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Tag: Arnab Goswami

  • Threats and manipulations – how Republic TV managed to get 52% market share

    Threats and manipulations – how Republic TV managed to get 52% market share

    NEW DELHI: Television viewership data captured and measured by BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) India released today claimed that Arnab Goswami’s new news channel Republic TV was number one in the week following its launch on May 6, 2017.

    Not only the channel number one on All India basis over round the clock, it captured 52% of market share in cities with more than 1 million population and more than 60% share when Arnab Goswami was on air.

    The data shocked most people as Republic TV was believed to be being watched only by BJP supporters. General elections data prove that BJP supporters were just 31% of the population in 2014. Out of those 31% who voted BJP three years ago, at least 15% voters are now no longer with the Hindu party and support secular parties like AAP, which means the number of BJP supporters in the country in the last week was just 16%. In such a scenario, how did the channel get 52% market share?

    Junta Ka Reporter tried to look into this mystery and our investigations have thrown up shocking revelations over how Republic TV used illegal and criminal means to get such a high TRP.

    We got suspicious when a relative of our Editor in Chief shared the following postcard that he had received in March this year:

    Threat from Arnab to Muslims
    One of the various dirty tricks adopted by Arnab Goswami to push TRPs for Republic TV

    It was clear that Republic TV was trying to target Muslim citizens of India, who would have otherwise never watched the channel. Arnab was forcing them to watch the channel by sending such postcards. Unfortunately, Muslim society in India is still superstitious due to effects of Hindu culture, and such postcards are believed to have forced Muslims to watch Republic TV, thus pushing up the numbers.

    “This is criminal. Republic TV headquarter is in Mumbai, and in Maharashtra there is a law against superstition. Arnab Goswami should be immediately arrested and sent to jail,” Mr. Javed, Editor in Chief of Junta Ka Reporter said.

    Mr. Javed confirmed it with many of his Muslim friends and relatives, and almost all of them had received such postcards. They had further sent such postcards to many more people fearing Allah’s wrath. This alone is expected to have added at least 17% viewership (current population share of Muslims in India) to Republic TV.

    Muslims were target not just through postcards, but there are some reports that cow vigilantes too were used to threaten Muslims into watching Republic TV. AAP supporting independent and neutral journalist cum filmmaker Binod Kapri confirmed having witnessed at least one such incident on Twitter.

    “I saw a gau-rakshak threatening a Muslim shopkeeper in Bandra that he will attack his shop and spread rumors about beef eating if he did not watch Republic TV all the time,” Mr. Kapri told Junta Ka Reporter. Mr. Kapri said that it was tragic that Muslims were being forced to watch news against secular leaders like Lalu Yadav and Shashi Tharoor.

    16% BJP supporters and 17% Muslims together account for 33%, but Republic TV could get 52% market share. Experts believe that this could be due to hacking of remote controls by the BJP IT cell.

    “It takes just 30 seconds to replace the motherboard of a remote control,” Saurabh Bhardwaj, an IT expert told Junta Ka Reporter, “I think they have targeted remote controls of people so that whatever button is pressed, TV shows Republic channel.”

    With such shocking revelations coming out, one expects that Republic TV is banned for indulging in such unfair and illegal practices. But sources tell Junta Ka Reporter that the Narendra Modi led government of India has asked Arnab Goswami not to worry as they will not take any action against his channel.

    In such a scenario, we expect independent governments in Bihar, Delhi, Kerala and West Bengal to ban Republic TV and save journalism in India.

  • Proposal to hold general and assembly elections together aimed at denying Kejriwal govt full term?

    Proposal to hold general and assembly elections together aimed at denying Kejriwal govt full term?

    NEW DELHI: In his interview to Times Now Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he favored the idea of holding general and assembly elections together. Modi said that it will save costs of holding elections and also help political parties focus on governance.

    Talking to Arnab Goswami, whose credentials have become suspect in the eyes of public after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called him a chamcha (sycophant) of Modi, Prime Minister said that due to this continuous cycle of elections in one state after another, political parties tend to focus more on fund raising and political gimmicks. This causes the problem of black money and the agenda of good governance suffers.

    In the interview, Modi claimed that leaders from non-BJP parties too support the idea of holding general and assembly elections together so that they can work for the people without being distracted by continuous elections.

    While this may appear a noble thought, experts believe that this idea has been floated by Modi to deny full five year term to the Delhi state government of AAP led by Arvind Kejriwal.

    “Kejriwal became a CM in 2015 and he has the mandate to rule Delhi till 2020. But by suggesting simultaneous general and state elections, Modi is cunningly trying to force Kejriwal into fighting another elections for Delhi in 2019 itself,” Abhay Chaubey, a neutral political commentator told Junta Ka Reporter.

    Abhay Chaubey further said that since elections in Punjab are near and AAP is expected to sweep that elections too, Modi had come up with this idea of simultaneous elections so that AAP governments are denied full terms.

    “First they forced Kejriwal to resign after winning 2013 elections, and now they are trying these tricks to cut short his stint as Chief Minister,” Abhay Chaubey argued.

    Many other neutral commentators and political analysts have also claimed that Modi’s idea was targeted at Arvind Kejriwal, because the AAP supremo has emerged as his main challenger.

    “The idea is to harass Kejriwal and not let him work,” Om Jhanvi, a neutral journalist and political analyst said.

    When Junta Ka Reporter asked AAP leaders about what they think, they agreed with the experts.

    “It is true that Modi is scared of Kejriwal and he is indulging in such tricks to stop him for working,” AAP leader Ashutosh said.

    “It is ridiculous to say that continuous elections don’t allow political parties to work,” Ashutosh further said, “Look at Aam Aadmi Party. We have been fighting elections after elections and yet we are working for the development of the people. It’s not frequent elections, but Modi’s conspiracies that are hampering our work.”

    Ashutosh said that AAP will launch countrywide agitation if the Election Commission agreed with the Prime Minister’s suggestions. He feared that the Election Commission could be working to destabilize the AAP government in Delhi.

    “They are trying to disqualify our 21 MLAs, and now this is another attempt to hold early elections. Modi is controlling media, police, and all other institutions. This is nothing but undeclared emergency!” he said.