News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 gears up for Union Budget 2020; lines up special programming
MUMBAI: To bring most incisive reportage with diversified formats, CNN-News18 has lined-up an array of in-depth yet engaging programming for Budget 2020 that will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 Feb 2020.
Under the umbrella branding ‘Vision 2020’, the programming aims to decode and analyse the budget of 2020. It will also gauge the political implications of this crucial budget.
The channel will focus on analysing the expectations of the common man and India Inc. from the upcoming budget and ultimately evaluating its impact on individuals, industry and the overall economy of the country, the release said.
The channel will kick start its programming with its popular segment ‘If I were FM' which will capture suggestions from common citizens for the Finance Minister, along with Corporate Wish list and a special show on personal tax from CNBC-TV18.
CNBC-TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan will present live pre and post-budget analysis with the panel of leading industry experts at Confederation of Indian Industry.
Network18’s English and business news cluster – chief executive officer Basant Dhawan said, "Expectations from Budget 2020 are high. There are several economic challenges that the Budget is expected to address. CNN-News18 has lined up a comprehensive mix of special programming that will provide viewers a holistic view of the budget through insightful analysis and its impact across sectors."
The budget programming will be led by the channel’s best editorial experts – Bhupendra Chaubey, executive editor; Zakka Jacob, executive editor– output and Anand Narasimhan, executive editor.
They will be joined by a renowned panel of experts comprising Gaurav Choudhury (economy editor & delhi bureau chief, Moneycontrol.com); Saket Mishra, investment banker, Siddharth Zarabi, former executive editor-Business Television India & Dhiraj Nayyar economist/ex-head of economics, financing & commerce, NITI Aayog amongst others.
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.
