Rajdeep Sardesai joining India Today Group
Sardesai is joining as Consulting Editor. He will be involved in strengthening the group's editorial products with a focus on Headlines Today where he will host a one-hour daily news show
BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | September 11, 2014
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Rajdeep Sardesai. Image courtesy: Surinder Nagar, India Today Group
In what could be seen as a cautious move after the recent embarrassment over the Shekhar Gupta episode, the India Today Group seems to have taken a safer route with another high profile appointment. Well-known TV news personality Rajdeep Sardesai is joining the media house as Consulting Editor and will be responsible for strengthening the editorial products of India Today Group with a focus on its English news channel, Headlines Today.
As a start, Sardesai will be doing a marquee show for Headlines Today and contributing to the revamp of the channel and its alignment with digital assets of the group.
Until recently, Sardesai was founding Editor-in-Chief of IBN Network that runs CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN Lokmat. Under his leadership, CNN-IBN retained the leadership position for many years after its launch.
Oxford and St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, educated, Sardesai started his television career in 1994 and was a founding member of NDTV and, subsequently, CNN-IBN. Prior to TV, he worked with The Times of India for six years and was the City Editor of its Mumbai edition.
Sardesai has just finished his first book based on the historic 2014 elections; its release is much awaited. He has won several national and international awards for journalism, including the Padma Shri in 2008.
He has also been the President of the Editors Guild of India, the only television journalist to hold the post, and was chosen a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 2000.
With 1.52 million followers on Twitter, one of the largest for a news personality, Sardesai said, “When not chained to the news, I watch sport, read, write, sleep and enjoy family holidays.”
Welcoming him to the group, India Today Group Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie said, “Rajdeep has been an asset to whichever team he has belonged to, including the cricketing ones. Great to have him with us! I know he will hit the ball out of the park for Team India Today."
According to sources, with Sardesai moving in, funny man Cyrus Brocha is also to be seen on Headlines Today. Brocha is also expected to do a regular show on the channel.
Encouraged by the success over the last one year, Headlines Today has added big names such as Karan Thapar and cricket analyst Boria Majumdar this year. As the channel attempts to complete its bouquet with Sardesai and Brocha, it seems to be gearing up for the next phase of growth and taking leadership position in the English news genre.
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