GECs
Jaya TV attempts total makeover
MUMBAI: Exactly one month ago to this date, Tamil channel Jaya TV celebrated its fifth anniversary. Now having entered its sixth year, the channel has opted for a complete makeover and the first phase of the campaign was unfolded on 19 September.
The channel will unveil the second phase of the makeover in October targeting the festival season.
“The process had started some time back,” offers Jaya TV vice president marketing K Balaswaminathan. “Revamping and re-positioning have always been a part of our strategy. But this time we have attempted a complete makeover covering all the angles. Additions and alterations in the areas of presentation, visuals and graphics have been brought in. The whole aim is to make the look and feel of the channel crisper and more enjoyable.”
One major property being added to the programming line up as part of the makeover is dubbed Hollywood movies. Jaya TV will telecast dubbed Hollywood blockbusters on Saturdays at 9:30 pm. The ‘opening attraction’ is going to be the movie Deep Rising scheduled for 25 September. The channel has acquired the rights for approximately 50 Hollywood titles including Cliffhanger and Anaconda.
The channel has now dedicated its Sunday primetime movie slot for fresh movies. According to Balaswaminathan, new movies – not necessarily blockbusters – will be premiered in the channel. The 7 pm – 7:30 pm slot (Monday – Friday) has been given a fresh look by introducing new programmes including talk shows, youth programmes and film-based shows. Another addition to the programming line up is the primetime sitcom Krishna Cottage (Monday – Friday) launched on 20 September.
In October Jaya TV is launching a reality show hosted by popular South Indian actress Lakshmi. The show will have the actress interacting with people, listening to their problems and offering solutions. Another show in the offing is a game show for the Saturday primetime band. The show will be of one-hour duration.
Jaya TV is presently airing a gameshow Jackpot, hosted by popular South Indian actress Khushboo. The show which has completed 100 eipsode recently is one of the highest-rated programmes in Jaya TV’s line up.
The channel is also planning to expand its early morning band. The morning suprabhata will air at 5:00 am instead of the present schedule 5:30 am. At 5:30 the channel will air religious chants. During Navaratri, Jaya TV will telecast Karnatic music at 6 am.
“Apart from the new programmes, ongoing shows have also been given a fresh look as part of the makeover,” says Balaswaminathan.
Jaya TV has run an extensive campaign both on-air and off-air to publicise its new look. The outdoor campaign was powered by hoardings and posters deployed in major cities including Chennai, Coimbatore and Madhurai. The channel ran a teaser campaign in newspapers. The first in the teaser series said: !!199, the second: 19.9 and finally the third solved the mystery by giving the makeover date 19.9.2004. The on-air-campaign was launched on 14 September.
Jaya TV holds a distant second position behind Sun TV in the Tamil television market. Balaswaminathan says the channel has been doing extremely well in the recent times.
“The channel has completed five years overcoming many a roadblock. We have got more aggressive in the last two and half years and that is showing results now.”
GECs
‘I wasn’t enjoying it’: Why ex-Colors CEO Raj Nayak quit at his peak
Former TV and media executive says happiness, not hierarchy, defines leadership
MUMBAI: Former television executive Raj Nayak, once among the most powerful figures in Indian broadcasting, has offered a candid reflection on leadership, ambition and the decision to step away at the height of his career.
Speaking on the ThinkRight Podcast, Nayak dismissed corporate titles as hollow constructs, arguing that designations are often mistaken for identity. Leadership, he said, has little to do with hierarchy and everything to do with character.
Despite holding senior roles across Star TV, NDTV and Colors, Nayak described his career as largely unplanned. He said progress came not from strategy but from effort, adding that his only constant was giving each role his full commitment.
One of the most formative moments, he recalled, came in 2001 when he quit his job and spent nine months fighting a non-compete case in the Mumbai High Court. The sudden loss of structure and support, he said, exposed how dependent he had become on corporate machinery.
That period also shaped his public persona. The nickname “Raj Cheerful”, later adopted across social media, became a defining trait within the industry, with actors such as Hrithik Roshan embracing it as part of his identity. Over time, Nayak said, the label evolved from an affectation into a lived philosophy.
Nayak also addressed his decision to leave his role at the peak of his influence, a move he described as deeply counter-cultural in corporate India. From the outside, he said, everything appeared perfect. Internally, it was not. After months of unease, a conversation with his family proved decisive, pushing him to act on values he often spoke about publicly.
“People don’t quit jobs at their peak… I was doing everything perfect… but I knew I was not enjoying it,” he added.
Reflecting on success, Nayak argued that power and visibility offer no assurance of fulfilment. Happiness, he said, is a more reliable measure. Overcoming fear and greed, he added, remains the hardest test of leadership and of life.
