When the news on Mumbai Police Assistant Inspector Sachin Vaze’s arrest came in on Saturday, March 13 evening, there was some sense of relief amongst those following events of the last fortnight. He was arrested by the National Investigation Agency of the central government, and there was an urgent need to investigate the bomb threat outside the Mukesh Ambani residence in South Central Mumbai. Yes, it’s the NIA and not the Mumbai Police or the ATS. Earlier in the week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said this of Vaze’s name surfacing in the case: Sachin Vaze was no Osama Bin Laden. Indeed.
Vaze has been in the limelight ever since Mumbai Police Commissioner spoke about Republic TV’s involvement in the TRP scam in early October 2020. From then on, there has been hectic activity on the case. It started with the arrest of Republic Media Network Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami. But Goswami was not the only person taken to jail. Republic TV Group CEO Vikas Khanchandani, distribution honcho Ghanshyam Singh, former BARC Chief Operating Officer Romil Ramgarhia and Partho Dasgupta, former CEO of BARC India. WhatsApp conversations between Dasgupta and Goswami and various others in the BARC fold were included as part of the chargesheet where Vaze played a huge role.
Read full column at https://mediaah.substack.com/p/so-what-does-trp-scam-investigation
Republic Media Network has launched a new mobile news website. The rollout marks the first first phase of the networks remodelling and redefining the digital news space. The website is a catch-all of Republic Media Network’s live channels.
Said Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami: “I am so proud that just days after we disrupted the Bengali news genre with the launch of Republic Bangla, our teams have delivered this smashing digital news experience on Republic World. The features are mind blowing and will be rolled out in a phased manner to users. The idea was to put the controls back in the hands of the user and that’s exactly what is being delivered by Republic World. I am personally really excited about the interactive elements as it brings me even closer to my audience.”
Republic Media Network’s Republic Bangla will go live tomorrow, Sunday, March 7 at 8m,
Arnab Goswami
Making the announcement, Republic Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director Arnab Goswami said: “The Republic Bangla launch has been a turnkey project for the entire Republic Media Network with a record 65-day execution span. This launch is a result of the combined will, passion, determination, grit and hard work of the best professionals in the news media industry. I am so proud,” adding: “Never before in news media has a channel been possibly launched so swiftly. The launch is a testament to the drive of my colleagues at Republic Media Network. I am proud and humbled that India’s biggest news network will be broadcasting in three languages from tomorrow morning,” Goswami added.
According to a communique, the channel has hired over 300 employees in 60 days. “With reporting crews in every district of West Bengal, Republic Bangla will have the widest ground presence and deepest news gathering ability in the Bengali news genre from the day of launch,” the release added.
Matter is listed for tomorrow. No 2. That was a terse message which we received last evening.
And then this morning, a little after 11am, our mobile beeped: Bail is allowed.
Save some corridors of power – in the media and perhaps elsewhere, there was a sense of relief. For, by targeting Partho Dasgupta, they were actually hitting out at Arnab Goswami, their real nishana. And that worked, but only to an extent.
Notes a report on LiveLaw website: “The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Partho Dasgupta, former CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council(BARC), Partho Dasgupta, in the case registered by the Mumbai police over the alleged manipulation of Target Rating Points(TRPs) of news channels to give undue favours to Republic TV.
We suggest going to this link for a more first-hand report on what happened in the courtroom:
https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/partho-dasgupta-trp-scam-bombay-high-court-barc-republic-170571?infinitescroll=1
The former BARC CEO and President of the Advertising Club should be back home soon, we hope. He will also get the right medical attention, that he must get.
Much relief for his family and friends, some of who in the media world had deserted him. Worried that they may get targeted by the law-enforcers.
Having said that, the former BARC boss needs to do a lot of explaining. To everyone. And earn back the confidence of all.
The time right now for him is to recover well to be able to come clean on his not-too-distant past.
