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Anurradha Prasad
Chairperson & Managing Director, B.A.G Films & Media Ltd.

Anurradha Prasad is one of the most eminent and successful media personalities of India who runs a 360 degree media empire ranging from 24-hour news channel to entertainment channel, media school, radio network, production house for serials and India’s first e-newspaper. Anurradha has emerged as a visionary in TV industry and is credited with many firsts – projects and programmes that caused a paradigm shift in the news industry, prompting others to follow the models created by her.

After her Master’s in Political Science from the Delhi University, Anurradha joined a popular business magazine. Having discovered journalism as her forte, she worked in different capacities in the television medium, mastering the skills on camera as well as behind the camera.

In 1993, Anurradha launched her media company, B.A.G Films and Media Ltd, which gave the television industry several path-breaking programmes. One of the finest examples is Rubaru, an interview-based programme started in 1995 that showcased unknown facets of the guest’s personality. Telecast on Zee TV, at a time when no news channels existed, this format was first of its kind on Indian television: The never-seen visuals of the celebrity, coupled with the sharp and racy interview, made the content immensely rich. The selection of the guests on the show – from Sonia Gandhi to the late Benazir Bhutto, Amitabh Bachchan, Nawaz Sharif, Atal Behari Vajpayee, the late Bal Thackeray and Shah Rukh Khan – was even richer.

A few years later came Sansani on Star News, a news-based crime show which topped the charts instantly because of its unique presentation. Sansani’s stupendous success quickly prompted all the other news channels to copy the programme format. Red Alert on Star News was also a hugely successful crime show.

Another programme to roll out from Anurradha’s stable was Poll Khol on Star News, a satirical presentation of political news which was a landmark in breaking the drudgery of television news. Many news channels made satire and comedy an important part of their menu following the success of Poll Khol. Rozana on Doordharshan was another example of rich formatting of a news show.

Apart from news programmes, B.A.G Network has given entertainment blockbusters on small screen like Kumkum, Khul Ja Sim Sim, Star Vivaah and Mitwa on Star Plus, Madhubala on Colors (which is presently running), Sidhant on Star One and Har Dil Jo Love Karega on Zoom.

In 2007, Anurradha launched her umbrella brand, Broadcast 24, marking her foray into 24-hour news and entertainment. Launched in 2007, News 24 is the fastest growing 24-hour news channel today. The next year, she launched Bollywood’s first news channel, E24. She also launched a hugely successful 24-hour radio network, Dhamaal 24, which reaches out to listeners across the country.

For aspiring media professionals, Anurradha launched ISOMES - International School of Media and Entertainment Studies. The school trains the media professionals of tomorrow keeping in mind the paradigm shift in the media industry and the changed expectations of the viewers.

Having built a media empire of her own has not stopped Anurradha from producing successful shows for other stations. Her production house Studio 24 was established for this.

With the changing times and generational shift, she launched B.A.G Convergence, a company that is making rapid strides in the world of New Media. In April this year, she launched India’s first epaper, E Newspaper of India, a product specifically designed for the ever-growing tribe of e-readers.

Anurradha has won numerous awards and accolades over several years for her long contribution to Indian Television. Recently, she was honoured with the Hall of the Fame Award from Indian Television for her contribution to the world of media and entertainment. As member of Entertainment Committee of FICCI and CII, executive member of Film Producers’ Guild of India, and as one of the board members of Uttaranchal Film Development Council, she continues to play an important role in the entertainment world.

Anurradha has many awards and accolades to her credit; she has been recently conferred with “Hari Dutt Sharma Puruskar” by hon’ble vice president of India for her contribution and excellence in media industry. She has also been included twice consecutively in Impact’s 50 most influential women in Media. She is an avid reader and music lover. Spending time with her family and dear ones is her idea of relaxation and rejuvenation.

