Rao exit presents Star with second regional departure

A published poet, Rao left Star at the end of April. "I've been working for 20 years. The job ran its course, and it was the right time to quit and devote myself to writing 100 per cent." Rao's marketing creative services team has been integrated with the on-air creative team reporting to the senior VP of network creative services, Bill Browning. Star said the consolidation should help meet the increasing demand for creative services in the company. Rao's departure is the second regional-level exit at Star, following the resignation of Star's executive VP of advertising sales, Toby Hayward, who will leave at the end of June. The broadcaster, which appears to be localising its strategy, said there was no restructure of its regional roles, adding that it may replace Hayward. Star is also wrapping up four-year-old regional news programme, FocusAsia, which will be discontinued after July. The network said Star World, the channel that carries FocusAsia, will focus on US content. "Recent ratings results reaffirmed that viewers have a strong appetite for US entertainment," Star said. The broadcaster said it remained committed to local news programming, with its two joint-venture news channels, Star News in India and Phoenix InfoNews in China, continuing to do well. It described the decision to close down FocusAsia, which was named best current affairs programme at the New York Festival for three consecutive years and won an Asian Television Award in Singapore, as a difficult one. Star earns most of its money from three main markets -- China, India and Taiwan, and employs more people in India than it does in its regional headquarters in Hong Kong. Star's new CEO, Michelle Guthrie, took the helm at the end of last year after former head, James Murdoch, moved to the UK to lead BskyB.