More than 1,000 pages. That’s how long the chat transcripts, which form a part of the supplementary chargesheet filed by Mumbai police in ratings manipulation case, are. The transcripts are from BARC India ex-CEO Partho Dasgupta’s WhatsApp records, and hence, features him in all the chats.
One could question if it was right on the part of Mumbai police to release private conversations in the public domain. But they have, and the material is out there for us to see. The media focus, understandably, has been entirely on the chats with Arnab Goswami. But a large portion of the 1,000+ pages across the two volumes feature chats with other BARC India employees, the most prominent of which is BARC India’s ex-COO Romil Ramgarhia.
If one focuses on the non-Arnab chats, there are three telling conclusions to draw:
1. Launched in a hurry?
There are enough indications in the transcripts that BARC India was not a settled, smoothly-running organisation. The processes, structure and people were being figured out on the go, even when the service had gone live and data was being reported. Perhaps there was a pressure to launch by a given date. But even till as late as 2019, four years after launch, there seems no sense of being settled.
One can see this as the inevitably of a start-up. But even start-ups find their footing with each passing year. It seemed BARC India was in a hurry, announcing new initiatives (like the now-aborted Ekam) even when the main purpose of the organisation (TV ratings) was nowhere close to running in a stable manner. There are chats on “non-currency revenue streams”, which makes one wonder if revenue considerations took away from the single-minded focus on delivering credible and authentic TV ratings.
2. Too many people to ‘manage’
It seems like a classic case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. Way too many stakeholders, ranging from constituent bodies like IBF, AAAI & ISA, to government arms like MIB & TRAI, to the BARC India board and its technical committee, to individual channels ready to stir things up every Thursday, to individual personalities in powerful positions, were on Dasgupta’s, and his team’s, manage-with-kid-gloves list.
It is difficult to say how much of this perception management approach to run the ratings agency is an inevitable nature of its construct, and how much of it was a result of a workstyle the CEO and the COO decided to adopt. But almost all internal chats are about managing people and their perceptions. Someone or the other always seemed to be breathing down their necks. A body that should ideally maintain an arm’s length from interested parties, especially broadcasters, was doing anything but that. With the benefit of hindsight, one can say that this approach was doomed to fail.
3. Lack of confidence in the product
At many places in the chats, it’s evident that BARC India’s senior team members are tentative about their own panel design and data, and cannot decide whether to trust it or not. The entire outlier management exercise, which is a recurring theme in the chats, is projected as being necessary because of an inadequate panel size and/ or design, suggesting lack of confidence in the product.
The outlier management process itself comes across as arbitrary and subjective, with decisions being taken at a manual level, despite multiple mentions of the need to “automate” it.
In research, sample designs and reporting formats go hand-in-hand. If you do not have enough sample to report a data point with confidence, you may as well not report it. But it seems these decisions were not taken at the time of setting up BARC India, and there are multiple instances in the chats on how one or two peoplemeters in a particular market are resulting in ‘abnormal’ growth in a channel’s viewership in a particular week, to the extent of 200%+. Two weeks ago, I wrote here about why ‘less is more’ should be the new ratings doctrine. And these chats strengthen that argument a lot more.
Where do we go from here? BARC India has a new leadership team, and hopefully, a fresh approach too. The next year or two may see some chaos, but in the long run, the only practical way of making a ratings system work over an extended period of time is to ensure that only highly robust data is reported, and that the agency is given a free hand without any influence from the various power centres. The former is achievable. It’s the latter that worries me.
Shailesh Kapoor is Founder and CEO of Ormax Media. He writes on MxMIndia every Friday. His views here are personal.
Over the last few weeks, a lot of people from within the industry and outside of it have been calling me to enquire on what’s being called the ‘TRP Scam’ or the ‘Ratings Scam’. There are a few who are calling it ‘ArnabGate’. According to me, it’s basically an ‘Ego Gate’. Or an ‘I Am Bigger Than You’ War.
