MUMBAI: There's change at the top at the News Broadcasters Association (NBA). And returning to the helm of the news television collective is India TV founder & chairman Rajat Sharma who has been elected as the president for 2017-2018.

The bespectacled soft spoken-but-hard-questioning Sharma had served as the NBA president from 2014 to 2016. So he is quite familiar with the challenges that the NBA leadership brings with it.

"As the new president, I take the opportunity to reassure members that we shall walk together in bringing in more credibility and independence to the news broadcasting industry," said Sharma. "I shall put in my best efforts to make the fraternity more accepting of our contemporaries, striving for healthy competition."

He was the last president to serve out his full terms at the NBA. He was replaced by then ABP chief executive Ashok Venkatramani for 2016-2017. When Venkatramani departed ABP News as CEO last year and stepped down from the presidency mid-way, his shoes at the NBA were filled by India Today group CEO Ashish Bagga. Bagga too left India Today a couple of months ago and the NBA was president-less since.

Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing whole-time director MV Shreyams Kumar has replaced Times Now MD & CEO MK Anand as the vice-president, even as News24 Broadcast India chairman & managing director Anurradha Prasad was elected as the treasurer.

The NBA has also elected other members to its board. Among them: M.K. Anand, NDTV group CEO & executive vice-chair person K.V.L. Narayan Rao, TV18 Broadcast CEO news & group editor in charge Rahul Joshi, Zee Media executive director & COO Rajiv Singh, ABP News Network COO Avinash Pandey and Eenadu Television director I Venkat.