By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : With Kerala under Chief Minister Oommen Chandy looking for new ventures, which include foray into the aviation sector with Air Kerala in 2013, the latest to go off the block is a state-controlled TV channel to reach out to the people, officials said Thursday.
Air Kerala will be launched Apr 14, 2013, while the new state-run channel is expected to come on air in an year’s time.
“This new channel is meant to see the programmes of the state government and the policies reach to the people quickly without any dilution. The new channel would be headquartered at the Media City at Kochi which will be formed on the lines of the Dubai Media City,” said a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
The consultancy of the proposed TV channel will be handed over to the public sector organisation Broadcasting Engineering Corporation Ltd.
“The proposed Media City is expected to come up on a 25-acre plot of land and it will house all the media organisations in the state including media related educational institutions. The TV channel is expected to go live in an year’s time,” said a state government official who did not wish to be identified.
A high-level team comprising state Minister for Information and Public Relations K.C.Joseph has been formed, which includes journalists like Sunnykutty Abraham.
“The budget and other details are being worked out and that’s not going to be a problem,” added the top official.