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Journalism of Courage
Till about three years ago, they were dubbed 8216;8216;bhajan-kirtan8217;8217; channels, watched by the very old or the very bored. But not any more. Most of these channels have gone high-tech and claim a viewership that cuts across all age groups, prompting one of the channel managers to say that an overdose of sex on TV has sent viewers scurrying to their channels.
There were just three 8216;8216;spiritual8217;8217; channels three years back. Now, Astha, Sanskar, Sadhana, God and Q TV are all in the fray. They claim a membership of over 25 million, which is almost half the total cable homes in the country.
Says Gupta, the channel has empanelled 40 spiritual leaders. 8216;8216;We get 20,000 SMS every day from all kinds of viewers,8217;8217; says Gupta, who has tied-up with 85 cellular operators and has now got into an arrangement with Echostar to beam into North America and Europe.
His competitor, Astha, the oldest in the group, has Guru Ramdev, who has become a household name, teaching his brand of yoga.
For God TV, which beams out of Israel, advertisements are a strict no-no. 8216;8216;We don8217;t want anything to come between the viewer and his faith,8217;8217; says the channel8217;s spokesperson.
Currently beaming into 21 million homes, God TV pays a substantial carriage fee to operators. 8216;8216;Carriage fee is the norm of the industry and most of the channels pay to be on the cable network,8217;8217; says an official.
The channel also sells airtime to 8216;8216;select ministries8217;8217;. The rates are less than 50 per cent of the normal channel rates and the programmes range from teachings from the Bible to music slots, and programmes for children.
Cable operators say they get paid anywhere between Rs 1 lakh and above, depending on the number of households they cater to.
8216;8216;For many people, God channel is a source of encouragement, hope and joy,8217;8217; says an official from the channel.
Amrita TV, launched last week from Kerala, shares the sentiment. The channel, headed by former Infosys employee Sudhakar Jayaram, has been inspired by Mata Amritanandamayi.
He says he wants to incorporate everything feminine in his channel. 8216;8216;Gentleness, tolerance and kindness 8212; the channel is guided by these principles as far as programmes are concerned,8217;8217; says Jayaram, who returned from San Francisco last year after a meeting with Amritanandamayi, who has a 10-minute programme twice a week on the channel.
8216;8216;The channel is inspired by Mother but is not on a spiritual overdrive,8217;8217; claims Jayaram.
The cost of running each of these channels 8212; about Rs 10 crore per annum 8212; has been nominal compared to the returns.
