OdishaPlus Bureau
Former ETV associates and the media & entertainment fraternity of Odisha are organizing a special program to pay tribute in memory of Late Ramoji Rao, a titan of Indian media landscape. The event will be hosted on 18th June 2024, Tuesday, from 6:30 PM onwards at Jayadev Bhawan, Bhubaneswar.
The program will bring together media professionals, former colleagues, and admirers of Ramoji Rao to honour his visionary contributions and the profound impact he had on the industry.
Ramoji Rao’s legacy transcended the realms of news & entertainment, leaving an indelible mark across print media, television, digital, cinema, tourism, and numerous other sectors. Especially, he played an important role in shaping the scope of journalism across the mediums spanning over five decades. Through the launch of regional television channels in diverse languages, including ETV Odia, in the early phase of satellite television, Ramoji Rao established ETV as the nation’s largest network, a testament to his visionary approach.
Padma Vibhushan Ramoji Rao passed away at early morning of June 8th, 2024. A commemorative video will be presented at the event, highlighting his contributions to the Indian media & entertainment industry. “The event shall be an opportunity for former ETV Odia staff, Ramoji group associates & media personalities of Odisha paying homage to this great soul,” informed Nilambar Rath, Senior Journalist & Convenor of the program.
The event will be live streamed on social media and the clean feed can be used for restream by any media organization or individual interested.
In 2002, Ramoji Rao made a significant mark on Odisha’s media sector by launching ETV Odia, Odisha’s first private satellite channel. ETV Odia not only provided Odia viewers with the latest national and international news updates but also offered a diverse range of entertainment programs.
ETV Odia played a vital role in shaping Odisha’s media ecosystem and forged a strong connection with the general audiences across the state. The channel revolutionized the production and broadcasting culture in television skilling & empowering hundreds of media professionals of the region.
Ramoji Rao embarked on his remarkable journey into the world of media with the launch of ‘Annadata,’ a Telugu agricultural magazine, back in 1969. He then ventured into the print media domain by establishing the Telugu daily newspaper ‘Eenadu’ in 1974. However, the visionary Ramoji Rao’s ambitions transcended beyond just print media. He went on to create the multilingual television network ‘ETV,’ the iconic ‘Ramoji Film City’ – recognized as the world’s largest film studio complex – and the multilingual digital media platform ‘ETV Bharat,’ catering to the evolving media consumption.
