User:Alok Verma, India

Alok Verma is a very well-known and respected television and print media professional in India with a reputation of being a journalist of high integrity, advocating non-partisan, un-biased, fair and sensitive journalism. His competence has been amply reflected through the successive successes of the news channels and newspaper that he launched and headed in his career spanning over last 29 years.

Alok is currently Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director of Newzstreet Broadcasting Services Private Limited. NBS News is functioning as country’s second largest Video News Agency and Content Service provider. NBS is accredited by PIB and also licenced by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for providing uplink services to broadcasters. Besides providing Video News Service to 10 news channels in India and abroad NBS News is the larger provider of news service on the mobile platform. All top mobile platforms including AirTel, Vodafone, Idea, Tata Teleservices and Aircel carry NBS News to its subscribers. The largest mobile handset company Nokia has a default news service that is powered by NBS News. It is also a partner of Yahoo Videos and is the most watched channel on Yahoo Videos, attracting 6 million viewership monthly.

NBS News is also a partner of CEMCA (Commonwealth Education and Media Center for Asia) and hosts Web Radio of 12 Community Radio stations on CEMCA platform. Amongst prominent CR stations are Pondicherry University, SNDT University, Mumbai, Yashwant Rao Chavhan Open University, Nashik, National Institute of Open Learning (NIOS), Jago Mumbai etc. He began his television news career in the year 1995 with Zee News. He presided over the launch of 24×7 Zee News as its first Editor in 1998 remained at the helm till 2000 before moving on to Star India. He headed Star’s Interactive News Division and also NDTV news relationship. He returned to join TV Today Network’s Aaj Tak as Executive Producer. He launched Headlines Today, speed news ‘Tez’ and ‘Dilli Aaj Tak’ besides setting up TV Today Media Institute. He started as print journalist in the year 1981. He worked with some of the leading media houses like the Amrita Bazar Patrika’s Lucknow edition the Northern India Patrika, Newstime, Hyderabad, Lokmat Times, Nagpur and Businessworld, New Delhi for almost 15 years where he held positions including that of an editor. As a senior print journalist he wrote hundreds of news reports, opinion columns, articles and editorials. Even now he writes regularly on issues of Media, Communication and Development, which is published across news portals and newspapers. Known for his forward thinking on media transformation, he is a much-sought after speaker at round table seminars, symposiums, workshops and conventions on digital information. Career Landmarks in Summary: • Before setting up the NBS, Alok worked with India’s no 1 news network TV Today Network as its Executive Producer for long five years. During his various roles within the organization as part of the news management group he managed News Operations and also launched English language channel the Headlines Today, speed news channel ‘Tez’ and metro channel “Delhi Aaj Tak”. He was also founder Director of TV Today Media Institute (TVTMI). • Alok played a key role in Star TV’s New Media, Convergence & Internet strategy as Editor, News & Current Affairs and successfully planned 14 news and current channels on the Interactive TV platform. He began his television news career in the year 1995 with India’s first broadcast station Zee Network as the Editor for Zee News, the first news bulletin in the private broadcasting domain. He joined as Editor, News of India’s first private news broadcasting station Zee News in 1995. During his Editorship, Zee News became the first 24-hour News Channel in 1998. He also hosted two current affairs shows “Agenda 2000” and “Vision beyond 50” on Zee News Channel. • Before he pioneered into the electronic media in Alok worked with some of the leading media houses like the Amrita Bazar Patrika’s Lucknow edition the Northern India Patrika, Newstime, Hyderabad, Lokmat Times, Nagpur and Businessworld, New Delhi for almost 15 years held positions including that of an editor. • He served as a member on the board of Directors of SOS Villages of India for a period of three years with other eminent members to help enable the organization reform its functioning till October 31st, 2008. • He worked very closely with Mr Kuldip Nayar (former Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom), a veteran journalist, columnist and thinker on issues of secularism and media democracy and with the Magsaysay award winner Arvind Kejriwal on the Right to Information initiatives in India. • Alok has worked closely and produced programs on television with fomer Indian Prime Ministers Late Mr. Chandra Shekhar and Mr. Vishwanath Pratap Singh (in order to initiate public debates on the electoral and constitutional reforms. • He has also worked on the draft of the content self-regulation policy initiated by the Indian News Broadcasters’ Association (NBA) that is being currently practised by Indian News channels. • He has been associated with some of the leading Indian Universities and Media schools like Indraprastha University, Delhi University, Shimla University, Guru Jambeshwar University and Indian Institute of Mass Communication. •  Alok is a Law Graduate with Honours from Lucknow University. • Has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from Kurukshetra University • Done an Advance Certificate Course in Journalism from G Dimitrov International Institute of Journalism, Sofia, Bulgaria.