It is a known fact that certain Telugu television channels like ETV, TV-5 and ABN-Andhra Jyothy are known for their blatant bias towards the Telugu Desam Party and carrying anti-Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy propaganda day in and day out.
The ruling YSR Congress party in Andhra Pradesh has virtually boycotted them, describing them as “yellow media” and Jagan has included them as part of the Dushta Chatushtayam (gang of four) of the TDP.
But there are a few other prominent television news channels, which appear to be neutral but have taken a pro-Jagan Mohan Reddy stand for their own commercial interests, if not for any other political interests.
Though the TDP has not boycotted them completely, the party leaders often accuse them of being anti-Chandrababu Naidu and pro-Jagan. The TDP representatives do not attend the debates conducted by these channels.
Now that the assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh are just a few months away, a couple of these “neutral” channels have decided to go soft toward the TDP as well, instead of openly supporting the YSR Congress party.
According to sources, the managements of these channels have sought an appointment with TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh recently, seeking to patch up with the party.
Though there is no immediate commercial benefit from the TDP, these channels appear to have thought a neutral stand before the elections might fetch a larger viewership; otherwise, there is every possibility that the viewers might dump them as any other politically-biased news channel.
And who knows, if the TDP manages to come to power in Andhra Pradesh after the next elections, the change in stand might even help them commercially from the new government.
Sources, however, said Lokesh has refused to meet the representatives of these channels for the obvious reason that they have done enough damage to the TDP in the last four years.
Yet, these channel managements are said to be making efforts through other sources to get in touch with Lokesh and patch-up with the party, sources added.
