News Broadcasting
BBC increases its presence on FM in Sri Lanka
MUMBAI: Sri Lankans can now enjoy ten hours of BBC World Service programming, thanks to a new agreement with the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). BBC output in English has increased by five hours on all SLBC national FM networks across the country in addition to programmes in Sinhala and Tamil.
BBC business development manager, Asia and Pacific region Michel Lobelle said, “I am delighted that listeners in Sri Lanka are now able to enjoy the full range of BBC programming in perfect sound quality on FM across the country. Sri Lanka is a key market for the BBC World Service and this new agreement consolidates our excellent relationship with SLBC.”
SLBC chairman Sunil Sarath Perera said, “SLBC is proud to be associated with the world’s leading international radio broadcaster and we look forward to building more bridges in the future.”
Audiences listening in English can enjoy a broad mix of BBC programming ranging from news and current affairs to science and technology. Highlights include Newshour, which is 60 minutes of news and analysis of the day’s top stories, and the interactive global news programme World Have Your Say, giving listeners an opportunity to share their views and questions on topical issues.
For sports fans, the BBC has daily hourly updates in news bulletins and Sports Round Up. Cricket enthusiasts can stay across the latest in World Cricket while football supporters tune into World Football. BBC programmes in English also tap into the world’s cultural scene. The Beat is a guide to popular global music while On Screen brings the latest stories from the world of film, TV and video games.
Culture Shock looks at trends in cultural expression and Close Up gives listeners new insights into well established artistic movements.
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.