We do know that Partho Dasgupta’s bail has been rejected. His family and friends suggest that he has been thrashed in jail and is still fighting to survive. I have learnt his condition has improved slightly. He is still on oxygen support.
As I wrote earlier, we want him to come out of this soonest. I read a report based on his wife’s complaint to the human rights commission. I am not sure how much it will help things. The bank accounts accounts of both Dasgupta and his have reportedly been frozen.
Some friends and family are trying to organise monies for the family to sail through. Lawyers don’t come cheap. And he needs to fight his battle alone. From the hospital bed.
So, for the benefit of those wish to be in the know, here are my 10 takeaways on the story so far:
Endgame for Partho in Media:
It is said that Dasgupta isn’t the first person in the country to face something like this. My view is that he is perhaps the first: for, he’s caught in the crossfire like few others have in the past – never ever in the Indian media.
Can he come out of it? My belief is he will. Can he be getting back to work in the Indian media again? I doubt he would want to do that. I don’t think he should. He’s an engineer and an IIM Cal graduate, am sure there are several avenues ahead for him.
But, from the conversations I’ve read in the transcripts and the unverified forensic report, he’s going to have to do a lot of explaining.
All Eyes on Arnab:
Arnab Goswami
The government has retreated on the Farm Laws. China and India’s foreign offices are in touch. North Korea and the South are talking. Trump is out of office. So, will Arnab do a climbdown and change his stand? The moment he does, life for Dasgupta will ease. The question is: will he? From what I know of the man, and more importantly what he says on TV, he is not going to buckle under and apologise. Which is sad. He should. Get a via media. Partho Dasgupta and his family could be smiling again. His wife, his daughter will be happy to have him back.
Arnab, when you go to bed tonight, spare a thought for a father’s not-so-little-any-longer girl. You are a dad yourself. Imagine what his daughter is going through. Ego chhodo, ek family ki life ban jayegi.
I know this sounded very filmy, but it’s a fact.
Uddhav & the Maha government:
The Maharashtra Chief Minister, his son and the rest of the government have shown us who calls the shots in the state.
Someone must step in. Draw up reasonable terms of endearment between Arnab, the industry and the MVA government. Perhaps request Sharad Pawar to broker a deal (How we miss folks like Amar Singh and Pramod Mahajan now!). Perhaps ask an industry biggie who Arnab would listen to. Uday Shankar, Prannoy Roy or even Dr Annurag Batra.
Ab bas, Times of India:
There is good reason for the group to be aggrieved. Republic – minus all the media muscle of the Media Empire – got to be #1 in Week 1 of its ops. And caused much damage TOI’s profits and clout in TV newsdom. Right from the time Republic launched and erred in its eyes (and that of a few/many others in the news space), The Times of India group – as owners of Times Now – has played more than a ringside spectator.
Arnab Goswami of course tried to rub things in. The amount of coverage on the current controversy and its placement would make one feel that it’s the most important news developement in the country after the farmers’ stir and that lady of part-Tamil origin assuming the secondmost important job in the US.
Someone needs to get TOI to take it easy. Also, TOI’s role could also be a weapon for naysayers on media crossownership.
I’m sure the Times folks know it: if Republic has to fail, it will be its journalism that will pull it down. Or a change in the government in New Delhi. Orchestrating public perception against Goswami is pointless.
Question Marks on Ratings:
I have seen parts of the Forensic Report and WhatsApp transcrips. The conversation seems to be authentic and hasn’t been disputed. The transcripts are a lot of loose chatter, but the report points to various excesses in its executive summary.
Clearly the eye of the needle points to others as well – in the Telugu space as well as amongst other channels. For instance, what about a certain channel being promised and prepped for #2? Why?
I think there ought to be a thorough enquiry on what has happened. Ideally it should’ve been done by the industry, but since it’s a divided house, the Courts will have to be called in. A retired judge of the Courts perhaps.
Industry Needs to Rethink Strategy:
Ratings are primarily generated for advertisers to advertise, media agencies to advise advertisers and broadcasters to sell advertising space and craft their content.
