The Making of Ms Firebrand-Rubika Liyaquat

She has been the face of firebrand journalism for over a decade. Her journalism has earned her a fair share of critics and admirers. A name that meant eyeballs, Rubika Liyaquat recently quit ABP News after a five year long stint, a move that took the industry by surprise.

A Self Made Success Story

Liyaquat was born in Udaipur and completed her initial schooling at St. Gregorios Sr. Sec. School. Later she did her graduation from the Mumbai University and her media education from Futuristic Media Communication Centre (FMCC), Noida. Soon after she started her career in 2008 and there was no looking back. It was a series of successful stints, one after the other, each catapulting her career to newer heights. 

In her career spanning 15 years plus, Liyaquat has worked with established media houses like News 24, Aaj Tak, Zee News, and Live India TV. She is best known for her popular shows, Taal Thok Ke and Master Stroke on ABP News.

Passion For Journalism 

It has not been an easy journey to make her way to the top. Despite all odds and getting trolled by critics of all shades, her determination, and incisive interviewing style has earned a prominent place in the hearts of viewers across the nation. Whether engaging with opposition leaders or government officials, Rubika’s passion for journalism and commitment to truth have always shone through. She has become a true embodiment of patriotism, often humming the national anthem, and has established herself as one of India’s most respected daughters thus known to many as ‘Bharat Ki Beti.

Beyond Newsroom

Today’s viewers are not just glued to linear TV, and for any successful news anchor a strong presence beyond the newsroom  is critical for maintaining a loyal follower base. 

While Liayquat’s prime time shows managed to get viewer attention, her strong social media presence ensured that what she said stayed in news beyond those TV hours. 

Look at these numbers-4.6 million Twitter Followers, 356K Insta Followers and 250 K Facebook followers, Liyaquat is a rage on social platforms for a real reason. She is one of those contemporary TV journalists who have a strong individual following irrespective of whether they are part of any established media network or not.

New Journey

When Liyaquat announced her resignation from ABP news, which e4m broke first, it was a trending topic for days across social platforms. This shows her clout as a journalist.

As we know, she has now joined Bharat 24 as Vice President and Prime Time anchor and will also be launching her independent YouTube Channel soon.

Bharat24, led by Dr Jagdeesh Chandra calls itself the “vision of new India”. Chandra launched the Hindi news channel in August last year in an event attended by I&B minister Anurag Thakur. Chandra, who took voluntary retirement from the Indian Administrative Service in 2008 joined the ETV group as CEO, taking control of 15 regional TV news channels.

When Liyaquat visited the Bharat24 office recently, she was accompanied by  her father, Dr Amar Liyaquat, which added a personal touch to the event.

Liyaquat's first show is all set to be aired on the channel, with expectations riding on her, it will be interesting to see how her new journey pans out.

Newsroom is witnessing a constant churn and in this influx quite often the headline makers become the headline.

Our New Series - HEADLINE MAKERS - profiles superstars of the newsroom, the women and men who have worked their way to the top and command an influence that shapes the contours of daily public discourse.

It's a deep dive into their personal and professional lives, a culmination of all factors that catapulted them into a realm very few can dream of. It's the story behind the big storytellers, the firebrands and the mavericks.

As part of this series, we look at the journey of Rubika Liyaquat,  whose determination, and incisive interviewing style has earned a prominent place in the hearts of viewers across the nation.