Marketing Communication and Advertising (MC&A) Ltd, a State government undertaking, has proposed starting a television channel to publicise the activities of the State government and its various agencies, besides covering the proceedings of the State Legislature.
L.N. Murthy, chairman of MC&A, told presspersons here on Sunday that the Rs. 400-crore proposed television channel, the clearance of which is pending, would not be an alternative to private television channels, but also become financially viable.
Mr. Murthy said the proposed television channel would be covering the proceedings of the State Legislature – Assembly and Council – and sell the footage to private television channels. When asked whether private television channels will be barred from covering the Legislature sessions, Mr. Murthy said a decision in the regard is yet to be taken. When his attention was drawn to the alleged watching of porn on mobile phones in the Assembly by Ministers in the erstwhile BJP government, which was exposed by private television channels three years ago, Mr. Murthy said that the private television channels tend to “exaggerate” matters.
Mr. Murthy said that his proposal to start a television channel had drawn appreciation from Prasar Bharati Chairman A. Surya Prakash.
Even Minister for Information and Public Relations R. Roshan Baig had contacted him as MC&A, though a State-owned entity, was incorporated under the Companies Act 1956, because that was necessary to start a television channel.
He said he had urged the State government to earmark 50 per cent of government advertisement to the proposed television, which would ensure that the venture was financially viable.
The channel would not only that information relating to all Government programmes is beamed into the houses of people, but also cover the activities of all the 80 boards and corporations, whose existence and objective is not known to many in the State.
“For instance, the Government’s Sakala programme needs more publicity. The proposed TV channel will ensure that,” he said.
Also, the channel will also focus on the State’s art, literature, culture and tourism.
The channel, which is expected to provide employment to about 100 people, will try to accommodate mostly women, he said.
The services of MC&A, whose nomenclature was recently changed from Marketing Consultants and Agencies Ltd. to Marketing Communication and Advertising Ltd., had been enlisted for organising Invest Karnataka 2016. MC&A chairman L.N. Murthy said that his company, a subsidiary of M/s Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL), was earlier engaged in releasing advertisements to the print media alone. Now, its services had been broadened to include releasing of advertisements in electronic and digital media, besides building brands of governments boards and corporations, printing of publicity material, outdoor advertising and event management.
He said the State government had chosen MC&A for organising Invest Karnataka 2016 scheduled to be held on February 3, 4 and 5 because of its competitiveness and professionalism.
COMMents
SHARE