Deccan Herald and Prajavani appoint new editor and executive editor

In a recent development, The Printers Mysore, has appointed Sitaraman Shankar as editor of Deccan Herald and deccanherald.com and Ravindra Bhat as executive editor of Prajavani.

A chemical technologist-turned-journalist, Shankar comes with 25 years of experience with brands such as the Economic Times, Reuters, Hindustan Times and most recently, Network18. He has worked in developed, emerging and frontier markets across the various disciplines of reporting, feature-writing, editing, news editing, and managing teams. He has been based in Mumbai, New Delhi, Frankfurt, London and Dubai and also reported out of Moscow, Vienna and Singapore.

K N Tilak Kumar, joint managing director, who previously held the editorship of the paper, says in a press release, “Shankar's appointment as editor comes as part of an organisation-wide transformation.”

Karthik Balakrishnan, CEO, The Printers Mysore, says in a press release, "Deccan Herald, one of the most trusted media brands, is poised to move into a higher orbit. Shankar coming on board will surely accelerate this transition."

Commenting on his appointment, Shankar says in a press release, “I feel privileged to be closely associated with Deccan Herald, a brand with a great legacy that is embarking on an exciting journey.”

Bhat, a veteran journalist with The Printers Mysore, the company that publishes Prajavani, the daily, was tasked with the leadership role after the board of directors and the company's executive leadership decided to make this change.

Bhat hails from Siddapura, in Karnataka and is a post graduate in Mass Communication and Journalism from Karnataka University, Dharawad. He started his career with Samyukta Karnataka as a sub editor in 1990 and later served as a sub-editor/ reporter in Udayavani. He joined Prajavani in 1995, where he has served in multiple roles as sub editor, district correspondent, staff correspondent and news bureau chief (Mysore) before assuming his current role as the executive editor of Prajavani. He has published 10 books on culture and social issues. He is a recipient of Media Academy Honorary Award, Karnataka Government Development Journalism Award, Charaka Award and many others.

K N Shanth Kumar, director, who was editor of Prajavani till recently, says in a press release, “Prajvani has seen substantial gain in recent years and we would like to keep that momentum going. With that intent, the board and executive leadership took the decision to put Bhat in charge of the Prajavani newsroom.”

Commenting on Bhat's appointment, Balakrishnan, says in a press release, "Readers are demanding ever-increasing quality of content in the vernacular space too. Prajavani, being one of the pioneering brands in this space, will continue to deliver on this promise," said, adding, "Ravindra Bhat, a veteran journalist, understands this and is well-positioned to meet the high expectations of Kannada readers."

Commenting on his appointment, Bhat, says in a press release, “I feel honoured and privileged for the new role with Prajavani a brand with a great legacy that is embarking on an exciting journey.”