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Tara channels stay on air
KOLKATA: A day after its presenters broke down on air on Monday during a Bengali New Year's Day programme - which was supposed to be its final telecast - the three Tara TV channels owned by the Saradha Group stayed afloat.
Around 180 employees of Tara News, Tara Muzik and South Asia TV refused to accept a closure notice that was served on them on Sunday and decided to carry on work at least till they received pending salaries for the last three months.
The employees also decided to explore the option of running the channels themselves after forming an association. They might even look for a buyer since several private owners have expressed interest in taking the channels over, they claimed.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has promised to help Tara employees keep the channels on air.
The Tara closure comes close on the heels of a string of shut-downs that hit newspapers, magazines and TV channels set up by chit fund companies, including Saradha Printing and Publications Ltd. The sudden closures, that started about a month back, have led to a shift in media equations, with very few of the so-called "pro-government" media houses being able to stand the market competition.
Popular for its Bengali music programmes and known to promote promising singers, Tara ran into rough weather about four months ago. A sudden financial crisis forced the channels to suspend regular programmes, while employees stopped receiving their salaries from February.
Employees claimed that they had approached the owners, represented by the group's chairman, but he kept dragging his feet. "Initially, he promised us that our salaries would be paid soon and the financial crisis will be over by March. We believed him but things got worse. Several of our shows, including 'Aj sakaler amantrane', Tara Muzik's flagship programme, were hit by budget constraints. We still carried it on, requesting artists to forego charges. But it had to be stopped last week. On April 11, we were forced to resort to repeat telecasts for there was no money to produce new programmes," said an employee.
On Tuesday, however, news bulletins were telecast. Calls to the chairman went unanswered, employees claimed.
On Sunday, general manager Indrajit Roy received an e-mail from the chairman which said the three channels were going to be taken off air from Tuesday. Employees, who had been bracing for this, refused to accept the closure. They gathered in office and decided to put up one last live show on Bengali New Year's Day, conveying their distress to the viewers on Tara Muzik. Several senior artists, including Ajay Chakrabarty, Haimanti Shukla, Shrikanta Acharya, Monoj Murali Nayar, Shrabani Sen and Shampa Kundu took part without remuneration. Presenters, some of who have been with the channel for several years, broke down on air.
The tearful programme evoked a strong reaction from around the world. The channel was flooded with phone calls from viewers eager to help. Hundreds of messages were posted on a Facebook page that was created within hours of the closure announcement.
This has strengthened the employees' resolve to "launch a movement" to save the channels. On Tuesday, they stayed put at their office in Salt Lake's Sector V, locking the doors from the inside and holding frequent meetings.
Several employees have been camping there since April 14. "We have decided not to stop work. If necessary, we shall look for a buyer. In case we can't, we shall go to the government for support and raise funds from donors. We are also consulting legal experts. Several artists have said they will perform for free till we tide over the crisis. So, we are not going off air," said an employee.
Anchor Anindita Kazi, granddaughter of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, who has been with the channel since 2000, broke down during Monday's programme. "Many of us have an emotional attachement with Tara. We have been with the channel through thick and thin. Often, we have worked far beyond our working hours.
There have been occasions when the channel faced closure, but we didn't lose hope. The crises have always been averted, but this time it was disheartening. We couldn't help but cry for we were left devastated," said Anindita.
General manager Roy said attempts to get in touch with the owners had failed.
"But we have decided to grit our teeth and try and keep the channels alive. It will be difficult since we don't have the authority to raise funds. We have appealed to several, including the state government, to bail us out. Meanwhile, we are trying to get the chairman to sign a takeover deal with a buyer. We are keeping our fingers crossed," said Roy.
Veteran singer Haimanti Shukla, who performed at the New Year programme on Monday, said she was disheartened by the news of the closure. "Tara was an excellent platform for young artists. If the channels indeed go off air, it will be a big loss for Bengali music," she said.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-17/kolkata/38615133_1_channels-closure-notice-bengali-new
KOLKATA: A day after its presenters broke down on air on Monday during a Bengali New Year's Day programme - which was supposed to be its final telecast - the three Tara TV channels owned by the Saradha Group stayed afloat.
