Day after Roys quit NDTV promoter board, Ravish leaves channel

A day after Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy quit as the directors of the board of NDTV promoter RRPRH, noted journalist Ravish Kumar resigned from the channel on Wednesday. The company has “agreed to his request” for the resignation “to be effective immediately”, according to an email sent to the channel’s staff.

Newslaundry's phone calls to the journalist remained unanswered.

“Few journalists have impacted people as much as Ravish. This reflects in the immense feedback about him; in the crowds he draws everywhere; in the prestigious awards and recognition he has received, within India and internationally; and in his daily reports, which champion the rights and needs of those who are underserved,” NDTV president Suparna Singh said in an email to employees.

“Ravish has been an integral part of NDTV for decades; his contribution has been immense, and we know he will be hugely successful as he embarks on a new beginning.” 

Confirming that the staff had received Singh's mail, an editor working with NDTV told Newslaundry, “Ravish’s name was in the roster this week but he did not do his show on Monday and Tuesday.”

Sources in the channel’s HR department confirmed the resignation.

This comes amid an open offer by the Adani group to acquire NDTV that is set to close on December 5. Newslaundry earlier reported on the trading of NDTV shares and why shareholders have tendered over 53 lakh shares below market price.

Sudipta Bhattacharya, the chief technology officer of Adani group; Sanjay Pugalia, senior journalist and CEO of Adani's AMG Media Network; and journalist Senthil Sinniah Chengalvarayan are taking over as directors of the board, NDTV said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday night.

The Magsaysay awardee had recently promised to frequently post videos on YouTube, days after news of an imminent takeover of NDTV by the Adani Group triggered speculation about the fate of his show on the channel. He had called the rumours about his resignation as fake as prime minister Narendra Modi agreeing to give him an interview.

Talking about the increased subscriptions on his YouTube page last month, the journalist said it is not just about subscriptions but also about responding to the “media backed by thousands of advertisement types” and a sign that the audience has now “understood the maneouvres of the mainstream media”.

Correction at 9.03 pm: The headline and the first sentence of this report had erroneously mentioned that the Roys quit as NDTV board directors. They have resigned from the board of NDTV promoter RRPRH.