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IN South India, particularly Tamil Nadu, politics has always been dominated by film personalities who know best the power of the audio-visual medium. The most acrimonious television channel war in the history of Tamil Nadu started on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi with the launch of Kalaignar TV by the Raj TV group. Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi is popularly known as "Kalaignar". The birth of Kalaignar TV was not only unexpected but because of a family feud which not only turned bloody but changed the political equation within the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) overnight. The Sun TV group, which owns 15 odd channels catering to all languages in South India and of which eight are with news content, had always dominated the television scene in Tamil Nadu ever since its inception with the blessings of Karunanidhi as it is owned by his grand-nephews, Kalanidhi and Dayanidhi Maran, sons of former Union minister Murasoli Maran. Dayanidhi, a new entrant in politics won the last Lok Sabha polls and became the Union IT and Telecommunication Minister. He was always seen publicly along with Karunaidhi whenever the latter visited Delhi. But then, Dayanidhi and his elder brother became too big for their boots. The Sun TV-owned Tamil daily Dinakaran published an opinion poll in May which stated that only two per cent of the people in Tamil Nadu favoured Azhagiri, Karunaidhi’s elder son, as his successor. Azhagiri is the party’s satrap in southern Tamil Nadu and a riot broke out in Madurai leading to an attack on the Dinakaran office and death of three men. Karunanidhi had earlier warned them not to publish such an opinion poll. People in Tamil Nadu felt it was also in bad taste as Karunanidhi was still alive. Dayanidhi overnight fell out of favour and Karunanidhi refused to see his face and he had to resign from the Union cabinet. The Marans who ran their television operations form the DMK headquarters were asked to vacate. Raj TV grabbed the opportunity and jumped into the fray with the launch of Kalaignar TV which has the logo of the rising sun—the DMKparty symbol. With things falling in place as if it had been programmed that way, Sharadh Kumar, managing director, Kalaignar TV, said he believed that the channel should do all the talking. Of the quantum of Kalaignar Karunanidhi’s involvement, ‘‘It was total. He showed us the way, leading from the front. A channel getting launched in just three months since the announcement date will now be a piece of history. True to the party’s maxim, we believe in doing what we say and the other way round,’’ was the reply. Kalaignar TV will no doubt pose a serious challenge to Sun Tv which practically controls also the distribution network in the entire state. But come elections it is to be seen which side the Sun TV group takes. With the two dominant political parties having their own television channels, the DMK’s main ally the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) which has two ministers in the Union Cabinet Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ranadoss and Minister of State for Raiwlays, R. Velu could not lag behind. The party, which at times functions as the "moral police" of Tamil Nadu, too launched its own channel "Makkal TV" two years back. PMK founder member and the Union health Minister’s father Dr. S. Ramadoss claims that the channel had proved to be a commercial success despite not airing Tamil films or serials. The channel had strictly avoided obscene advertisements and those relating to tobacco and various types of drinks, which affect people’s health, the PMK leader said. Ramdoss said this channel was possibly the only one which had refused to take advertisements and it would continue in the same vein. If Congressmen feel somewhat disadvantaged in the high-voltage political field in Tamil Nadu for want of a television channel backing them, there is now good news for them at last. And it is a double bonanza. For, two Congressmen are going to launch news and entertainment channels soon. Former Union Minister and former TNCC president K. V. Thangabalu is coming up with Mega TV. — A.C.
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