Apology for 'India TV's dispute with CCL' report

Apology for 'India TV's dispute with CCL' report

India TV

Indiantelevision.com carried a report on 15 February, 2008, under the headline 'India TV settles CCL dues, to move to new premises by November-end.'

The report correctly states that India TV has settled its dues to CCL, while the headline wrongly implies that it would be vacating the premises by November 2008, when in fact the news channel will be moving out by November 2009. 

Additionally, the following inadvertent errors also crept into the report, which have been brought to our notice by India TV:

* That the issue of dispute between CCL and India TV was one of "overdue rent when in fact the channel has regularly and unfailingly paid what was due and had repeatedly brought to CCL's notice vide emails and all other means the equipment and services that had not been put into place despite lease rentals being paid vide cheques."

* That, in specific terms, the article claims that 'more than Rs 6 crore were not paid by the channel (India TV) in terms of rent for the premises and as the hi-tech digital newsroom that CCL (Century Communications Ltd) has also rented to the channel', when the facts, as enshrined in the MoU clearly bear out the channel's position, including a substantial amount exceeding Rs 2 crore being deleted from CCL's original claims, confirming thereby, that key equipment and services had indeed not been made available to India TV; and the fact that India TV had to independently acquire the above mentioned digital newsroom at a huge cost.

* That by repeating a wild allegation made by CCL officials in a press conference claiming that the lives of the CCL owners had been threatened by India TV and that they had written to the Union Home Minister for protection, indiantelevision.com has lent credence to a preposterous claim which CCL chose not to substantiate with even a shred of evidence.

Indiantelevision.com regrets the inadvertent errors and apologises to Independent News Service Pvt Ltd, owners of Hindi news channel India TV, and states for the record that it has no intention of dishonouring or bringing to disrepute either India TV or its founder Rajat Sharma.