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Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati concludes 5-year term
Vempati was appointed as head of the public broadcaster in 2017 by a three-member committee headed by the Vice-President, as mandated under the Prasar Bharati Act
NEW DELHI: Shashi Shekhar Vempati on Wednesday concluded his five-year term as the chief executive officer of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati that manages Doordarshan and All India Radio, among other channels.
“Thankful to Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi for the incredible opportunity to contribute to the Nation over the past 5 years as the CEO of Prasar Bharati. It has been a great learning experience and I am happy to have made a difference to the Doordarshan and All India Radio. Thankful to past and current fellow Board Members of @prasarbharati who have been fantastic partners in this transformational journey who have supported the many change initiatives over the years,” Vempati tweeted yesterday.
Vempati was a member of the board before he was appointed as head of the public broadcaster in 2017 by a three-member committee headed by the Vice-President, as mandated under the Prasar Bharati Act.
He was the first non-bureaucrat to hold the top office at the public broadcaster. An alumnus of IIT-Bombay, Vempati has also held the additional responsibility as CEO of Rajya Sabha TV, which covered the upper house of Parliament, from 2017-2019.
“It was after a long stint at the Indian information technology major Infosys Technologies, Shashi managed a digital news media startup Niti Digital before taking up the role in Public Broadcasting,” according to his professional profile.
He also served as chairperson of the Committee to Review Television Ratings Guidelines, and has authored key reforms in the area of TV audience measurement in India.
“Words fall short in praise of every member of the Prasar Bharati the innumerable officers and staff of DD AIR across cadres and streams who have helped me every step of the way despite the many challenges, constraints and uncertain times,” Vempati said as he announced his exit.
“Doordarshan and All India Radio have been intrinsic elements of my formative years. I feel blessed to have given back to these two vital organisations to the best of my abilities. My sincere wishes to all those who have made them the most trusted media brands in India.”
