Shankar, editor of the media outlet Deccan Herald, and CEO of the Printers Mysore, tendered his resignation on Tuesday, August 6. With 30 years of experience, Shankar has worked in media outlets such as Reuters, Hindustan Times, Economic Times and News18 network. Deccan Herald and Kannada newspapers Prajavani, Sudha and Mayura are published by The Printers Mysore.
Shankar joined Deccan Herald in 2018, becoming the first editor from outside the promoter family in 35 years. He became CEO of the publishing company in October 2019. His first job was at Economic Times in India and then joined Reuters in Mumbai, Frankfurt, London and Dubai. He has reported from Moscow, Vienna and Singapore before returning to India in July 2012 for his stint at the Hindustan Times.
Joining Network18 in August 2016, he oversaw the revamp of India's largest financial news website Moneycontrol. Hiring over 50 journalists, he made the website more news-centric, which resulted in a five-fold increase in unique users and page views. On the sidelines, he developed an intense training programme called 'News writing with impact' and guided more than 250 journalists. Shankar has received a Chevening Scholarship in 2000, which he completed at the University of Westminster in London. This was a three-month diploma course in journalism, which included a stint at the Financial Times in the city. He has also written an opinion piece on the need for reform in the Indian National Congress party for Al-Jazeera.
In a TedX talk at Christ University earlier this year, Shankar stressed on the need to pay for consumption of news and explained the vital role of newspapers in staying informed. “It is often a question of survival, not just for us, but also for you [the readers]. All around you, there is complete misinformation. There is a sea of sewage because there is no one to hold your hand. Mainstream media has gone and the internet is divided half and half between truth and lies, and you don’t know which half you are consuming,” he said.
During his six-year stint at the DH, he oversaw a redesign and the introduction of a new tag line (The Power of Good), launched the popular DH on Saturday and DH on Sunday and a new DH app. The paper gained recognition for its editorial pages, and managed to hire journalists into senior positions from across the country.
In addition to his Editor role, Shankar was handed the CEO reins in 2019, and steered the company through three of its toughest years -- two Covid-hit ones and a third where newsprint prices doubled to record levels. He attempted to reduce the company's dependence on print display advertising by building out Events, Branded Content and a small Education vertical, and raising cover prices. Events have done particularly well, notably the Changemaker awards, the Bengaluru 2040 and, of the last two years, the Prajavani Cine awards.
It's understood that he will leave the company in a few months' time.
Shankar could not be reached for a comment.