MUMBAI: News channel leader Aaj Tak, which has witnessed a stream of defections these past months, has managed to get one "prodigal" back into the fold.
Distribution head Amitabh Srivastava, who quit Aroon Purie's Network at the beginning of the month, is back.
Amitabh Srivastava - return of the 'prodigal'
When queried about the new development, Aaj Tak CEO G Krishnan said Srivastava had never left in the first place so the question of his return did not arise.
An interesting line to take one must say, especially considering that Srivastava had been on record with indiantelevision.com when he resigned to state, "I have had an enriching experience at TV Today. But now I am looking for a larger role to play in a company and not get restricted to just network development."
While Srivastava could not be reached on the phone, industry sources say he had an offer letter in hand from Rajat Sharma, who is in the process of trying to launch his own 24-hour Hindi language news and current affairs channel India TV.
Srivastava, who has worked in various media companies, including BBC World's Indian operation, was part of the core team at TV Today, which helped in launching first Aaj Tak and then its English sibling Headlines Today.