What we have now is a complete breakdown of the system, as I see it.
BARC and the industry bodies that co-own it must re-look at a refresh. If 44,000 is too small a number of panel homes, work out the ideal number and then don’t diss it. Be willing to pay for it. If the government and lawmakers (MPs) finds the sample size too low, they must do whatever needs to be done to make the ratings more affordable. Perhaps trim the tax on the meter boxes.
BARC ownership needs to be revisited:
The broadcasters’ ownership of 60 per cent of BARC is a problem. It needs to be equal, but then advertisers and agencies won’t pay any more for the set-up.
Perhaps the financial structure needs to change. How about a certain percentage of all advertising generated by a channel going to the measurement agency. So: GST + MS (Measurement Service). If a channel wants measurement, it must allow for this to happen.
I am aware that this was being considered eight-odd years back when BARC was in the works, but there needs to be a revisit of the best way forward.
Checks & Balances Please
The agency entrusted with the forensic audit has advised a regular forensic check-up and audit of BARC’s workings.
I am told a lot of it is being/has been implemented. BARC needs to work on earning back the faith of the industry and the masses asap.
Monthly ratings for News & Niche Channels:
Even the gods will tell you this, but some key players want it as a weekly.
It’s time BARC and the industry doesn’t budge on doing what’s good for measurement and the greater good of the industry.
Let’s All Be Good People:
WhatsApp messages and emails can never be top secret. Phone calls can be recorded. As also face-to-face meetings.
The question we ask Dr Bhaskar Das in today’s Das ka Dum is genuine. Ever since we got the news of the arrest of Partho Dasgupta, former BARC CEO, an industry biggie and President of the Advertising Club, we have been very disillusioned with the way things have unfolded over the last few months, in fact last few years.
For, not only is Dasgupta a friend of the industry and ours, but his arrest and the charges made thereafter have shattered our faith in the A&M&E industry. Shattered our faith in the various systems, processes and provisions… in the checks and balances that exist.
Over the last few days, we’ve spoken with many biggies in the business as also people who do the nuts-and-bolts work in the large agencies and television channels.
There is surprise, shock and dismay. Almost everyone shared the sentiment with us.
There are many questions:
1. BARC is a joint industry body set up by broadcasters (60%), advertisers and advertising agencies (20% each). Did these stakeholders not see any chinks in the system all these years?
2. The concern over Republic’s rise and rise was raised by news broadcasters soon after the channel was launched in May 2017. They even pulled out their watermarks in anger, a move that was poohpoohed by many in the business, MxMIndia included. What were the measures taken by the powers that be? Why wasn’t a detailed enquiry instituted earlier? Why did the BARC Board not do anything then? And if they did, why didn’t they act on stuff? Or if they think what’s emerging is untrue, then why don’t they speak up now?
3. What is the view of the IBF, the ISA and the AAAI on this? After all they are stakeholders/co-owners of BARC. They are joint signatories on the BARC P&L and all legal documents. The broadcasters – the most aggrieved if there’s any hera-pheri in the system – have done precious little. The advertisers – who have the most to lose – appear to have been mute witness, and do not care much about what has happened.
4. Arnab Goswami’s counter-argument – which was readied in superquick time – has some valid points. And his primary argument – that the meteoric rise of Republic Bharat happened when the “new dispensation” at BARC was in office – is not incorrect.
5. The Times of India went to town with the news on Saturday – and its interpretation of the Friday press conference and statement by the Mumbai Joint CP wasn’t incorrect. But the question is if the logic was corrected after the investigations, how were Republic TV and Republic Bharat still the #1 in English and Hindi until the ratings were blocked for individual channels post October 8?
The media ecosystem needs answers. The Nation Indeed Wants to Know.
And if they don’t get them, it will lead to the collective loss and fall of the entire industry. Broadcasters first, advertisers second and media agencies third.
Willy-nilly, each of the constituents is partly responsible for the way things are today.
