MUMBAI: Two senior TV journalists have quit from their successful stints to start their own ventures in 2017.
Hardly two months after Arnab Goswami bade goodbye to Times Now, NDTV consulting editor Barkha Dutt has announced on Twitter and Facebook that she was ending her 21-year stint to start a new innings.
Dutt has still not made her new venture public, though it was reported last year that she would join hands with former Indian Express editor Sekhar Gupta to launch a digital media venture called ‘The Print’.
The Padma Shri awardee became popular for her coverage of the Kargil War in 1999. She also hosted a popular show ‘We the People’ and won many national and international awards.
Dutt tweeted that she had a super ride at NDTV. “It’s been a super ride at NDTV but new beginning in 2017. I shall be moving on from NDTV to explore new opportunities & my own ventures!”
She mentioned building her own independent projects. “Hugely excited to start New Year on a new slate, diversify my interests & build my own independent projects. Watch this space for more!” she tweeted.
She admitted that she had ended her last ‘We the People’, a 16-year running TV show. “Did my last We the People. At 16 yrs, its longest running TV show which I built from scratch, won scores of awards for & am hugely proud of,” she tweeted.
“As I move on after 21 great NDTV yrs, a team I’m so proud of, an Emmy nomination & many other awards to cap it all, I count on your wishes,” she added.
NDTV confirmed Dutt’s resignation. “In 1995, Barkha Dutt joined NDTV straight out of college, and now, after 21 wonderful years together, Barkha has requested that she would like to explore some new opportunities, pursue other interests and work on her own ventures,” the company said in a statement.
“In all her years with NDTV, she has been hugely productive and has grown with the organisation, becoming an acclaimed, award-winning journalist of repute across India and many parts of the world. We are certain that Barkha will go from strength to strength and NDTV wishes her all the very best,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Goswami has teamed up with entrepreneur and Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar for his TV plus digital news venture ‘Republic’. An application has been made to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to obtain licence for a TV news channel.
Goswami has roped in an interesting clutch of investors for his TV and digital news venture ‘Republic’, including DEN Networks promoter Sameer Manchanda and veteran investment banker Hemendra Kothari.
Headlining the list of investors, though, is member of Rajya Sabha and Asianet News Network CMD Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who has invested Rs 30 crore in the venture.
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TV news media and the Arnab–Barkha spat