PTC News CEO Harpreet Singh Sahni features among 44 prominent Sikhs in Urban Mélange Special Edition
PTC Web Desk: Harpreet Singh Sahni, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of PTC News, has been featured in the November special edition of Urban Mélange magazine, which profiles 44 prominent Sikhs from around the world.
The issue carries an interview with Harpreet Singh Sahni titled “The Sikh Icon of Punjabi Television.” It traces his path from an entry-level production job to leading the channel where he began his career.
From the shoot floor to the editor’s chair
Harpreet Singh Sahni started as a production executive, handling lights, props and furniture on shoots. Over the next two decades he moved into direction and then in front of the camera, eventually becoming one of the youngest Editors-in-Chief in the industry. He recalled that the climb was not smooth, with long hours, setbacks and moments when he wrote resignation letters and then deleted them.
He described the day he received the sealed letter appointing him Editor-in-Chief as the turning point of his career. The channel, he said, has remained at No. 1 since.
Credibility before commerce
On balancing his editorial and business roles, Harpreet Singh Sahni said the two are not opposed. “In media, credibility is the business,” he said, adding that when a choice has to be made, he protects the integrity of the newsroom first. His approach, he said, is to tell the truth, remain fair and never let commercial pressure decide what viewers get to know.
Staying true to his identity
Sahni spoke about being told early in his career that a Sikh with a beard and turban would not be considered for the screen. At an interview with a large news channel in Noida, he was asked to change his appearance and declined. He also turned down commercial offers that required him to set his identity aside.
He noted that the same channel now lists “sabat soorat” Sikh anchors in its vacancy notices. “The courage to stay true to yourself is never wasted,” he said.
Reaching Punjabis worldwide
Harpreet Singh Sahni said his travels have shown him how far PTC News has reached. Viewers in remote parts of the world have told him they follow the channel’s debates, and he described PTC as the first choice for Punjabi-language news among Punjabis abroad. He said he hopes the channel will one day sit alongside the major global streaming platforms on viewers’ remotes.
Message to young entrepreneurs
Asked what he would tell the next generation, Sahni urged young people in Punjab to reject negativity and the belief that the state offers no future. He encouraged them to start small and stay consistent, saying that “even Rs 50 can grow into Rs 50,000 crore with patience and persistence.” He also credited the Sikh principles of kirat karo, vand chhako and naam japo for shaping honest and service-minded businesses.
PTC News congratulates Harpreet Singh Sahni on the recognition.
- PTC NEWS