But, first, the collective wisdom of all these folks must prevail upon Arnab Goswami to take it easy. Without compromising on its editorial freedom, stop getting so belligerent with the Maharashtra government and Mumbai police and stop spewing invectives in the way he has been.
The casualty right now is not just the industry, also the families of the individuals impacted and arrested.
By the time you read this, Partho Dasgupta would’ve seen his stay in jail extended or could be out on bail. We’re hoping it’s the latter, so that he can come out and clarify his stand. And give us his side of the story.
Knowing Partho, we know he will speak. Name names.
We had a busy Christmas Eve and Christmas. Why do we get this feeling that our New Year’s Eve is also going to be as busy?! Sob.
Republic Media Network Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami may be in the comfortable climes of Noida or wherever he is currently, but his colleagues and friends are facing the heat. Collateral damage is perhaps how it could be best described.
The TRP scam, as it’s called, surfaced in October 2020 when the Mumbai police commissioner virtually announced an attack on Goswami and pulled his channel’s name and reputation.
Since then 14 people have been arrested, and on Christmas Eve an arrest warrant was produced for former BARC India CEO and management consultant Partho Dasgupta. Dasgupta, who is said to have been in Goa on a holiday to celebrate the Christmas-New Year break, was reportedly held on the outskirts of Pune. Last week, former BARC COO Romil Ramgarhia was also arrested but was released on Thursday.
Details of what were the reasons cited for the arrest are still awaited, but what we do know is that he will be produced before a Mumbai court on Friday (Dec 25).
Dasgupta, an MBA from IIM Calcutta and an engineer from Jadavpur University, has worked with several leading organisations including The Times of India group, Crisil, Future Group and BARC India where he was the measurement body’s first CEO. He spent six-and-a-half years at BARC India and exited BARC India in November 2019. He is currently President of the Advertising Club. Veteran mediaperson Sunil Lulla is currently at the helm at BARC India.
Just three days to go for Friday, December 18. Our Big Day. The day when we will announce the 2020 MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year.
We are not driven by commerce. We don’t have a title or presenting sponsor. We know the industry has been in bad shape, but in that mess, we have had many stars.
So who do you think will it be?
As our readers are aware, over the last few years, the MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year has earned the reputation of being the most credible barometer of the highest performer(s) in the fields of advertising, media and marketing in India in a calendar year.
Last year’s winner of the accolade was Sidharth Rao on his rise and rise in the Indian creative world. For mainstreaming digital. In 2018, it was Piyush Pandey and in the previous year, it was Arnab Goswami for the launch of Republic TV. In 2016, we had Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO Ashish Bhasin and for 2015 it was the BARC India core team of Punit Goenka, Shashi Sinha and Partho Dasgupta.
As we said earlier, this year, the award will be presented online (on MxMIndia) on Friday, December 18, 2020. Wait for it.
On Sunday, December 13, 2020, Republic Media Network Group Chief Executive Officer Vikas Khanchandani had stepped out on his morning walk in suburban Mumbai. A little after 8am, when he got back home, there was a police contingent waiting for him. He was arrested on the TRP Scam case that has been raging in the industry for a few months. There was some hope still since the matter was going to come for hearing in the presence of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, but rather than secure bail or release, he was remanded to police custody till tomorrow (December 15).
Khanchandani is the fourth Republic TV employee who has been arrested by the Mumbai police including founder, editor-in-chief and managing director Arnab Goswami. Last week, he was summoned several times by the police for questioning.
So what is Khanchandani’s crime?
1. He is Group CEO of Republic Media Network, and is hence responsible for all business functions of the organisation. He reports to Arnab Goswami who is also managing director and the primary promoter.
2. As per the Companies Act of 2013, the law clearly lists the key managerial personnel included – in this order: The MD or CEO or Manager and in their absence: a whole-time director. These are followed by the Company Secretary and then the Chief Financial Officer. In Republic’s case, the MD and promoter is the key official, but guess arresting him again would be too hot to handle
3. The police says that as Group CEO and to whom Chief Operating Officer Priya Mukherjee reported, Khanchandani instructed her and the team on all the allegedly illegal actions.
