News Broadcasting
Star News to launch ‘Poll Khol’ on 1 April
MUMBAI: Star News is all set to launch its thirty minutes of uncensored, unrestricted, unadulterated & unique style of political analysis with the King of Satire – Shekhar Suman in its brand new Political Satire show – Poll Khol. The show premieres on the 1st of April 2004 at 10.30 PM.
The show is an attempt make the confused electorate more aware of the going ons in politics as well as its politicians. The show promises to give a glimpse of what actually happens behind the wheeling, dealing and posturing during the campaigning of political parties. The programme will showcase a range of segments and Shekhar Suman’s sarcasm wit will be on full display as he lampoons the neta’s, their parties and their antics.
Shekhar will be on the move as well as in the studio, following political rallies bringing in the true flavor and the lighter side of the elections.
“Star News continues to innovate and create some of the best programming and content in Indian News Television today and Poll Khol is one of our key initiatives on that front” said Star News President Ravina Raj Kohli. “We are happy to welcome Shekhar Suman to the Star News family and look forward to some great television with him”, she added.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Shekhar Suman says “Archival footage, documentary films, NG shots will be used to validate the nuances of politicians as the show proceeds to unravel the best kept secrets of the political world. Although the show is not meant to be irreverent or in bad taste, but just an endeavor to paint a clearer picture in the voters mind.”
New Delhi based BAG Films will be producing Poll Khol and BAG Films MD Anurradha Prasad states “We have great expectations from Poll Khol. Our exceptional understanding of Politics backed up by our extensive experience in putting together Mass entertainment gives us the edge in creating this unique show for STAR News.”
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.
