10TV is an Indian Telugu-language 24-hour news channel focused on the states of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

and

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...

. It was launched on 16 March 2013 with the backing of the

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxist–Leninist communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in terms of membership and electoral seats and one of the na ...

(CPM). The channel was funded through crowdfunding from various affiliated associations and unions of CPM. It was marketed as an independent channel with a co-operative type ownership, free from the influences of big businesses. In 2018, there was a change in the ownership of the channel. It was reportedly bought by business houses close to some politicians.

History

The holding company of 10TV, Spoorthi Communications Private Limited, was incorporated in May 2012. By December 2012, it had decided to extend its reach to six districts of

Orissa Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...

and five districts of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

which also have a substantial Telugu population besides its primary market,

. 10TV earmarked close to 4 crore for marketing in the launch phase. It planned to put up 300 hoardings across Andhra Pradesh and a few in Orissa and Karnataka. Tie ups with five radio channels were also planned to increase awareness about the channel before its launch. It was noted that the name 10TV was chosen strategically, for it to be the first channel to appear in the Telugu news genre in an alphabetical order of channel placement. Kiran Kumar Reddy, then

Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is the chief executive of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's '' de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...

unveiled the logo of the channel on 14 December 2012. At the logo launch event, the managing director of the channel, K. Venugopal described it as a co-operative venture of 1.65 lakh people, with each person contributing 2,0004000. The tagline of the channel is 'News is People'. 10TV was launched on 16 March 2013 in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

. It was reported that 3060 crore was invested into the channel, with an operational breakeven target of two to three years. 10TV was marketed as an independent channel with a co-operative type ownership free from the influences of big businesses. K. Nageswar, a journalism professor and an independent member of the state Legislative Council known for his Marxist views, was the first chairman of the channel. Arun Sagar was its initial CEO. The channel faced problems in managing recurring expenses for a 24-hour news channel. It also struggled to get enough advertising. In 2018, it changed hands and was bought by business houses close to some politicians.

Ownership

Spoorthi Communications Private Limited is the holding company of the channel. 10TV was started with the backing of the

(CPM). Prior to its launch, the channel was claimed to be an independent entity, outside the domain of CPM . It was funded through crowdfunding from various affiliated associations and unions of CPM. CPM leader

Tammineni Veerabhadram Tammineni Veerabhadram (born 1954) is an Indian politician, belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist). As of December 2022, he is a Central Committee member of the party. Early and Personal life Veerabhadram hails from Khammam Dist ...

organised the funding. As per reports, 1.652 lakh people invested in the channel, with each person contributing 5004,000. Teachers, and banking and insurance sector employees were said to be among the most enthusiastic investors. A few hundred daily labourers and

Anganwadi An Anganwadi is a type of rural child care centre in India. They were started by the Indian government in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services program to combat child hunger and malnutrition. ''Anganwadi'' in H ...

workers were also among the shareholders. The shareholders had elected a board of directors which, in turn, appointed a news team. The management touted this as an alternate model to the ownership of media companies by big businesses. The shareholders can also be used as

citizen journalists Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

and as marketers for the channel. Reportedly, 3060 crore was invested into the channel before its launch. Change in ownership In August 2018, ''Times of India'' reported that there was a change in the ownership of the channel. While there were unverified reports of Jupally Rameswar Rao and Nimmagadda Prasad buying the channel, then CEO Gottipati Singa Rao denied those reports. Singa Rao claimed that he along with other investors acquired shares in the company and there were no politicians among the investors.

Programming

10TV aired a programme titled 'Bakasura', where a presenter dressed in the

Bakasura Bakasura ( sa, बकासुर, ), also rendered Baka or kuaishwa, is a rakshasa featured in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The rakshasa lives in a forest near the town of Ekachakrapura. In exchange for protecting the kingdom from invaders, he ...

attire goes to places where land is being encroached by political leaders, and discusses the topic.

References

{{Telugu Language Television Telugu-language television channels Television stations in Hyderabad