay, Samay Bihar, Samay Maharashtra, Samay MPCG, Samay Rajasthan, Samay UP, TV5 Kannada, TV5 Telugu, TV9 Bharatvarsh, TV9 Gujarati, TV9 Kannada, TV9 Marathi, TV9 Telugu, and V6.
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.
