News Broadcasting
ABP News Network CEO Ashok Venkatramani departs
MUMBAI: Even as the week was ending, came another shocking piece of news. Ashok Venkatramani, the CEO of ABP News Network (ANN) had quit and in fact had even served out his notice period with Friday (4 November 2016) being his last day at work.
A hardcore Hindustan Lever professional, Venkatramani was given charge of the network in 2008, when it was a 76:24 per cent joint venture Media Content and Communications Services (MCCS) between West Bengal based print media group ABP and Rupert Murdoch’s Star India. The joint venture launched three channels Star News, Star Ananda, and Star Majha, in the Hindi, Bengali and Marathi news space.
The two parted ways in 2012 as Star India wanted to focus on its entertainment and sports business under CEO Uday Shankar with ABP buying out the Star India stake. The parting agreement included the dropping of the Star name from the channels. Something which many thought would be detrimental for the ABP group in revenue terms.
Venkatramani had the responsibility of overseeing the rebranding of the channels to ABP News, ABP Ananda and ABP Majha. And he did that pretty effectively. Revenues not only stayed put, they also grew. Venkatramani, after some struggle with the ministry of information and broadcasting on getting a licence, also launched ABP Sanjha in July 2014. His efforts were recognized at 2016’s indiantelevision.com News Television (NT) Awards this earlier this year and he was inducted into the NT Awards Hall of Fame.
Venkatramani confirmed his departure to indiantelevision.com, saying that he was leaving for newer challenges. And he confirmed that he was being replaced by Atideb Sarkar (the son of ABP editor in chief Arup Sarkar). Not much is known about where Venkatramani is headed, but his deputy and the company’s COO Avinash Pandey appreciated his efforts in a comment to a media portal. As did the ABP managing director and CEO D. D. Purkayastha.
Venkatramani is currently the president and director on the Board of the News Broadcasters Association of India (NBA) and chairs its HR and sales sub-committees. He is also a former director of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation. Ashok is also a member of the Digitization Task Force appointed by the Indian government.
He is is a B. Tech from Bombay and has done his management post graduation from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Harvard Business School.
Also Read:
Murdoch set to exit TV news biz in India
Star, ABP announce divorce; Star News to be ABP News
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
