'Kalaignar TV' to take on Sun Network

Televisionpoint.com Correspondent
The gulf between DMK, the ruling party of Tamil Nadu and former Union minister Dayanidhi Maran's family widened further with the party leadership joining hands with Raj TV, a rival of the Maran-owned Sun TV, to launch a new satellite channel 'Kalaignar TV'.

"We will launch the channel soon, but not on June 3, which falls on the 85th birth day of chief minister M Karunanidhi," Raj TV managing director M. Rajendran said. Raj TV sources confirmed that the party leadership was involved in the project, but would not give details on the funding pattern or on the agreement with the channel.

Rajendran, besides Raj TV, he runs Raj Digital plus and Vissa TV along with his brothers M Rajaratnam, M Ravindran and M Raghunathan, all based at Chennai.

"The new channel will feature news bulletins, movies, serials and even astrology. It will be a wholesome entertainment channel," Rajendran explained.

Claiming that the channel would adopt a neutral stand on all issues, Rajendran denied that the DMK was funding the project to take on the Sun TV. He also denied that he had met the chief minister immediately after the tussle between the DMK leadership and the Maran brothers broke out. Rajendran said every thing including the teleport for direct news telecast was ready for the launch of the channel.

"We have applied for all the facilities and software including teleport for direct uplinking and have got everything now," said Rajendran who had a troubled time when Dayanidhi Maran was heading the IT and communication ministry. Raj TV was forced to go off air for one day after its teleport licence was cancelled.

The allegation against the TV channel was that it had failed to renew the teleport licence. Moreover, the channel was charged with obtaining uplinking licence for two channels but running a series of channels. The OB van imported by the news channel was also impounded by the customs officials on charges of violation of rules. A series of actions against the channel had forced it to telecast all its programmes from Thailand.