Putting an end to much speculation, Zee Media Corporation — the news arm of the Zee Group — today announced its intention to enter into English News Broadcasting with the appointment of Rohit Gandhi as Editor-in-Chief – English News Broadcast and Related Content.
Zee had been expected to make this announcement for almost a year. The group had, late last year, bought a big 20 lakh square feet commercial space in Marathon Futurex complex at Lower Parel in Mumbai for over Rs 400 crore.
The move was seen as a precursor to the starting of English news channels — one for ‘general’ news and one for business news.
Zee is already present in the Hindi news genre, as well as in nearly every language market in the country with its entertainment channels.
It is expected that the new channels will balance out the ‘left liberal’ tilt of Indian English language media. It could play the role that Fox news played in the US in terms of making the reporting of news more diverse.
Rohit will be heading the operations of all initiatives in this space, working closely with the Business Head & Revenue Resources. Rohit will report in to Mr. Punit Goenka.
Speaking on the new initiative, Mr. Punit Goenka said, “Venturing into the English News Space allows us to extend our presence in the overall News genre across geographies and even in the international arena. We want to launch a news network for global audiences with an Indian point-of-view. With Rohit on-board to spearhead this initiative, we are confident that we will be able to showcase a world-class product. We welcome Rohit to the ZEE family and wish him all the very best.”
Rohit Gandhi commented on his joining: “It is a phenomenal opportunity for me to work with ZEE and Punit to deliver world-class coverage to viewers at home. We want to continue on the path of providing in-depth, textured coverage across platforms to address the ever-changing needs of the global audiences.”
Rohit has over 23 years of rich experience across forty countries and has managed the complete gamut of the News business, according to Zee Media.
He has won many international awards including the Edward R. Murrow, Dupont Award, Emmy, Golden Cine Eagle, Gracie Award and the Headliner Award.
In his previous assignment, he was the International Correspondent & Communication Strategist for South Asian International News, prior to which he worked with CBC, CNN, BCTV & Global TV, Canada, and NDTV. He has covered many war zones including Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003.
Rohit is a multi-skilled journalist who has extensively worked on various international field projects in the areas of international relations, politics, socio-economic empowerment, human rights, environment, civil rights and social action and highly sensitive terror investigation, amongst others.
Rohit has done his Bachelor of Arts (BA) Hons in Sociology and Anthropology from Delhi University, Masters in Communication and Media Studies from Pune University and Masters in Broadcast Journalism from Carleton University, Canada.
Rohit Gandhi’s appointment is with effect from 17th August, 2015.