4. Republic TV, as per the police claims, had allegedly indulged in activities that regulatory body TRAI (short for Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) frowns upon
It may be noted that Khanchandani was arrested a day before his anticipatory bail application was to be heard by the Sessions Court in Mumbai. He was represented by Senior Advocate and Republic TV’s lawyer, Aabad Ponda.
So what you have above is the official stand, but it’s clear that Khanchandani was arrested given the ongoing slugfest on between Goswami and the Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police. Both have been equally critical of each other, but Goswami has gone a step further to damn and provoke the government and the Police Commissioner. On air. In English and in Hindi.
Logically, Khanchandani should have had the industry come out in support. This writer was among the first to do that, only to be ridiculed and questioned on Twitter that Khanchandani was party to all the excesses of Goswami on television. The media trial that happened post the actor Sushant Singh Rajput death and the manner in which Rajput’s friend and actor Rhea Chakraborty was being targeted ensured that even Goswami’s well-wishers (like this writer) turned against him.
And then there is Goswami’s very open praise of the BJP-led NDA government’s policies and actions. While the channel owner may say that it’s his nationalism that governs him, it’s a clear pursuit of ratings (nothing wrong with it) and commerce at all cost that is driving him. Thankfully for him, the BJP is firmly in the saddle till mid-2024, but the result is that all the goodwill that the channel and its founder have had had has been lost. Khanchandani, as Goswami’s second-in-command, bears the brunt of this legacy.
Sample the tweet by Raj Nayak, a senior mediaperson who is known to be a friend and mentor to Khanchandani: “I am really saddened by the arrest of my dear friend #VikasKhanchandani. We’ve been close for over 2 decades. I can vouch for his integrity. His only fault being at the wrong place at the wrong time and getting caught in the crossfire. Praying that he is safe and released soon.”
I am really saddened by the arrest of my dear friend #VikasKhanchandani. We’ve been close for over 2 decades. I can vouch for his integrity. His only fault being at the wrong place at the wrong time and getting caught in the crossfire. Praying that he is safe and released soon.
— Raj Nayak (@rajcheerfull) December 13, 2020
Let’s read this line from Nayak’s tweet again: His only fault being at the wrong place at the wrong time and getting caught in the crossfire.
Clearly, there is nothing that’s left unsaid. Khanchandani is a good guy, but at the wrong place – Republic Media Network.
So what must be done:
1. Khanchandani, his family and friends and the industry must prevail upon Goswami to cease and desist from provoking the government and courts any longer. On Sunday, when the Court order came in, Goswami was on air and was virtually questioning the Court verdict. If it is examined for Contempt of Court and found to disobeying the judiciary, Khanchandani could have problems. In fact, if the government is provoked further, it will only delay the decision to free Khanchandani
2. This is a personal and professional decision, but it’s time that Khanchandani and all right-thinking (right as in correct and not the politically right) people working with Republic Media Network weigh how their continuance in the organisation impacts their moral and legal standing.
My tweet expressing sadness at Khanchandani’s arrest and assertion that he has a squeaky clean reputation had some who endorsed his professional standards but also drew some angry feedback. Sample this: “… the fact remains that he has been part of a hate factory that has been selling ads to promote more hate based on gaming the system because of inefficiencies”.
Sad to see @republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani being arrested. I have known him for many years and can say he’s squeaky clean. Yes, he works with Republic. But is that his primary crime? @VickMaverick @rajcheerfull @TheAdClub_India @IAA_India
— Pradyuman Maheshwari (@pmahesh) December 13, 2020
Another comment said: “… would you say that he somewhere profited when the whole SSR debacle was taking place on his network, where the so called ‘guilty’ were charged even before a proper trial. Even if he did what he did while being aware of the right or wrong then I guess Karma’s a bitch.”
