A Dharwad University Mass Communication graduate and a one-time Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of the former Urban Development Minister Ananth Kumar, Mr Bhat is arguably the most ‘powerful’ editor in Karnataka today. As if taking a cue from his meteoric rise, senior journalists like Ranganath and Ravi Hegde have also sharpened their managerial and leadership skills which eventually helped them play a key role in the launching of Suvarna News 24X7.
Just when everyone thought that Kannada Prabha was left impoverished following the exit of Ranganath and Hegde, the paper got a boost with a change in ownership and editorship. Many skeptics had doubted the longevity of Ranganath in broadcast journalism, but despite his frail frame and inhospitable presence he thrived for a while, until his unceremonious exit which was apparently prompted by the promotion of Hamid Palya as the current affairs editor.
In the meantime Hegde had moved to Udayavani and all of a sudden every paper started looking like the copy of the other. With the disciples of YNK, the legendary editor of Kannada Prabha, calling the shots at the three leading newspapers, it was not entirely unexpected. There had been a raging debate in the media circles as to who is copying whom? Interestingly, Mr Hegde has given credit to Mr Bhat for influencing his ideas and work during the early days and claimed that he shared a healthy relationship with the latter.
In another development Ranganath, the one-time fire-brand reporter of KP, has launched a company called Writemen media private limited after moving out of Suvarna, whose owner Rajeev Chandrasekhar, mobile phone baron turned businessman and member of Parliament, has completed the acquisition of Kannada Prabha for a reported sum of Rs 250 Crore early this month.
Chandrasekhar’s Jupiter Media & Entertainment Ventures began the creeping acquisition of Kannada Prabha through a “strategic business alliance” with Kannada Prabha Publications inMarch 2010. The buzz doing the rounds now is that Ranganath is going to make a comeback on TV in a big way!
Interestingly, the changes at the helm are also altering the composition of the team in each of these newspapers. Vishweshwar Bhat joined KP along with his battalion featuring some very prominent names including Pratap Simha, P. Tyagaraj and Radhakrishna Bhadthi. The mass exodus is also creating a problem of ‘valasigaru’ versus ‘mulanivasigalu’ struggle in the respective organizations. The loyalty factor is also playing a major role in deciding one’s career at the cost of one’s efficiency and editorial skills.
As a former VK employee, who is currently with Suvarna reacted to Mr Bhat taking over as the supremo of the channel,” Idu thumba sanna prapancha alva?” (Isn’t this a small world?). Interestingly, the journalist in question had quit VK in 2002 and moved to a newly launched newspaper, when VB took the reins as the editor in chief and her mentor – the then editor – was forced to resign.
Meanwhile, the man who changed the face of Kannada journalism with his dynamism and unethical business practices, Vijay Sankeshwar, is all set to stage a comeback with a new Kannada daily. His team is busy scouting for talents across the state and having already overseen the evolution of a No.1 newspaper just a decade ago, it will not be a too difficult challenge for the transport baron. This could also mean another round of shuffling around of journalists. But can he repeat the magic yet again? Will he get the kind of leaders – Ishwar Daithota and Vishweshwar Bhat – this time around? Nobody seems to have an answer as yet.
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