Pradeep Guha
Pradeep Guha, also known as PG (died 21 August 2021) was an Indian media personality, advertising professional and film producer.[1][2] He is best known for his work at Bennett, Coleman and Company (BCCL), the publisher of The Times of India, where he served for almost three decades (1976-2005) and transformed the flagship newspaper and magazine brands such as Filmfare and Femina.[3][4] He also served as CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, and managing director of 9X Media Private Limited. He was credited with introducing several innovative practices in the Indian media industry. He was also known for producing films such as Fiza (2000) and Phir Kabhi (2008).[5][6]
Early life
Pradeep Guha was an alumnus of St. Xavier's College in Mumbai, where he studied BA in economics.[6] He went to school at Don Bosco in Mumbai.[7]
Career
Pradeep Guha started his career at The Times Group, where he worked for almost three decades and served as the president of the company. He later joined Zee Entertainment as CEO for three years.[8]
He was the Area Director and VP of Asia Pacific of the International Advertising Association from 2008 to 2013. He was the managing director of Culture Company during the period 2008 – 2010. From 2005 to 2009, he was working as the CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises and he was the President of Bennett, Coleman and Co (Times Group) from 1986 – 2005.[9]
Pradeep's board affiliations include Raymond Ltd, Puravankara Projects Ltd., and Whistling Woods International. He has been the Ex-President of The Indian Newspaper Society, Ex-Chairman of the National Readership Studies Council and Ex-President of the Advertising Club Bombay. He was the first Chairman of the Broadcast Audience Research Council. He was also elected as chairman of the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations.[10]
When he took over as managing director of 9X Media in March 2009, the company had huge losses of eight hundred crores and a hundred crore debt. He sold the entire loss-making area of the network Hindi entertainment channel, 9X, to Zee Entertainment. He then turned his focus to the music channel 9XM and in just four years, he turned the company into a profit-making Rs 200-crore network. He launched four more new music channels at both national and international levels named 9XO (international music), 9X Jalwa (all-time Bollywood hits), 9X Tashan (Punjabi) and 9X Jhakaas (Marathi).[11]
Guha has also contributed to liberal journalism and to setting up the Centre of Education and Documentation (CED) in Mumbai, a news clipping library that was used by hundreds of students and researchers before the internet and Google made it irrelevant.[6]
Filmography
- Fiza (2000)
- Phir Kabhi (2008)
Death
He was suffering from cancer and receiving treatment for a few years before passing away on January 23, 2021, at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. His death was announced by his wife Papia Guha and son Sanket Guha in a statement issued to the media.[12] At the time of his death, he was 70 years old.[13]
Reaction
Pradeep Guha's death was condoled by many in the film and media industry,[14] including Manoj Bajpayee, Subhash Ghai and Adnan Sami, among other film industry figures, shared their condolences on social media upon news of Pradeep Guha's death. Priyanka Chopra also shared a heartfelt note on Instagram, praising Guha's contributions to her journey in Bollywood. Vineet Jain, MD of Times Group and Subhash Chandra, chairman emeritus of ZEE and chairman of Essel Group also paid condolence to him.[15]
Commemoration and legacy
In 2022, a book titled "Pradeep Guha The Legend I Know" was launched on June 5, 2022, which was Pradeep Guha's 70th birthday. The book carried short but eloquent write-ups focusing on the memories of interactions between Guha and celebrities and head honchos from media, advertising and cinema.[3][16]
In 2022, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Mumbai's governing civil body named a road after Guha. The signboard saying "Pradeep Guha Chowk" was placed right below the window of the room which was his cabin at the Times of India.[17]
The Times of India Group has instituted the Pradeep Guha Trophy for the category of Young Emvie of the Year, in his honour.[18]
References
- ^ Sangghvi, Malavika (August 27, 2021). "Malavika's Mumbaistan: Sounds of Silence". Hindustan Times.
- ^ Chakraborty, Aditi (August 23, 2021). "Pradeep Guha: The Man I Knew As A Young Media Professional". Outlook India.
- ^ a b "Legends pay tribute to Pradeep Guha in a new book". Times of India. June 23, 2022.
- ^ Bhatia, Sidharth. "How Pradeep Guha Revamped the Times Group and Turned it Into a Commercial Behemoth". The Wire.
- ^ "Media pioneer Pradeep Guha passes away". The Economic Times. August 21, 2021.
- ^ a b c Singh, Gurbir (August 29, 2021). "The many sides of media man Pradeep Guha". New Indian Express.
- ^ "Notable Alumni".
- ^ Moniz, Christina. "FAREWELL TO AN INDUSTRY LEGEND BY CHRISTINA MONIZ". Impactonnet.
- ^ "Pradeep Guha". Nettv4u.
- ^ "Pradeep Guha named the new AFAA Chairman". Campaign Asia. March 27, 2012.
- ^ Shashidhar, Ajita (March 2, 2014). "How music brought 9X Media back from the brink of bankruptcy". Business Today.
- ^ "'Fiza' producer Pradeep Guha dies; Priyanka Chopra, Manoj Bajpayee condole the sad demise". India TV. August 21, 2021.
- ^ "Media pioneer Pradeep Guha passes away". The Economic Times of India. August 21, 2021.
- ^ "Pradeep Guha combined creativity with business sense–and a big heart". Times of India. August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Fiza producer Pradeep Guha passes away". Indian Express. August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Book on Pradeep Guha launched". Afaqs. June 6, 2022.
- ^ "Lane outside TOI Mumbai office named 'Pradeep Guha Chowk'". Exchange4media. Feb 17, 2022.
- ^ "Wavemaker, HUL win big at EMVIES 2022". The Economic Times. March 26, 2022.
External links
- Life and The Times of Pradeep Guha - Moneycontrol.com
- The visionary who took India to Cannes - Exchange4media.com