With Arnab Goswami all set to roll out his new channel Republic next month, in an interview given to the Business World, he has hit out at critics that accused him of being a Pro-Modi and Right winger journalist. Moreover, he talked about the Republic Launch, his young team and future plans.
The Nation wants to know…
Firstly, he was asked that when will the much awaited Republic Channel be finally launched. To this, he replied “it’s a matter of few weeks”, Arnab conveyed that he believes in providing a perfect product and the channel will roll out as soon as they have that ‘perfect product’.
Challenges in recapturing the News Market
“Republic is the leader on day one”
claimed Arnab Goswami, explaining that all the other so called leaders are too busy fighting for the number one spot and everyone is claiming to be the No.1. Also, he said the current decline in his previous channel Times Now viewership confirms there is no clear leader in the News business and once the Republic is launched it will be the leader.
On his Competitors
Arnab said that Republic will be competing against their own innovations in journalism which he and his team has brought over the past 10 years. He goes on to explain his plan for expansion of the viewership
“…You know you can’t compete against anyone, people keep saying news genre is watched by six percent of total TV viewing audience, I am not going to compete within that six percent; I am out there for the other 94 %. For me, therefore, it will be self-limiting to say that I am one more player in the six per cent space, I am there for the other 94 %. My style has always been to expand the audience…”
On Hinglish Viewership:
Arnab believes that the rate at which the English news viewership is increasing is a very good sign for the Republic
Five years back only Hindi channels were growing. Why is English growing five times as compared to Hindi? It is simple — because people are speaking more English nowadays. They are communicating in Hinglish. I am riding that wave.
He also said we must rise above the false pretenses of elitism which English news has come to represent in some sections.
On Reinventing the Journalist Identity:
I don’t believe in the concept of faceless reporting, so a reporter must be strengthened and must be respected.
Earlier the journalists were just a medium between the news and the viewer, but Arnab has totally changed this practice by not only creating an identity for himself but those around him as well. When asked about it, Arnab says he has always worked for his own brand of journalism and has been answerable to himself only, even when he was working for a Corporate organisation. He goes on to appeal to all the right-thinking journalists to rise above media owners who have made it their ultimate wish to run down journalists. He urged them not to work for media owners who run down journalists, who run down content creators.
On Lutyens Media:
You must understand that even when I speak about Lutyens’ media, I am speaking about it as a moral metaphor. There is a media which has not had the courage or the spine to stand up to the corrupt — that is the compromised media. I will never salute that media.
He has always been critical of the “Lutyens Media”, a term he uses extensively and metaphorically.
Positioning ‘Republic’ as a Global Platform:
The question is do we do it on our own or do we do it in collaboration with others? Do we play it on digital or do we share it on TV as well? How do we stream the content, what is the nature of the content, where do we produce it, where do we edit it, what styles do we look at. These are the questions in my mind for the course of next 6-12 months I will unravel my plan once I launch the Republic TV with Republic World. We already have various exciting investment options on how to grow that business. I think with a fair amount of prudence and commitment we will be able to achieve it in 2017-18, I haven’t made a formal corporate announcement of it, but it’s around the corner.
On the uneasiness of his Rivals:
I am having to share this with anguish that in this fight some are going around telling the distributors that they will pay them 6 or 8 months of distribution fee upfront so that they can stop Republic from being broadcast for one month. To stop us for 1 month they are willing to pay for 6-8 months. I think this is so negative, it is so desperate and paranoid and people with pride have gone along and said this to the distributors.
On being Pro-Modi:
He was accused by the rival media houses for being soft on PM Narendra Modi and ‘too hard’ on Rahul Gandhi in the interviews conducted during the Times Now show ‘Frankly Speaking’. To this he replied:
Please name the journalist who broke the story called ‘Lalitgate’. Answer my question. And name one more journalist who broke a story of that kind of story in the last 2 years. Name one journalist who has been boycotted by all political parties. I use my freedom of expression well, I don’t use it to support those who say, “Bharat ki Barbadi”. I use my freedom of expression to break scams and to take on the corrupt. From CWG to ‘Lalitgate’, I have for the course of the last 20 years proven my independent journalism. You want me to respond to the pseudo elite Lutyens’ brigade which has nothing to speak against me but to throw mud at me. Republic is a movement which is unstoppable. To prove my journalism today is not necessary for me.
On Rajeev Chandrasekhar and the BJP connect:
Rajeev Chandrasekhar is an office bearer of NDA in Kerala and also an investor in the Republic. His organisation is known for its pro-Military, pro-Nationalism and right of center approach. On his alleged pro-BJP connect, here is how Arnab replied:
Let me declare it to you that I am pro-military, pro-India, pro-nationalist. That does not make me right wing. I think it is a pseudo, elitist un-researched, Lutyens’ media philosophy which describes people who are pro-army and pro-nation as right wingers. 99 per cent of India is, 100 per cent of India, should be.
I am extremely proud of my investment that we have received from Asianet Online Private Ltd. Asianet is the oldest TV news channel in India, fiercely independent and I am very proud of the investment and I am proud to have Rajeev Chandrasekhar as one of my largest investors.
Like him, other investors believe in our journalism. Our journalism will speak for itself.
On the Young team of Republic:
The average age of the Republic team is 25 years, for digital media its 22-23 years. When asked if this team represents the ‘New India’, Arnab replied:
Yes, it does and I am happy about it, it motivates me while the compromised media doesn’t like me, the new media has welcomed me and they know that I started by fighting a lonely battle but today I am not alone, today I have thousands of young journalists who are with me. And you are right about these people being in the 20s, I have learned a lot from them. And I really look forward to working with this bunch over the next ten years. I think it keeps me alive and on my feet and I think this is the one reason why Republic will be a great success.