The decision on what next is clearly with Goswami and Khanchandani. And whether Khanchandani spends two or more days depends on how Goswami conducts himself. On television.
He was an excellent journalist, is well-educated, has impeccable social skills, but when he’s on camera and in his studio, he’s a different being.
The Shiv Sena-led MVA government has such stalwarts like Sharad Pawar mentoring it. The fact that the combine could outwit a BJP with superpowers like Narendra Modi and Amit Shah speaks volumes for what they can achieve.
Sadly, Khanchandani and his family are paying the price for all of Goswami’s actions.
Pradyuman Maheshwari is a senior journalist and media commentator. He is also Founder and Editor-in-Chief, MxMIndia. His views here are personal
In early 2009, I was grilled by a hundred-odd students at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management on the role of Barkha Dutt and Rajdeep Sardesai in the coverage of the Mumbai terror siege in November the previous year. Student – mostly millennials – were incensed with the way they covered the terror attack, and expected me to endorse their sentiments. I didn’t, though I did acknowledge that things weren’t done right.
In the last few months, I am being quizzed similarly about the role of the media given the Sushant Singh Rajput death, and even before that the entire coverage of the Narendra Modi government and its actions and policies. An interview with Arnab Goswami a few months ago, where I thought I asked some direct questions, actually got me brickbats. Why the hell did I have to interview him? Why give him any importance, I was asked. A few thought I was being soft on him. And some believe that he is a friend.
If a friendly acquaintance can be called a friend, then so be it. I have admired his skills as a businessman. And he was indeed a really sharp journalist.
I use a ‘was’ because I too honestly believe he has ceased to be a journalist, in the way I define it. The dictionary definition of journalism though doesn’t require a practitioner to be conducting oneself in a non-partisan manner. Journalism doesn’t mean that you have to be honest, fair and sincere. People who deploy paid content also fashion themselves as journalists, publications which sell content for cash by a just-for-the-sake-of-putting-it disclaimer also say they are doing great journalism. Current affairs is as much about the Bihar as it’s about Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. Chill, I used these two filmi names for want of a better example. Stay here, there’s no khaas khabar about them.
I read the statement of Arnab Goswami’s wife that was doing the rounds on the internet. At a purely personal level, I feel for his family. Though I wonder whether they felt the same when Republic TV was gunning for Rhea Chakraborty. Did they worry about the actor being tortured, beaten up, whatever? I am convinced that what Arnab is being subjected to is vendetta. The Maharashtra government is out to get him. And try and hope he is finished. Ensure Republic TV and Republic Bharat go off the EPG.
Just about everyone I’ve interacted with believes he deserves to be punished for attempting to demolish Chakraborty. Just about, not all.
But when Arnab Goswami was granted bail on Wednesday by a Supreme Court vacation bench comprising Justice DY Chandrachud, one of the most erudite and stylish judges of our time, and Justice Indira Banerjee, they surely corrected what was legally wrong.
Corrected a wrong, because I believe the arrest was misplaced, and from what some learned folks tell me, it wasn’t done in the right way.
Goswami had filed a special leave petition seeking interim bail. He was arrested by the Raigad police in Maharashtra and was moved to Taloja jail over the weekend. Goswami had been in judicial custody in a case regarding the suicide of a Mumbai interior designer and his mother in 2018. Earlier, Goswami’s plea to the Bombay High Court was rejected and he was asked to approach the Sessions Court. The abetment to suicide case was just a bahana.
I had thought Arnab Goswami would mend his ways. Would ease the shrill. But a few hours into watching his channel had me convinced that he was all set to up the ante. The picture you see above and in the slideshow are grabs from RepublicWorld.com. The way Arnab dared Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to arrest him is surely not going to be taken very kindly. The Supreme Court judges are reported to have asked the Maharashtra government not to take all of Arnab’s provocations seriously. Even if UT chills, the Sena cadres are known to be a sensitive lot.