Madhavan Narayanan
Senior Journalist, Commentator Firstpost & BBC Radio

Coming Soon

Pankaj Pachauri
Editor-in-Chief & Founder, GoNews

Pankaj is presently the Editor-in-Chief & Founder of GoNews. He is a print and broadcast journalist with more than three decades of editorial and management experience in print and electronic media across three continents. He has worked in Delhi, London, Boston and Hong Kong with leading news organisations such as NDTV, BBC (UK), Public Radio International (US), India Today (India and UK), The Sunday Observer and The Patriot. His espousal of free, secular and progressive journalism as a reporter, TV anchor and editor based in South-East Asia, Europe, the United States and India has won him several national and international journalism awards.

For over two years, he worked as the Communications Adviser to the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, assisting his office in managing national and international media. During his tenure with the Prime Minister’s Office, he has designed and executed media strategy across various platforms for international events like the G20 Summits, ASEAN Summit, BRICS Summits, United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Nuclear Security Summit, NAM Summit and BIMSTEC meeting of Heads of Nations besides Bilateral Summits with the US, China, Russia, Germany, Brazil, UK and Iran among other countries.

He has a wide knowledge of one of the most robust media environment in the world and understanding of the challenges and complexities of economic and social transformation of this sector. He has been speaking at several eminent institutions like Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, IIT-B,IIM-C and IIT-D on media and communications. He has also been a member on the Governing Councils of Indian Institute of Mass Communication and Jamia Millia Islamia's MCRC.

Rana Yashwant
Managing Editor, India News

Rana Yashwant is managing editor at one of the top hindi news channels of the country - India News. He also hosts two shows - Ardhsatya and Sangharsh which are known for their rich content and depth. Both shows are widely appreciated for their connect to common man and the way yashwant handles it in a very unbiased way. Yashwant is known for shaping up news channel and his brilliant understanding of news as well. As a leader he insists on Innovation, experimentation and ideation while delivering news. During Bihar elections 2015 he travelled throughout the state and made the country understand exact mood of the state. Yashwant has a deep interest in literature, art and culture. His collection of poems - Andheri Gali Ka Chand is about to be published.

Rana Yashwant has more than 19 years of experience in media. He had started his career with Zee News in year 1997. After five year (1997-2002) working there, he moved to Aajtak and worked there for nine years (2002-2011) and played a vital role in making the channel a great success. Later on he joined Mahua Newsline as Group Editor(2011-2013). In year 2013 he joined India News as Group Managing Editor.

Awards and Achievements : Rana Yashwant has recently been awarded prestigious awards WHRPA ” Bharat Gaurav Samman” 2016 and REX Karmaveer Global Fellowship & Award 2015-16 . He has been bestowed upon with prestigious RedInk award for his show Ardhsatya ( 2016 ) and Rajiv Gandhi Global Excellence Award for outstanding Hindi Journalism ( 2012). He has bagged Bharatiya Manvadhikar Samman also for Ardhsatya. For the best managing editor he has been honoured with NAI samman ( 2014) and NBC award ( 2014). In the year of 2012 his home district made him pround by giving Saran Gaurav Samman.

Early Life & Education

Rana Yashwant was born on 29 September 1974 in Rampur Kallan village of Chapra district in Bihar. He had finished his primary education from the village. After that he moved to Patna for his higher studies. He graduated from Banaras Hindu Vishwavidhyalaya and received a post graduation diploma in Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (1996-97).

Sreenivasan Jain
Managing Editor, NDTV

Sreenivasan been associated with NDTV since 1995, reporting on virtually every major national and international story, as well as anchoring prime time news shows like Star News Sunday, the 9pm News, and Witness. He specializes in reportage on national politics, political economy and investigations. He has covered the Afghanistan war, the Sri Lanka conflict, and the US Presidential elections. From 2003-2011, he was heading NDTV’s operations in Mumbai, where he made a mark for his coverage of the 26/11 terrorist attack on the city.

Sreenivasan has received numerous national and international awards including the Ramnath Goenka Award, the Indian Television Academy Award, and the World Silver Medal at the New York Festivals.

Currently he reports and presents Truth vs Hype on NDTV 24x7, a ground – zero reportage based news documentary, and Power of One on NDTV Profit, where he interviews key political, government and business leaders.