The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's outburst and his veiled, nay, open threat to Sun TV is indeed a reiteration of the fact that Sun TV is the most sought after Channel in the Tamil speaking world.

It is simple, if you give a good fare, people go there. If the Woodlands or Adyar Ananda Bhavan is doing good business, why grudge them? The menu is good and people flock there.



Sun TV's management knows the pulse of the viewers. Right from day one, when Doordarshan was its only competitor(?), Sun TV succeeded in offering a totally new, different, original programme basket that fulfilled the aspirations of the public, who were hungry for attractive programmes.

There is no gainsaying the fact that, in spite of several channels now in operation, the first choice of Tamils anywhere is Sun TV. Neither can it be denied that all the later entrants had to follow or copy the Sun route.

Well, if the Tamil Nadu Government's own Arasu Cable is to make a mark, it has to include Sun TV in its basket. If the Government's baby were healthy and effective, there would have been takers. If one takes the Arasu Cable in Thanjavur, for instance, it has not reached even Kumbakonam. It is now nearly two months since it was launched in Thanjavur with all accompanying fanfare. It has reached only those towns where the Railways have provided its cable connections, like Tiruchirapalli, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur etc.

Though Public memory is no doubt, short, the opposition the DMK showed when the AIADMK government proposed the launch of a Government Cable Company is still green in our memory. Of course, the DMK chief now conveniently says that the party opposed it at that time only because the then Government had not taken the mandatory permission from the Central Government. Well, the public knows the real reasons only too well. And now, the Chief Minister is compelled to deal with his son M K Azhagiri's Royal Cable Vision, his grand nephew's Sun TV and his Government's Arasu Cable Television Corporation

I strongly feel that there are areas where governments should fear to tread. Broadcasting, to me is one such. It should confine itself to governing the state, enforcing the rule of law and administering the basic functions. It should not enter the business arena. A Government should be run like a Government.