If Arnab gone to the newsroom, hugged a few of his staff, shed a tear and choked while speaking, he would earned a million wah-wahs. The number of tweets would’ve galloped ahead to 4x what the telecast generated.
I have been asked a dozen-odd friends to request Arnab to take it easy. Not result in saying something that would appear to be interfering in the investigations.
But if his performance last evening was any indicator, there’s just no way he’s going to change. In fact he is all set to go on a rampage. Arnab has also announced his foray into regions and an international channel as well, but that was announced last year as well. In fact one report said the foray was to be start in Jan 2020. That was pre-Covid, so no downturn could’ve impacted. I am sure the regional foray will happen, esp if it’s digital and streamed.
The concern here is not about meeting promises and announcements. He has announced a 17-month window. Which is one-and-a-half years. So, if Republic Media Network continues have a leadership position, it will happen sooner.
The worry is that if Arnab continues to take on the Maharashtra government and if his channel takes up most of primetime reporting on what its bossman and now a senior executive are going through, then the ratings are bound to suffer.
There were worries about advertisers backing out if Arnab would be off-air for too long. That thankfully for Republic will not happen. But it’s critical that the channel starts airing news beyond its legal tangles. And if the channel management and its minority shareholders really worry about its main man not getting embroiled in court cases, appearances etc, then the channel content and the business will suffer.
The ball is clearly in the courts of Arnab Goswami and the Maharashtra government. We think there should be climbdown of sorts at both ends. Will it happen? I doubt. Thackeray & Co want Arnab to apologise. He won’t. Goswami will want the Police Commissioner to be transferred. They won’t do that.
It’s Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud’s 59th birthday today. And on the day, a vacation bench comprising him and Justice Indira Banerjee granted bail to Republic Media Network Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami.
Goswami had filed a special leave petition seeking interim bail. He was arrested by the Raigad police in Maharashtra and was moved to Taloja jail over the weekend. Goswami has been in judicial custody in a case regarding the suicide of a Mumbai interior designer and his mother in 2018. Earlier, Goswami’s plea to the Bombay High Court was rejected and he was asked to approach the Sessions Court.
There is no word when Goswami will actually be released.
When the news on Mumbai Police Assistant Inspector Sachin Vaze’s arrest came in on Saturday, March 13 evening, there was some sense of relief amongst those following events of the last fortnight. He was arrested by the National Investigation Agency of the central government, and there was an urgent need to investigate the bomb threat outside the Mukesh Ambani residence in South Central Mumbai. Yes, it’s the NIA and not the Mumbai Police or the ATS. Earlier in the week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said this of Vaze’s name surfacing in the case: Sachin Vaze was no Osama Bin Laden. Indeed.
Matter is listed for tomorrow. No 2. That was a terse message which we received last evening.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister, his son and the rest of the government have shown us who calls the shots in the state.
There is good reason for the group to be aggrieved. Republic – minus all the media muscle of the Media Empire – got to be #1 in Week 1 of its ops. And caused much damage TOI’s profits and clout in TV newsdom. Right from the time Republic launched and erred in its eyes (and that of a few/many others in the news space), The Times of India group – as owners of Times Now – has played more than a ringside spectator.
I have seen parts of the Forensic Report and WhatsApp transcrips. The conversation seems to be authentic and hasn’t been disputed. The transcripts are a lot of loose chatter, but the report points to various excesses in its executive summary.
Ratings are primarily generated for advertisers to advertise, media agencies to advise advertisers and broadcasters to sell advertising space and craft their content.
The broadcasters’ ownership of 60 per cent of BARC is a problem. It needs to be equal, but then advertisers and agencies won’t pay any more for the set-up.
The agency entrusted with the forensic audit has advised a regular forensic check-up and audit of BARC’s workings.
Even the gods will tell you this, but some key players want it as a weekly.
WhatsApp messages and emails can never be top secret. Phone calls can be recorded. As also face-to-face meetings.
