News Broadcasting
BBC World appoints first ever business correspondent in Mumbai
MUMBAI: BBC World, the BBC’s international 24-hour news and information television channel, has appointed Karishma Vaswani as its first ever business correspondent in Mumbai.
From 1st January 2006, Karishma will submit reports from Mumbai for the daily programmes Asia Business Report broadcast in Asia and the Middle East, and World Business Report, transmitted globally.
As a business correspondent for the channel in Singapore for the past three years, Karishma has reported on important business developments in the region – most significantly, the anniversary of the Asian financial crisis in Indonesia and the last two Indian financial budgets. She has also interviewed key influential people including the Vice President of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla, and the founding father of Singapore, Lee Kwan Yew.
Karishma’s family originates from Sindh, she was born in Singapore and grew up in Jakarta. A graduate from Warwick University, England, Karishma began her broadcasting career with CNBC Asia where she worked as an assistant producer for three years.
Karishma is proud of her multicultural background and says: “I think the fact I have lived in many countries means I have a strong local knowledge and but can also offer a global outlook, much like BBC World.”
Commenting on her new role, she adds: “It’s a great privilege and a fantastic opportunity. India is a dynamic and growing economy with so many stories to cover, and BBC World has the reputation and the resources to bring them to a global audience.”
Sian Kevill, BBC World’s editorial director, says: “BBC World’s commitment to increasing our newsgathering strength in the South Asia region is part of our long-term plan to provide additional resources across key markets. Karishma is a bright and promising reporter and her contribution from the heart of India’s financial centre will undoubtedly enhance our global business coverage.”
For further information contact:
Deeptie Sethi/ Neha Sharma Suvir Paul
BBC World Genesis Public Relations
Tel: 91 11 2341 2672/73 Ext. 102 Tel: 95124 504 4999 Ext. 62
Email: deeptie.sethi@bbc.co.uk Email: spaul@genesispr.com
Notes to editors:
BBC World, the BBC’s commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel, is owned and operated by BBC World Ltd, a member of the BBC’s commercial group of companies. BBC World is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and reaches 270 million households (128 million 24-hour homes) and more than one million hotel rooms. BBC World launched in its present format in 1995 and is funded by advertising and subscription. For further information on how to receive BBC World, download schedules or find out more about the channel, visit www.bbcworld.com
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.
