News Broadcasting
Emmy Gala Dinner Co-Chairs announced
MUMBAI: FremantleMedia’s Catherine Mackay and CBS Broadcast International’s Armando Nu?ez Jr, have been named as the Dinner Co-Chairs for this year’s International Emmy Awards Gala, which will take place on 22 November in New York.
Mackay is FremantleMedia’s regional CEO for the US, Australasia and Asia and the CEO of FremantleMedia Enterprises. Nu?ez Jr. is the president of CBS Broadcast International and executive VP of CBS Enterprises.
“Their participation will significantly add to this distinctive evening where we will honour the best in global television programming produced outside of the United States,” Bruce Paisner, the president and CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, has been quoted as saying.
Nominees for the International Emmys will be announced at MIPCOM on October 4.
Nu?ez Jr., after his appointment, said, “Together we aim to elevate the profile of the International Emmy Awards and promise everyone a fantastic event in New York City on November 22.” Mackay added, “I hope to use this opportunity to further the goal of supporting and encouraging excellence in programming produced around the world.”
In addition to the International Emmys, the event will feature the presentation of three special awards. The International Emmy Directorate Award will be given to Herbert Kloiber, the managing director of the Tele-München Group. MTV International will receive the International Emmy Founders Award. Bill Roedy, the president of MTV Networks International, will accept the award on behalf of MTV.
Len Mauger, veteran Channel 9 broadcaster, will receive the Ted Cott Award for his dedication to the Academy
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
