Prasar Bharati has signed a deal with Aaj Tak consulting editor Sudhir Chaudhary for a show on DD News, top sources at the state broadcaster told Newslaundry.
Chaudhary did not respond to Newslaundry’s request for comment.
Employees claimed that Chaudhary had visited the channel’s office in December and March, and had reportedly agreed on a two-hour evening slot. His work cabin is being set up on the tenth floor and a team of employees have already been assigned specific roles for his show, they claimed.
“We will tell you in time what the deal is with him. Yes, it is true that he is joining us by the end of March. You will get to see what he will do here in the first week of April,” a top Prasar Bharati official said, denying that Chaudhary will offer his services to DD News in a full-time role.
Chaudhary had met the Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi and chairman Navneet Sehgal earlier this month, according to sources.
When contacted for comment, Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi said he was in a meeting and would “talk to you separately about this”. Asked about the time suitable for a conversation, he said, “I will call you.”
It was earlier reported that the contract was speculated to have offered Chaudhary around Rs 14 crore. But a senior official refused to comment on the scale of reimbursement, claiming that it will not be the state broadcaster but a third party that will be responsible for the expenses of the show led by Chaudhary.
Chaudhary was the face of Zee News for about a decade. He joined Aaj Tak in June 2022, less than two weeks after he quit Zee News.
Employees at DD News seem to be divided over the deal. Some say that this deal will boost the channel’s rejuvenation efforts while others say this too much concentration of power.
A senior employee quipped that the signs of a “stronghold” are clear. “If Sudhir asks for even a room, he will be given a floor. We have never seen this happen here.”
Another official said Chaudhary will see no opposition in the DD workspace. “We have seen the era of Deepak Chaurasia as well. I used to work here even then. He had also joined DD. Let Chaudhary come. Let’s see what he does.”
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