Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Nov 26: The cable operators from all over Karnataka, who had suspended transmission of news channels, TV9 and News9 from Monday evening after reportedly being instructed by minister, D K Shivakumar, have begun beaming signals of these channels with effect from Tuesday November 25 evening.
It was also said that the cable operators had taken these news channels off their network, claiming that they had been facing problems because of the anti-government stance taken by them.
Karnataka chief minister, Siddaramaiah, held a meeting with media heads on Tuesday morning to tell them that the government would not in any way interfere with the freedom of press. He stressed that the government always encourages objective reports. The consultative meeting was attended by heads of various news TV channels.
The chief minister, at the meeting, sought to stress that the government had nothing do with the suspension of airing of the above two channels by cable operators. He then entrusted the issue of sorting out the above issue to ministers, Roshan Baig, and Dr H C Mahadevappa.
These ministers, who had the mandate of the chief minister, held consultation with the office bearers of Cable Operators Association and settled the issue. As soon as the meeting concluded, the operators began streaming signals of the above two news channels with effect from 5 pm on Tuesday.President of the association, Patric Raju, announced that messages were sent to all the cable operators to resume these channels, immediately after the meeting.
In the meanwhile, former chief minister of Karnataka, S M Krishna, said that Congress has always committed itself to the freedom of expression and media. He reminded the people that the party and its leader, Indira Gandhi, had apologized after finding that this right had been compromised with in certain cases between 1975-77. He also advised the concerned to realize that pruning down of freedom of press through indirect methods do not succeed in the present scenario because of internet.