The Telugu news channel genre will receive yet another new entrant from the stable of the Telugu daily, Andhra Jyothi.
It plans to launch ABN Andhra Jyothi on September 28, the day of Vijay Dashmi. ABN stands for Amoda Broadcasting Network, the company that will bring out the news channel.
Speaking about the development of the project, V Radha Krishna, MD and editor, ABN Andhra Jyothi, said, “It’s too early to reveal the programme details right now. However, it will certainly be different from other news channels.”
The channel is being targeted at “the youth and the elderly” and will have bureaus in Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai, besides Hyderabad. “Also, our daily newspaper network will be an asset to the channel,” says Krishna.
While the mainstay of the channel will be hardcore news, entertainment will be nominal. ABN Andhra Jyothi will compete with ETV2, TV5, TV9, NTV, Gemini News, HMTV, I News, Mahaa TV, Maa TV (a general entertainment channel that airs news at regular intervals), and the newly launched Sakshi TV and Zee 24 Gantalu.
According to Krishna, Rs 300 crore has been earmarked as initial capital investment for the news channel.
Krishna has chosen the day September 28, the day of Vijay Dashmi, as it has sentimental value for the group. “Even Andhra Jyothi was launched on Vijay Dashmi back in 2002,” he says.