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People’s channel out to make a difference

HYDERABAD - Billed as the first of its kind in the country, a news channel called 10TV with ‘Power of Collective’ as its USP has been launched in Andhra Pradesh.

The unique aspect of the channel is that it has been promoted with “contributions from the general public” with over 200,000 people, including a few hundred daily wage earners, picking up shares with a face value of Rs 10.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy unveiled the logo of the new channel with a tagline - “The Fourth Estate with a Sixth Sense.” The state is already home to over 15 regional news channels, most of them either owned by politicians or with strong political leanings, but 10TV comes with a unique ownership model to make it, what the promoters call, a “truly people’s channel.”

Though the general talk in media circles is that the new venture has the backing of CPI (M), the promoters have denied it.

“Ours is an alternative platform for those looking for serious journalism. We will show the real picture, unmasked. At a time when news channels in the state have become so desperate that they even air adult content in the mad race for TRP ratings, we are here to show what a news channel ought to be,” said 10TV Chairman K Nageshwar, a journalism professor and an Independent member of the State Legislative Council, known for his Marxist views.

The official website of the channel claims that “a team of progressive ideologists who care for people, society, democracy and for social equality have come together to form Sphoorthi Communications and joined hands with Pragathi Broadcasting and Abhuyadaya Broadcasting to promote 10 TV.”

With the help of a novel ownership model, Rs600 million has been mobilised over the last two months by way of contributions from “aam aadmi.”

Buying shares at Rs 10 a share, ordinary people have thus been made into indirect media proprietors.

In a couple of districts, entire villages have bought shares and teachers and bank and insurance employees have been the most enthusiastic about the venture. Interestingly, some 300 daily labourers in a town in coastal Andhra have bought the idea of this “People’s TV channel”.

How does it work? The shareholders have elected a board of directors which, in turn, has appointed a news team.

“The managing director is, in fact, an insurance sector employee and the Press Commissions had in the past suggested delinking big businesses from media ownership. This is the alternate model that can work,” says Nageshwar. “It will be a fiercely independent mainstream channel highlighting the people’s point of view, in keeping with our ownership pattern,” he said.

The channel promoters are banking on the “power of the collective” where the 200,000 shareholders will spread word about the venture.

The idea is to use them to market the channel and as citizen journalists. The viewership, the management team hopes, will be good enough to attract advertisements.

The involvement of several Left-leaning unions in mobilising public contributions has led many to believe that 10 TV is a CPI (M)-backed channel.

Traditionally, politicians in AP have a fancy for owning a TV channel to serve as a platform for self-promotion.

Family members of the state Congress President and Transport Minister B Satyanarayana had recently picked up a controlling stake in “Zee 24 Ghantalu.”

Congress MP from Telangana G Vivek and his brother, former Labour Minister G Vinod, run V6, a Telugu news channel.

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which has been spearheading the statehood movement, has its own channel “T-News” while CPI is planning to launch “TV99” next year.

The BJP is also giving finishing touches to its Telugu news channel “Orange TV,” to be run from the state party quarters here.

The popular channel “Sakshi TV” is owned by YSR Congress President and jailed MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

In fact, the investments into his media group, Jagathi Publications, came under the CBI scanner and kicked off a major political controversy.