Around 180 employees of Tara News, Tara Muzik and South Asia TV refused to accept a closure notice that was served on them on Sunday and decided to carry on work at least till they received pending salaries for the last three months.
The employees also decided to explore the option of running the channels themselves after forming an association. They might even look for a buyer since several private owners have expressed interest in taking the channels over, they claimed.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has promised to help Tara employees keep the channels on air.
The Tara closure comes close on the heels of a string of shut-downs that hit newspapers, magazines and TV channels set up by chit fund companies, including Saradha Printing and Publications Ltd. The sudden closures, that started about a month back, have led to a shift in media equations, with very few of the so-called "pro-government" media houses being able to stand the market competition.
Popular for its Bengali music programmes and known to promote promising singers, Tara ran into rough weather about four months ago. A sudden financial crisis forced the channels to suspend regular programmes, while employees stopped receiving their salaries from February.
Employees claimed that they had approached the owners, represented by the group's chairman, but he kept dragging his feet. "Initially, he promised us that our salaries would be paid soon and the financial crisis will be over by March. We believed him but things got worse. Several of our shows, including 'Aj sakaler amantrane', Tara Muzik's flagship programme, were hit by budget constraints. We still carried it on, requesting artists to forego charges. But it had to be stopped last week. On April 11, we were forced to resort to repeat telecasts for there was no money to produce new programmes," said an employee.
On Tuesday, however, news bulletins were telecast. Calls to the chairman went unanswered, employees claimed.
On Sunday, general manager Indrajit Roy received an e-mail from the chairman which said the three channels were going to be taken off air from Tuesday. Employees, who had been bracing for this, refused to accept the closure. They gathered in office and decided to put up one last live show on Bengali New Year's Day, conveying their distress to the viewers on Tara Muzik. Several senior artists, including Ajay Chakrabarty, Haimanti Shukla, Shrikanta Acharya, Monoj Murali Nayar, Shrabani Sen and Shampa Kundu took part without remuneration. Presenters, some of who have been with the channel for several years, broke down on air.
The tearful programme evoked a strong reaction from around the world. The channel was flooded with phone calls from viewers eager to help. Hundreds of messages were posted on a Facebook page that was created within hours of the closure announcement.
This has strengthened the employees' resolve to "launch a movement" to save the channels. On Tuesday, they stayed put at their office in Salt Lake's Sector V, locking the doors from the inside and holding frequent meetings.
Several employees have been camping there since April 14. "We have decided not to stop work. If necessary, we shall look for a buyer. In case we can't, we shall go to the government for support and raise funds from donors. We are also consulting legal experts. Several artists have said they will perform for free till we tide over the crisis. So, we are not going off air," said an employee.
Anchor Anindita Kazi, granddaughter of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, who has been with the channel since 2000, broke down during Monday's programme. "Many of us have an emotional attachement with Tara. We have been with the channel through thick and thin. Often, we have worked far beyond our working hours.
There have been occasions when the channel faced closure, but we didn't lose hope. The crises have always been averted, but this time it was disheartening. We couldn't help but cry for we were left devastated," said Anindita.
General manager Roy said attempts to get in touch with the owners had failed.
"But we have decided to grit our teeth and try and keep the channels alive. It will be difficult since we don't have the authority to raise funds. We have appealed to several, including the state government, to bail us out. Meanwhile, we are trying to get the chairman to sign a takeover deal with a buyer. We are keeping our fingers crossed," said Roy.
Veteran singer Haimanti Shukla, who performed at the New Year programme on Monday, said she was disheartened by the news of the closure. "Tara was an excellent platform for young artists. If the channels indeed go off air, it will be a big loss for Bengali music," she said.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-17/kolkata/38615133_1_channels-closure-notice-bengali-new
