After being in a virtual hibernation, controversial media personality V Ravi Prakash, the founder-CEO of popular Telugu television news channel TV9, is said to be staging a comeback into the field with a bang very soon.
According to highly placed sources, Ravi Prakash, who has been playing behind the screen role in running a news website and a couple of channels, has been tipped to launch a television channel in Telugu, which belongs to a chain of prominent television network headed by Ambani group.
“The preparations are in full swing and in a month or two, the new channel will be launched in a big way. Needless to say, it will toe the line of the Bharatiya Janata Party and will go all out against the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in the next elections,” sources said.
The group is also likely to convert the existing Telugu website, which is currently known for its anti-TRS stand, into a full-fledged newspaper. This will also take a shape very soon, sources said.
Sources said the new media house would be technologically advanced and would introduce a new trend in media coverage.
“It would have new approach towards journalism and adopt latest innovations in the media,” sources said.
After being unceremoniously shunted out of the Associated Broadcasting Corporation Ltd (ABCL), the promoter of TV9 a few years ago, Ravi Prakash was in the news for waging a legal battle against the new management.
Later, he was arrested on the charges of forgery and cheating, but was released later. He has since been on bail and the case is still pending.
In June this year, Ravi Prakash lost the battle against the TV9 management before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) which declared that the takeover of the ABCL by the new promoters in August 2018 was completely legal.
The Hyderabad bench of the NCLT found fault with Ravi Prakash for creating troubles for new promoters including Jupalli Jagapathi Rao and other directors.
It also directed that Ravi Prakash and his associate K V N Murthy pay Rs 10 lakh to the defendants as compensation.
