The television news channels have become popular vehicles for the ambitious politicians in Andhra Pradesh to further their careers and improve their clout.
The latest to join the bandwagon is the Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha who nurses the ambition of becoming the Chief Minister of the new Telangana state.
With the statehood dream almost becoming a reality, Raja Narasimha is said to be keen on owning a TV channel to serve as his campaign vehicle.
According to sources, he has clinched a deal to buy “Zee 24 Gantalu”, a 24/7 Telugu news channel originally floated by the Zee Group but was later sold off.
The close family members of the PCC Chief Botsa Satyanarayana had acquired the channel last year but have since exited from the venture.
The Deputy Chief Minister has now set his eyes on the channel.
It is learnt that Raja Narasimha has firmed up the deal to acquire the media organization.
Though running in losses, “Zee 24 Gantalu” carries with a certain brand image that could be useful for an ambitious politician like Raja Narasimha. And, when the new state comes into existence, it would be easy for the owners to promote the news channel with some official patronage.
The sources also said that efforts are on to bring back senior journalist Sailesh Reddy who earlier headed the channel. Sailesh is an experienced journalist with exposure to both the print and electronic media.
It is strange that the politicians find it appropriate to invest in news channels though a majority of the existing channels are in the red due to dwindling advertisement revenues and growing operational costs.
