Radhika Roy is a well-known Indian journalist and the founder of Indian news channel NDTV. She serves as co-chairman of New Delhi Television. She served as Managing Director of NDTV from 1998 to 2011. NDTV channel started working as a production house under the leadership of Radhika Roy and soon, it became India’s first independent news broadcaster.
Wiki/Biography
Radhika Roy was born on Saturday, May 7, 1949, in Kolkata, India (74 years old in 2023). Her star sign is Taurus. She received her schooling at the Welham Girls Boarding School in Dehradun, Uttar Pradesh. She qualified as a speech pathologist from the Aldre Fleming School in London. She was awarded a degree in English literature from the Miranda House, Delhi University. She obtained a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the New School for Social Research in New York, USA. Later, she attended a course in Television Production at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.
appearance
Hair color: black
Eye color: Black
family
Parents and siblings
Radhika Roy’s father’s name is Sooraj Lal Das, a Bengali engineer. Her mother’s name is Oshrukhna Mitra. Indian politician Brinda Karat is her sister.
Husband and children
Radhika Roy married Prannoy Roy in 1972.
Radhika Roy and her husband
She has a daughter named Tara Roy.
Radhika Roy’s daughter Tara Roy
Profession
After completing her studies in London, Radhika and her husband Prannoy Roy returned to India and settled in Delhi. Soon, Radhika started her journalism career as an editor in The Indian Express. Later, she joined India Today magazine and served as news coordinator for a while. They co-founded New Delhi Television Limited NDTV in 1984. However, in a conversation with a media house, Prannoy Roy claimed that he later joined NDTV and that Radhika was the real founder of the NDTV news channel. After the establishment of NDTV, the channel started as a production arm of Indian television. Soon it was considered India’s first independent news broadcaster. With this, NDTV set an example for Indian journalism and became a pioneer in broadcast journalism in India. Soon it was recognized as a legacy brand in Indian journalism. After acquiring the legacy brand, Radhika started working as the Managing Director of NDTV. Later, she was promoted as Chief Executive Producer of NDTV. Radhika took care of the editing and back-end processes, while Prannoy started hosting TV shows. Editorial Integrity, impartiality and a legally binding code of conduct are the main ethics she follows in the workplace. Radhika was praised for providing free sanitary napkins at the NDTV office. According to a senior official of NDTV,
If Prannoy Roy is the face of the organization, Radhika Roy is the heart and soul of the organization. “
Star India partnered with NDTV to start its first 24×7 news channel from 1998 to 2003. Under Radhika Roy’s leadership, Star India managed the infrastructure of the channel, while the editorial and production areas were handled by NDTV. Star India used to retain the company’s profits, while NDTV received a fixed fee in the partnership deed. In 2003, NDTV did not give full editorial control to Star India in return, and disagreements arose between the two, leading to the termination of the partnership agreement. Soon, NDTV was given independent management, while Radhika chose to start two new news channels: NDTV 24×7 and NDTV India. Under Radhika’s initiative, NDTV became an independent news broadcasting channel in India. In 2004, NDTV became the leading Indian media company with the highest public market capitalization in India under the supervision of Radhika Roy. After Narendra Modi assumed office as the Prime Minister of India in 2014, NDTV began to face legal and intimidatory practices and pressure from advertisers on the network. This pressure was considered a breakdown of media freedom in India.During the Modi administration, NDTV was allegedly ordered to ban its Hindi news channel; however, massive protests prevented the order. In 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the offices and residences of Radhika and Prannoy Roy after NDTV journalists questioned the ruling party speaker’s remarks. In 2015, Radhika Roy entered into a loan agreement with billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. Later, NDTV was able to repay a series of debts; however, Radhika Roy was questioned about NDTV’s successful payments during the global crisis. In 2019, international news agency Reporters Without Borders released a report stating that Radhika and Prannoy held 16.32% and 15.95% shares in NDTV, respectively. Apart from this, Radhika and Prannoy hold an average of 29.18% stake in NDTV and RRPR Holding Pvt Ltd. In 2019, Radhika Roy and Prannoy Roy were accused of concealing information about loan agreements of NDTV, and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) banned them from serving on the board of NDTV for two years. Soon, Radhika and her husband filed a lawsuit against the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) order. They were ordered to pay 50% of the fine amount of Rs 270 million before the second hearing. So Radhika knocked on the door of the Supreme Court of India, and she was exempted from paying the fine. Subsequently, Judge Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud slammed the court and demanded that the fine be halved.
Resigned from NDTV
Radhika Roy and her husband Prannoy Roy on November 29, 2022, after Adani Group made a public offer for New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV) Resigned as director of RRPR Holding Private Limited (RRPRH).
Facts/Trivia
- Radhika met Prannoy Roy when she was a teenager. Both went to London for higher education and married there. After completing their studies, they returned to India and settled in Delhi. Radhika began her career in journalism, first as an editor at The Indian Express. Later, she worked as news coordinator for India Today magazine for a while.
- As a teenager, she met Prannoy Roy. Soon, both went to London for higher education. After completing their studies in London, they got married and returned to India. In India, they settled in Delhi.
- In 2003, Radhika and Prannoy Roy were awarded the Ernst & Young Information, Communications and Entertainment Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
- In 2007, Radhika was named one of the fifty important women in the history of television and radio by the Paley Center for Media.
- She was named one of the 50 most powerful women in business in India by Fortune India. In 2016, she continued to be ranked among the 50 most powerful women in business in India by Fortune India for the following reasons:
Absolute persistence in the face of adversity.”
- Radhika Roy stays away from the media and advocates maintaining a low profile. She is often thought of as,
Quietly behind the scenes.”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education